On December 2nd, 2019, the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies (ACCRIP) voted in favor of divestment from companies “facilitating human rights violations in Palestine.” The committee voted six in favor, with two alumni voting no, and one abstaining from the vote.
The vote comes after eight months of deliberation, starting in April 2019, when 69 percent of voters in a Brown undergraduate referendum voted in favor of the same motion. In response to Brown University President Christina Paxson’s dismissal of student concerns the day following the vote, over 100 faculty members authored a letter in favor of the student referendum. Since then, members of Brown Divest have presented to ACCRIP on multiple occasions, as have Brown Students for Israel.
On December 2nd, nine members of ACCRIP met at Brown University, and heard presentations from faculty opposed to divestment, as well as those in favor. After the presentations, a motion was put forth to vote on whether the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories constitutes social harm. Seven members voted yes, while two alumni abstained. At the end of the meeting, members of the committee motioned to vote on the following language:
“We recommend that the Brown Corporation exclude from Brown’s direct investments, and require Brown’s separate account investment managers to exclude from their direct investments, companies identified as facilitating human rights violations in Palestine. In addition, the Investment Office will share with all investment managers the University’s desire to adhere to this investment philosophy. We recommend that the Corporation and Brown’s separate account investment managers maintain the withdrawal of investments from said companies until they cease to engage in social harm…”
