Michigan State University students force university administration to comply with divestment demands – People’s World

FLINT, Michigan – Michigan State University students have won a victory in their fight for divestment, but the war continues. Under intense pressure, MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz and the Board of Trustees have agreed to meet with the Hurriya Coalition, a major player in the ceasefire movement on campus, to discuss divesting all financial ties to the State of Israel.

On Friday, June 28, the Board of Regents, a nationally elected group meant to represent the university, held its summer meeting in Flint. There, the Hurriya Coalition, which consists of more than 20 student organizations including the Young Communist League, interrupted the meeting for over 30 minutes to demand that MSU disclose and stop funding Israel’s war on Gaza.

The official agenda included a number of controversial votes on raising tuition and limiting public comment at future board meetings. Budget and Finance Committee Chair Trustee Sandy Pierce also presented a report on MSU’s investment portfolio. In the report, she stated, “The board is pleased with the portfolio and it is consistent with our policies.”

Pierce said the board stands by its April statement opposing divestment and is not considering the matter because it wants to keep the portfolio free from “political interference.” During her report, members and supporters of the Hurriya coalition began chanting and holding signs and banners.

Chants included readings from board policy that the portfolio must be managed with “social conscience” and “MSU, your hands are red, forty thousand people dead.”

The disruption forced board members and President Guskiewicz to adjourn the meeting. They left the room in hopes of escaping the protesters, but students followed them into the hallway outside the new boardroom, where they could apparently still hear them. This forced Guskiewicz and trustees Dan Kelly and Pierce to come out and negotiate with the students.

To end the disruption, Pierce agreed to meet with students before the end of July, along with Guskiewicz and MSU’s CFO. They also agreed to give all public commenters an opportunity to provide input.

After the concession, the meeting continued and members heard from faculty, staff and students who supported divestment. The board also heard public comments from survivors of the Gaza genocide, translated by a leader of the Hurriya coalition. Those statements convinced at least one other trustee, Brianna Scott, to attend the next meeting with student leaders.

“We consider any concessions made by the university administration as progress in our campaign for disinvestment,” said a Hurriya organizer, “but we are not fighting for sessions; we are fighting for disinvestment, and we will not rest until we get it.”

MSU currently invests over $500 million in companies, stocks and funds with ties to Israel and directly in the Netanyahu government itself through its Israeli bond holdings. Its portfolio also includes over $3 million in weapons manufacturers, including Boeing, Northrup Grumman and Lockheed Martin.

Students, teachers and community members have been advocating for withdrawal from Israel since October 2023 and have pledged not to stop until complete withdrawal is achieved.

“This is an important step forward in achieving divestment, but it is not the end,” the coalition said in a statement after the board meeting. Hurriya said the victory came only after a grassroots movement and tremendous pressure from students. “Now is the time to increase the pressure and keep the momentum going into the fall. We call on the entire campus community to join us.”

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