AGRAWAL: In divestment referendum, your vote matters now more than ever
On March 7, the Rutgers University Student Assembly, the primary governing body for all undergraduate students on the New Brunswick campus, successfully passed a bill that shifts the landscape of students' opinions on campus.
The bill includes a divestment referendum to steer the University away from any firm or corporation that is involved with the government of Israel's actions toward Palestinians.
The referendum was passed in a closed session during the general body meeting by unanimous consent. The referendum clearly asks two questions: "Should Rutgers divest its endowment fund from companies and organizations that profit from, engage in or contribute to the government of Israel's human rights violations?" and "Should Rutgers terminate its partnership with Tel Aviv University, including in the New Jersey Innovation and Technology Hub?"
The last time Rutgers campaigned for divestment was in 1985 to urge the University to divest from companies doing business in apartheid-era South Africa. What followed was an approximately three-week blockage of a student center led by the Rutgers Coalition for Total Divestment. More recently, in 2021, a referendum was passed that had to do with fossil fuel divestments and investments in clean energy, with a majority of 90 percent of all voters supporting it.
The questions asked in this referendum need a "yes" or "no" from at least one-tenth of the undergraduate student population between March 25 and March 29 for the Assembly to actively advocate for the highest-voted stance. Based on voting numbers in the past, getting one-tenth to vote seems difficult, but not unattainable.
Columbia University, the University of California, Davis and the University of Michigan have passed similar divestment referendums this year. This referendum is important for students to take collective control of the tuition dollars and hold Rutgers complicit in its endowment fund investments, which contribute to the crimes committed against Palestinians.
Jack Ramirez, a School of Arts and Sciences junior and the Assembly's president, was recently the target of an email campaign by Israel War Room, an organization not affiliated with Rutgers, to veto the divestment vote on the referendum. What is interesting is that neither he passed that bill nor did he get a vote on the bill as president. Not to mention, the entire purpose of the referendum is to ask the student body and let them make a decision about divestment with no impositions or insinuations whatsoever.
The Rutgers administration comfortably taking a backseat and staying silent on Ramirez's issue not only speaks of how vulnerable the student body must feel but it also disincentives students to speak up or run for student government.
Creating such an unfit environment where entities outside of campus scrutinize student involvement opens the door to unwarranted hate and will continue to threaten student safety if not acted upon.
The significance of this referendum extends far beyond the individual propositions listed. Participating in the referendum is a vital exercise of engagement in the University's democratic mechanisms, guaranteeing that students exert influence over decisions that reflect their interests, values and priorities.
I consider this referendum an impending victory that will inform the administration of the student body's stance and put pressure on them to divest if the majority votes yes.
Divesting completely takes years to implement. And so, the process must begin now. By casting a vote in this referendum, you are not only participating in a democratic process, but you are also raising your voice to send a powerful message to the Rutgers administration and beyond — the student body is engaged and unwilling to stand by while some of the University's investments contribute to harm.
Khushi Agrawal is a freshman in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in Cognitive Science and minoring in Digital Communication, Information and Media. Agrawal's column, "Scarlet Perspectives" runs on alternate Mondays.
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