EAST LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees has voted to form a committee that will consider whether the university should divest from certain investments following sustained pressure from student activists.
So… Is this about Israel?
Yes, this move is connected to Israel – specifically students who have been calling for MSU to divest from Israeli bonds and other investments they associate with conflict or ethical concerns. The university says the committee could consider issues tied to “geopolitical events, like the war in Gaza,” but only under very strict criteria.
Divestment 101 – what does that even mean?
Divestment is the action or process of selling off subsidiary business interests or investments. Historically, anti-Israel forces have used the measure as part of coordinated boycott and pressure campaigns – most notably the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement – to economically and politically isolate Israel by targeting companies, institutions, universities and governments that do business with it.
Committee or circus?
According to the State News, the new board-appointed group at MSU includes students, faculty, and staff who can recommend changes to the university president – but the recommendations aren’t binding, and they can only even consider divestment under narrow conditions like “extraordinary circumstances” or when a “central university value” is at stake.
Critics argue the committee is structurally weak and an empty gesture that is unlikely to lead to real divestment. Journalism sophomore Anna Wildman told the State News, “The committee has little to no actual power. If you aren’t willing to consider divestment after seeing our countless protests and public comments, then why should we believe that the creation of a powerless committee would change that?”
To many, MSU’s new divestment committee looks less like a path to meaningful change and more like a pressure-release valve – a way to acknowledge angry protesters without actually touching the university’s investment portfolio. Students get a seat at the table, the administration keeps the keys, and for now, the money stays right where it is.
