86% of Ohio University students vote in favor of anti-Israel referendum

The overwhelming majority of students at Ohio University recently voted in favor of a referendum demanding the school divest from Israel, even though they are not allowed to do that by law.

The recent news came after anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric was exposed on the campus, with the university officials allowing students to spread the anti-Israel and pro-Hamas messages while also allowing Jew-hating and Holocaust-supporting podcaster Myron Gaines to visit the campus and spread his beliefs among students.

On March 18, the Student Senate unanimously voted in favor of Senate Bill 2526-11, which requires the university to both divest from Israel-related bonds and companies and make information about its investments publicly available, The Post newspaper in Athens reported.

The student newspaper reported that the bill received unanimous support from the Student Senate. After that, the bill went to a student referendum, and 86% supported it.

The university’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine partially drafted the bill and hosted an “Educational Forum” before the vote to sway the opinion of the students by telling them about the university’s alleged “investments into genocide, repressive laws, and the referendum vote,” according to their post on Instagram.

According to another report by The Post, many left-wing groups, including Amnesty International OU, OU Ohio Student Association, OU Black Panther Party Legacy, Sunrise Athens, OU Young Democratic Socialists of America, OU Publius, Southeast Ohio Jewish Voice for Peace, and OU Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine, endorsed the bill.

“This issue is not exclusive to Students for Justice in Palestine,” SJP board member Henry Turner said before the vote, according to Campus Reform. “There are many, many community and student organizations that are passionate about this issue and want to end the university’s complicity in acts of genocide and apartheid.”

The chapter celebrated the bill’s passage on Instagram, warning students that “this fight is not over” and that the entire student body “must keep pressure on the university to listen to student voices,” as well as “stay transparent” and “end complicity in genocide.”

However, the alleged victory of the pro-Palestine activists seems pointless, since the law already prohibits divestment related to Israel, according to the school officials.

Section 9.76 of the Ohio Revised Code specifically says that “a state agency may not enter into or renew a contract with a company for the acquisition or provision of supplies, equipment, or services, or for construction services, unless the contract declares that the company is not boycotting any jurisdiction with whom this state can enjoy open trade, including Israel, and will not do so during the contract period.”

“While Ohio University values input from Student Senate and the student body it serves, it is important to note that the University will neither consider, nor act upon, any resolution or referendum that proposes illegal actions or could expose the University to civil liability,” OU Senior Director of Communications Dan Pittman told The Post.

“Ohio law prohibits public universities from ‘engaging in refusals to deal, terminating business activities or other actions that are intended to limit commercial relations with persons or entities in a discriminatory manner,’” Pittman told the Cleveland Jewish News. “More specifically, Ohio law prohibits divestment from Israeli investments.”

Campus Reform reported that Donald Thiesen, the Student Senate’s governmental affairs commissioner, said that instead of divesting at this time, Ohio University can choose not to renew investments tied to Israel.

Pittman told The Post that everyone can access information about the university’s investments by reviewing the Ohio University Foundation’s annual audited financial statements.

Student Senate President Dan Gordillo told The Post that he will discuss the referendum with Ohio University President Lori Stewart Gonzalez, and that he will work with the next Senate administration “to see that this is continued.”

“ACF views the university’s response as a critical affirmation that student government actions cannot override state law or institutional responsibility,” Alums for Campus Fairness said in a statement. “Efforts tied to the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement foster division and contribute to a hostile campus climate, particularly for Jewish and pro-Israel students.”