Last Spring, a slate of pro-Palestinian candidates calling themselves the "Shut it Down" party ran for the student council at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and won their elections. At that time, they threatened to defund student groups, including the student council, unless the school administration divested endowment funds from Israel and military weapons manufacturers. They did this at the end of the school year.
As school begins in Ann Arbor, the student council hasn't budged, and the $1.3 million in funds for groups as diverse as a frisbee team and a ballroom dancing group are left out in the cold because they didn't get a subsidy from the school to carry on with their activities. The university regents are standing firm in their decision not to divest their endowment funds from Israeli or Israeli companies.
“It’s incredibly stressful,” said Nicolette Kleinhoffer, president of the ballroom dance team. The team needs the money to rent a space, hire a coach, and travel to competitions.
The entire student council budget comes from student fees, not the endowment funds.
“It feels a little silly to me to refuse to hand out money that’s coming from students to help students,” said Gabriel Scheck, a senior, and president and captain of the men’s Ultimate Frisbee team. The frisbee folks get a third of their budget from the student council, and Scheck says that without the subsidy, it will limit participation for many.
The student council president, Alifa Chowdhury, "vetoed a budget resolution that had been passed unanimously by the assembly," according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. She shared a statement from the "Shut it Down" group.
“By completely halting all operations and working against the tide of normalcy in the face of genocide, we hope to deliver the message that students elected us to convey,” the statement read. “This institution materially contributing to the mass destruction of Gaza and all 12 of its universities is far worse than not receiving student funding, and students are willing to make this sacrifice in protest.”
The student groups that depend on funding from the student council are wondering if the school will pick up the slack. Last week, the school agreed to fund some groups.
Last week, there was a temporary workaround. At the request of some student government members, the university’s administration agreed to temporarily fund organizations on the condition that it be fully reimbursed, according to Colleen Mastony, a university spokeswoman.
Some students applauded the move. “It’s crucial the university enforces its rules, that the university upholds its standards,” said Evan Cohen, a senior and president of Wolverine for Israel, which supports Israel and its ties to the U.S.
Others saw something paradoxical in the outcome — and wondered whether student government leaders inadvertently just gave up more power.\
“This tactic is only hurting other students,” said Sarah Hubbard, a university regent. “The board has been clear in our statements related to the ‘demands’ to divest, that it’s not going to do that.”
“I understand this leadership group was clear about its intentions, but only about 25 percent of the students turned out for that election,” Hubbard added. “We believe that as students come back this fall and find out their funds are being cut that they will be unhappy and expect some changes.”
The activists are a brick wall, and most students aren't engaged enough to care. Only 25% of the students bothered to vote last March when the "Shut it Down" group ran on a platform that clearly stated their intentions.
They didn't care then, and they don't care much now.
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