ANN ARBOR- About 80 University of Michigan students on Wednesday, March 19, staged a sit-in at the Chambers Room, where the University’s Central Student Government (CSG) meets. The sit-in followed a spontaneous protest on Tuesday, after CSG voted to indefinitely postpone a resolution to form a committee to investigate the human rights record of four companies that do business with the Israeli military in order to divest from them.  

More than 250 students, who were attending the Tuesday CSG meeting, started angrily chanting, “divest, divest, divest”, immediately after the postponement vote was cast. They protested for about 10 minutes inside the Rogel Ballroom at the Union Building where the CSG met, after which they formed a rally in front of the building to demonstrate against the decision.

Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) proposed the divestment resolution, which calls for looking into the practices of United Technologies, Caterpillar, Heidelberg Cement and General Electric for their relationship with the Israeli military. The motion to postpone it indefinitely was passed by a vote of 21-15 with one abstention.  

On Wednesday, divestment supporters at the sit-in set forth a list of demands, including repealing the decision to postpone the resolution and a written apology signed by the CSG president, vice president and speaker of the assembly on behalf of the student government. 

Tuesday’s CSG meeting, scheduled for 7:30 p.m., started an hour late after it was relocated to the ballroom. It could not take place in the Chambers Room, where the CSG usually assembles because the audience was much larger than the room’s fire capacity of 80 people.

CSG members initially asked the people in attendance, who were mostly supporters of the divestment resolution, to evacuate the room. The attendees pleaded to move the meeting to a bigger venue, but they were told that the Chambers was the only room available in the building. Then, a police officer came and ordered the students out of the room to no avail. The meeting was eventually moved to the ballroom.

While waiting at the Chambers room, divestment supporters erupted with cheers after learning that Loyola University in Chicago had passed a similar resolution to the one proposed to CSG.

Students opposing the resolution were present at the meeting, but its supporters, who were visibly identified by their signs, pins and Palestinian kuffiyas, outnumbered them. 

Ali Abunimah, the co-founder of the Electronic Intifada, described the large turnout as “amazing.”  

“Whether the resolution passes or not, the huge turnout shows that the movement has succeeded in engaging a large number of people in the debate about Palestine,” he told The Arab American News.

Abunimah said the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) puts “apartheid supporters” on the defensive. 

Five students from each side addressed the CSG with 3-minute speeches to advocate for and against the resolution during the assembly’s 30-minute “community concerns.”

Students at the Rogel Ballroom on Tuesday, March 18. PHOTO: Alaaeddine Barakat

Speakers opposing the resolution said the divestment campaign undermines the ongoing peace talks, which are the only way to a two-state solution. They also argued that the resolution only looks at the violations committed by Israel while ignoring the atrocities committed by Palestinians. 

“Passing this resolution will not solve anything. It will only create more tension on and off campus,” said Dan Holman who spoke against divestment. He enumerated attacks by Palestinian militants against Israeli civilians, noting that the resolution fails to acknowledge them.

Golman said BDS hurts Palestinians, as Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas has spoken against boycotting Israel. “Frankly, President Mahmoud Abbas is a better representative of the Palestinian people than SAFE, who are the authors of this resolution.”

Those supporting divestment addressed the CSG Assembly with personal stories about their struggle with the Israeli occupation.

Nicole Khamis recounted the story of her cousin who died of cancer while waiting for a permit to cross the Israeli checkpoints between Jerusalem and Ramallah to receive proper treatment. 

“On November 11, my cousin passed away of cancer she could have had the treatment for,” she said while on the verge of tears. “And on November 15, four days later, the permit arrived at her house.”

Khamis said when her cousin was first diagnosed with cancer, there was hope that she would survive, “but help was on the other side of the checkpoint.”

“‘This is something that happens all the time, and it’s part of our existence as Palestinians, my mom would always say, as she wipes the tears from my face,” Khamis stated. “But that excuse doesn’t work for me anymore, and it doesn’t work for any of us in this room, who believe in equal human rights for all. As a student, I’m embarrassed to go to a school that profits from these companies that tore apart my family.”

The Speaker of the CSG Assembly Meagan Shokar tried to control the crowd, in accordance with the meeting’s rules, by ordering students repeatedly to refrain from applauding after speeches. Students in support of the resolution started snapping their fingers instead of applauding for the speakers advocating for divestment. “No applause, no snapping,” Shokar then directed the audience.

After “community concerns,” CSG member John Lin motioned to postpone the resolution, arguing that it is out of CSG’s jurisdiction. The motion was passed by a show of hand, after which the crowd erupted with anger. 

However, the vote on the motion was retaken after a brief debate. One CSG member in favor of postponing the resolution said the assembly was being asked to take a stand on an issue it does not know enough about. A woman in the crowd responded by saying, “Read a f•••ing book.”

CSG member Dan Morales said the assembly would be letting down its constituents by not addressing an issue that concerns them. A few supporters of the resolution were allowed to argue their position to the assembly with one-minute speeches.

