"CEC Announces Passage Of Divestment Referendum, CCSC And ESC Election Results"
At: https://bwog.com/2020/09/cec-announces-passage-of-divestment-referendum-ccsc-and-esc-election-results/
--------------------------------------
"In an email to CC and SEAS students sent this morning, the Columbia Election Commission announced student government representatives for the coming years and the passage of the divestment referendum. 61.04% of participating students voted in support of the University’s divestment from companies that profit from or support Israeli policy toward Palestinian people.
"Last week, Columbia College students voted on the question of whether 'Columbia University [should] divest its stocks, funds, and endowment from companies that profit from or engage in the State of Israel’s acts towards Palestinians that, according to Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), fall under the United Nations International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment on the Crime of Apartheid.'
"Out of the 1771 students who participated in the voting, 1081 voted in favor, 485 voted against, and 205 abstained. Overall, 39.3% of the Columbia College student body voted on the referendum, which exceeds the baseline 30% required for a valid vote. This comes after years of debate surrounding the contentious Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Ballot initiative that CCSC eventually passed in November of 2019..."
----------------------------------------
This opinion article appeared before that vote, in the Columbia Spectator:
"Stand for justice, stand for Palestine"
https://www.columbiaspectator.com/opinion/2020/09/23/stand-for-justice-stand-for-palestine/
by IBTIHAL MALLEY | SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
Brief excerpt is below:
"...Voting in favor of this ballot initiative demonstrates a commitment to the voices of the student body—voices that are increasingly affirming the Palestinian struggle for justice and liberation. Our institutional holdings make us, as students, complicit in Israeli apartheid and such ubiquitous violations demand our concern and action. It is for these reasons that we ask the Columbia College student body to consider including Palestine as part of one’s moral compass when deciding to vote this week."