Sacramento State creates peaceful end to protests. Other schools should be taking notes | Opinion
Sacramento State President Luke Wood’s response to the pro-Palestine encampment on campus has ended a potentially explosive situation. His advances for both these protesters and the university’s Jewish community provide lessons that the presidents of Columbia University, Cal Poly Humboldt and UCLA could learn from.
The university is one of the first in the nation — and a leader in the 23 campus California State University system — to agree to investigate socially responsible investment strategies amid national and international student protests concerning the ongoing war in Gaza. The war has resulted in the killing of more than 34,000 Palestinians living in Gaza, and has seen the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
Opinion
A group of students and concerned citizens in Sacramento lived in an encampment on the university’s campus commons for just eight days, while protests across the country — and, notably, on other campuses within the CSU system — were raided by police, and students and faculty were assaulted and arrested.
The peaceful conclusion to Sacramento State’s protest is an example of good governance and respect for the student body’s concerns.
Sacramento State says that it currently has no direct investments in violation of this approach to socially responsible investing. Wood, notably, is going a step further. In an update to the university’s policies, signed by Wood, Sacramento State and its five auxiliaries are directed to “investigate a socially responsible stance for indirect investments (e.g., index funds, mutual funds).”
The university’s five auxiliaries are the Associated Students, University Enterprises Inc., University Union, University Foundation at Sac State and Capital Public Radio.
Wood’s presidential memo, released Tuesday, states in part: “CSU Sacramento opposes and condemns all acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing, terrorism and other activities that violate fundamental human rights. Student protests and political action are cornerstones of higher education and democracy, and we unequivocally condemn hate and bias in all forms.”
This is a marked difference in response compared to the handling of student protests by administrators at Columbia University and the City University of New York on April 30, when the New York Police Department raided both campuses — costing the NYPD $150 million in overtime, not to mention millions of dollars in unresolved lawsuits stemming from the evening’s assault. Hundreds of NYPD officers made violent mass arrests of students and faculty.
At a another CSU campus, Cal Poly Humboldt, a violent clash between protesters and police led to more than 30 arrests, millions of dollars in damage and a shutdown of the campus until May 10, affecting graduation for hundreds of students.
In contrast, Sacramento State’s response has been extremely measured and is commendable for that alone.
Protesters, including those at Sacramento State, have called for divestment and disclosure at universities. Granted, such demands often yield only symbolic victories that do little to punish the companies targeted. Wood and the protesters identified a process to ensure socially responsible investing, which is a win for all sides.
The needs of the university’s Jewish community, meanwhile, are being addressed as well. Wood has announced the opening of a Jewish Life and Resource Center, the first of its kind on campus. This safe space is part of a broader effort to raise awareness and understanding of anti-Semitism among faculty and staff.
The balanced response at Sacramento State shows respect to the breadth of campus perspectives. Now, if only the rest of the nation’s universities would follow suit.
