As the Israeli state continues its murderous assault on Gaza, we all must do everything we can to let Gaza live and to support the Palestinian struggle for freedom and equality—which are the necessary conditions for a just peace.
Palestinian civil society has called on persons of conscience everywhere to support their struggle by adopting boycotts, targeted divestment, and lawful sanctions (BDS), following the model that supported the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Palestinians from the Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees (PFUUPE), the Right to Education Campaign at Birzeit University, and Omar Barghouti have called on Pitzer College specifically to enact principled BDS in alignment with the college's core values.
In 2019, Pitzer’s Faculty and College Council (comprised of students, faculty, and staff) voted overwhelmingly to suspend study abroad in Israel, taking principled action for social justice and peace. Shamefully, however, the democratic College Council vote was immediately vetoed by Pitzer’s former president Melivin Oliver (backed by the trustees).
On April 1st, 2024 Pitzer became the first US higher education institution to enact a significant measure of the Palestinian led call for academic boycott of Israel by closing its study abroad program to the University of Haifa. Haifa University is one of the pillar schools of the Israeli military and actively aids Israels ongoing apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide of Palestine. This BDS victory comes after 6+ years of student organizing despite constant repression by Pitzer administration and board of trustees.
On April 11th, 2024 Pitzer’s College Council passed resolution 60-R-5 for a complete academic boycott of Israeli universities complicit in genocide and apartheid. Before this resolution got to the College Council, it was voted on unanimously through Pitzer’s Student Senate which is one of the largest per-capita college student governments in the world. These votes through the Pitzer government affirm the Pitzer community’s demand for a principled Boycott Divestment Sanctions resolution at Pitzer in pursuit of a free Palestine. An hour after the affirmative College Council vote, President Strom Thacker vetoed this historic resolution, aligning himself firmly with apartheid and betraying Pitzer’s core values.
On May 3rd, 2024 students and faculty meet with Chair of the Board of Trustees, Don Gould, and President Thacker to negotiate the demands of Pitzer’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment. Following this meeting the Board of Trustees committed to disclosing its holdings in military and weapons manufacturers by June 30th, 2024. Disclosure is not enough. Students, faculty and alums demand divestment.
To support these efforts, a collective of roughly twenty alums are organizing fellow alums to sign the following pledge of loyalty to Pitzer’s stated ideals of social justice and responsibility:
By clicking on the “submit my pledge” button, you will honor and strengthen the BDS movement as a Pitzer alum by pledging not to donate to the College until it upholds its own stated ideals of social justice and responsibility by:
Boycotting all study abroad programs in Israel and committing to not developing any further institutional ties with complicit universities.
Divesting Pitzer’s endowment and ending procurement from corporations on the BDS list that aid the occupation of Palestine.
Here is the text of the pledge: “In line with my commitment to Pitzer College’s social justice mission, as a proud alum I pledge not to donate to Pitzer until the College ends its complicity in Israeli oppression of Palestinians. Ending the College's complicity must include the following actions until such time as all of the UN stipulated rights of the Palestinian people are met: the College must (i) boycott all study abroad programs with complicit Israeli universities and (ii) divest from and exclude from procurement contracts with all complicit corporations listed in the American Friends Service Committee’s “Investigate” database and the Palestinian-led BDS movement’s list of targeted corporations.”
Send your pledge below to withhold donations until Pitzer ends its complicity in Israeli oppression of Palestinians. Personalize your email by adding a line about why this matters to you.
With appreciation for all you do to support both a free Palestine and our collective liberation.
As the Israeli state continues its murderous assault on Gaza, we all must do everything we can to let Gaza live and to support the Palestinian struggle for freedom and equality—which are the necessary conditions for a just peace.
Palestinian civil society has called on persons of conscience everywhere to support their struggle by adopting boycotts, targeted divestment, and lawful sanctions (BDS), following the model that supported the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Palestinians from the Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees (PFUUPE), the Right to Education Campaign at Birzeit University, and Omar Barghouti have called on Pitzer College specifically to enact principled BDS in alignment with the college's core values.
In 2019, Pitzer’s Faculty and College Council (comprised of students, faculty, and staff) voted overwhelmingly to suspend study abroad in Israel, taking principled action for social justice and peace. Shamefully, however, the democratic College Council vote was immediately vetoed by Pitzer’s former president Melivin Oliver (backed by the trustees).
On April 1st, 2024 Pitzer became the first US higher education institution to enact a significant measure of the Palestinian led call for academic boycott of Israel by closing its study abroad program to the University of Haifa. Haifa University is one of the pillar schools of the Israeli military and actively aids Israels ongoing apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide of Palestine. This BDS victory comes after 6+ years of student organizing despite constant repression by Pitzer administration and board of trustees.
On April 11th, 2024 Pitzer’s College Council passed resolution 60-R-5 for a complete academic boycott of Israeli universities complicit in genocide and apartheid. Before this resolution got to the College Council, it was voted on unanimously through Pitzer’s Student Senate which is one of the largest per-capita college student governments in the world. These votes through the Pitzer government affirm the Pitzer community’s demand for a principled Boycott Divestment Sanctions resolution at Pitzer in pursuit of a free Palestine. An hour after the affirmative College Council vote, President Strom Thacker vetoed this historic resolution, aligning himself firmly with apartheid and betraying Pitzer’s core values.
On May 3rd, 2024 students and faculty meet with Chair of the Board of Trustees, Don Gould, and President Thacker to negotiate the demands of Pitzer’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment. Following this meeting the Board of Trustees committed to disclosing its holdings in military and weapons manufacturers by June 30th, 2024. Disclosure is not enough. Students, faculty and alums demand divestment.
To support these efforts, a collective of roughly twenty alums are organizing fellow alums to sign the following pledge of loyalty to Pitzer’s stated ideals of social justice and responsibility:
By clicking on the “submit my pledge” button, you will honor and strengthen the BDS movement as a Pitzer alum by pledging not to donate to the College until it upholds its own stated ideals of social justice and responsibility by:
Boycotting all study abroad programs in Israel and committing to not developing any further institutional ties with complicit universities.
Divesting Pitzer’s endowment and ending procurement from corporations on the BDS list that aid the occupation of Palestine.
Here is the text of the pledge: “In line with my commitment to Pitzer College’s social justice mission, as a proud alum I pledge not to donate to Pitzer until the College ends its complicity in Israeli oppression of Palestinians. Ending the College's complicity must include the following actions until such time as all of the UN stipulated rights of the Palestinian people are met: the College must (i) boycott all study abroad programs with complicit Israeli universities and (ii) divest from and exclude from procurement contracts with all complicit corporations listed in the American Friends Service Committee’s “Investigate” database and the Palestinian-led BDS movement’s list of targeted corporations.”
Send your pledge below to withhold donations until Pitzer ends its complicity in Israeli oppression of Palestinians. Personalize your email by adding a line about why this matters to you.
With appreciation for all you do to support both a free Palestine and our collective liberation.