The vote was taken again, with many divestment supporters still asking to speak. This time CSG Assembly members voted verbally after a roll call. 

After the outcome of the vote was announced, the crowd fell silent for a few seconds, before “divest” chants started spreading across the ballroom. The assembly called for a closed meeting. Unable to control the frustrated crowd, it then adjourned the meeting. CSG members started leaving, but divestment supporters continued to chant “divest” and “shame on you.” One member of the assembly who voted for tabling the resolution was moved to tears by the angry chants.

Morales told divestment supporters to remember the names of the representatives who were for tabling the resolution, so they can vote them out of the assembly in the upcoming election at the end of March.

“Students are right to react this way,” Morales told The Arab American News. “They have a right to make themselves heard because CSG is not hearing them.”

The crowd moved outside, where chants continued and several students gave brief speeches about the situation. The rally in front of the Union Building continued until 11:30 p.m., when the decision to stage the sit-in was taken. On Wednesday, students took over the Chambers room, which was unlocked, around 6:30 p.m.

“CSG silenced us last night,” said Suha Jarrar at the sit-in, SAFE co-chair. “We are not leaving here until our demands are met.”

Abbas Alawieh said the sit-in was an “inspiring” step after Tuesday’s events. “The students were able to use the momentum and capitalize on the frustration they felt yesterday [Tuesday]. You cannot ignore the student’s demands, and the occupation of the CSG Chambers is a testament to that,” he said. “This is an important issue not only for SAFE but to students of all colors, especially students of color.”

Alawieh added that the university has a “terrible record” with students of color, as black enrolment has decreased steadily since the 1970’s. U of M’s black enrolment is at 4.6 percent this year.

He said the resolution was not asking the University to take sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but rather to be neutral, because the college has already favored Israel by investing in companies that benefit from the Israeli military.

Lamees Mekkaoui said students felt empowered by the “organic” reaction to the CSG decision. “We can get them to hear us,” she added. “I think the student government has never seen such a movement that incorporates students of all backgrounds.”

Albin Molnar, a member of the CSG Assembly who supports the resolution, said it was “great” that the students took over the Chambers room.  “It belongs to them,” he said.

Molnar added that some members of the CSG Assembly might have voted to table the resolution out of fear of taking a stance on a controversial issue, not out of conviction.

“This is a mini Tahrir Square,” shouted a student in the room.

Omar Hashwi, who was the CSG vice president last year, said the turnout at Tuesday’s meeting, along with the number of students addressing the assembly, was the largest he has seen.

Hashwi said CSG votes on all matters relating to student life. “CSG is representative of the student body. Passing a resolution in CSG conveys to the administration that the issue is serious,” he explained.

Divestment supporters finalized their list of demands after an internal vote, following a long, open discussion. The demands included repealing the decision to table the resolution, a written apology from CSG leaders, opening all CSG meetings to the public, and allowing everybody to speak without time limits during “community concerns.” 

Students at the sit-in could have faced confrontation with the police if they stayed past 2 a.m., the official time the Union building closes.

As 2 a.m. approached, a student instructed the crowd on what to do if the police come. He urged students not to resist the police and answer with “I want the university to divest,” when asked if they want to be arrested. He also advised students who do not want to risk arrest to leave the building before it is officially closed.

Michael Proppe, CSG president, came to the Chambers room around 1:50 a.m. to respond to the sit-in’s demands. He said it was “unacceptable” that students walked away from the meeting “feeling that their representatives were not willing to listen to them.”

“The decision to indefinitely postpone the resolution was unprecedented during my time in student government, and I do disagree with that. I do not vote. It was not my decision to make,” he added.

Proppe offered to call for an emergency meeting and work with the representatives to repeal Tuesday’s decision.

“You’re saying that you support us, that you disagree with the decision. The place to say that was last night, not here,” a student responded to Proppe. 

Several students addressed Proppe, mostly dismissing the student government as an illegitimate representative of the student body.

“Since walking through the door I didn’t hear you say sorry, not once, to any of those brave women who stood out there and said that their relatives were killed because of the companies that our university is invested in,” Alawieh told Proppe. 

He added that the CSG president and the body that he represents hurt a lot of people on Tuesday.

“Palestinian women of color yesterday were attacked because they stood up there, and they were marginalized. Students of color on this campus are consistently marginalized,” Alawieh continued. “And if we were to stand here without you– it’s already 2 o’clock– we would have been arrested by now. And the reason why we have not is that you, as a white man with power, have privileges, so I would like you to recognize your privileges. Coming here and saying that you regret and that you disagree does not erase the fact that you told one of our members that if the resolution passed, you would veto it.”

Proppe eventually said he was sorry for not opposing tabling the resolution on Tuesday. “I do apologize that I did not object to that motion last night. It’s a fair point,” he said.

The students were not pleased with Proppe’s proposals. They left the Chambers room around 2:10 a.m. but resumed the sit-in at 7 a.m. on Thursday. They vowed not to leave until their demands are met.