Students for a Democratic Society Demands Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions of Apartheid Israel and an End to the Support of Detentions and Deportations
Students for a Democratic Society demand that the University of Utah, in the spirit of solidarity with the people of Palestine and their struggle for liberation, implement an academic and economic boycott of Israel. These demands are not made to promote religious sectarianism, but with the conviction and evidence that Israel is an apartheid state, as described by the UN, and the result of 100 years of settler colonialism.[1] By purchasing and using the products listed below and by collaborating with universities in Israel, we hold that the University of Utah is acting in compliance with the state of Israel.
Further, in response to the ongoing detention, and deportation of children, mothers, workers, and students by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Students for a Democratic Society demands that the University of Utah administration end all practical institutional support of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This demand is being made with consideration to past actions of the university, and with consideration to past dialogues between students and administration regarding their responsibility to vulnerable students, and the community as a whole. Specifically, we maintain that as long as the DHS is actively detaining, and deporting people, that any action by the University that lends legitimacy or practical support to the DHS allows the DHS to directly allocate more funding, and energy to deporting innocent people.
The University cannot claim to be safe and diverse while supporting the brutal detentions of people at home and abroad.
Our full demands are as follows:
1. No future purchases of Hewlett Packard Company (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise or HP Inc.) products on campus and no future contracts with the Hewlett Packard Company. This includes a ban on contracts similar to the 2011 contract made with the University’s Center for High Performance Computing and the current contract negotiated through the State of Utah that allows the University to resell Hewlett-Packard Company products.
Hewlett Packard Company creates products for the Israeli government that facilitates the illegal and unjust detention of Palestinians in addition to providing products to prisons in the United States that prop up the system of mass incarceration.[2],[4]
2. No future contracts with construction companies that use machinery from Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. supplies the Israeli Defense Force with militarized bulldozers that are used to raze houses in occupied Palestine and Syria. [5], [6]
3. End the sale of products from Sabra Dipping Company LLC at all locations on campus.
Strauss, co-owner of Sabra Dipping Company supports the Israeli Defense Force and, in particular, they have ‘adopted’ the Golani Brigade[3], a brutal part of the Israeli military that raids Palestinian homes.
4. An academic boycott of Israel. This includes removing study abroad programs that send students to study in Israel, and a ban on any future collaboration with universities and professors from Israel.
By collaborating with universities and professors in Israel the University of Utah is actively cooperating with and whitewashing the State of Israel.
5. The removal of the Israeli flag from the Union ballroom and a ban of University placed Israeli flags on campus.
By displaying the Israeli flag, the University is recognizing and supporting the Israeli state’s occupation of Palestine.
6. An Administrative pledge to not, as President Pershing did, accept positions with HSAAC (Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council).
This pledge should be made publicly, to send a message of material support to vulnerable students. [7]
7. A moratorium on the University’s hosting of any future events or classes for the DHS (including ICE) including seminars, and guest lecturers.
The most recent example of this was the 2017 National Seminar and Tabletop Exercise for Institutions of Higher Education (NTTX.) [8]
8. A halting on the utilization of the University as a place for the DHS to fill it’s staffing needs by way of research programs, or their participation in job fairs or similar events. [9][10]
Citations
[8] 2017 National Seminar and Tabletop Exercise for Institutions of Higher Education. https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/2017%20NTTX%20Summary%20Report_508c_FINAL.PDF. [7] “Bay Path University.” Residence Life at Bay Path, www.baypath.edu/news/details/department-of-homeland-security-appoints-president-carol-leary-to-homeland-security-academic-advisory-council/. [2] “Boycott HP.” BDS: Freedom, Justice, Equality. https://bdsmovement.net/boycott-hp#tab1.[10] “DHS Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions – Faculty.” The Graduate School, http://gradschool.utah.edu/dhs-summer-research-team-program-for-minority-serving-institutions-faculty/. [1] Falk, Richard; Tilley, Virginia. Israeli Practices towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid. Beirut, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, United Nations, 2017.[3] Lewin, Tamar. “New Subject of Debate on Medeast: Hummus.” The New York Times, 3 Dec. 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/education/04hummus.html.[4] Mass Against HP. Apartheid Technology: Hewlett-Packard’s Role in Oppression, from South Africa to Palestine to Massachusetts. 2016[5] Niewhof, Nadri, How Israel uses Caterpillar machinery to carry out extrajudicial executions, BDS Movement, https://bdsmovement.net/news/how-israel-uses-caterpillar-machinery-carry-out-extrajudicial-executions[9] Professional Development Office. “Public Interest & Government Crawl 2011: Attorney Bios.” S.J. Quinney College of Law, 2 Sept. 2014, www.law.utah.edu/public-interest-government-crawl-2011-attorney-bios/. [6] UN News, UN independent expert calls for boycott of businesses profiting from Israeli settlement, https://news.un.org/en/story/2012/10/424432-un-independent-expert-calls-boycott-businesses-profiting-israeli-settlements
