Referenda

Referenda

SPRING 2024 UNIVERSITY-WIDE REFERENDA

 

Referendum 1: UVA Apartheid Divest Referendum

 

Sponsors:

Asian Students Union
Dissenters at UVA
DivestUVA
Minority Rights Coalition
Muslim Students Association
Muslims United 
Students for Justice in Palestine

Proposed Referendum Explanation:

This referendum calls for the University of Virginia to submit itself to an auditing process to determine the extent to which University endowment funds are invested in companies engaging in or profiting from the State of Israel’s apartheid regime and acute violence against Palestinians and to immediately divest all funds so identified. Moreover, a yes vote would call for acknowledgment and enhanced support of Palestinian students on Grounds.

Proposed Language:

WHEREAS: The University of Virginia, in its mission statement, recognizes its responsibility toward the “Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world,” and the University further commits itself to serve “in the name of the greater good,” thereby emphasizing its dedication to upholding the highest ethical standards in its operations and decision-making processes, which necessarily include matters pertaining to global social justice and human rights; AND,

 

WHEREAS: The University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO), which manages the University’s $13.6 billion endowment, pledges to “[provide] investment management services to the University of Virginia and associated organizations to serve the University’s mission.” In alignment with this commitment, UVIMCO’s public communications articulate a clear dedication to responsible investment practices that are conscious of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impacts, thereby reflecting the University’s ethos and dedication to global stewardship; AND,

 

WHEREAS: The University of Virginia, in 1987, set a precedent for aligning its investments with its professed ethical standards by divesting all stocks in South African companies, a response to the apartheid regime’s systemic and violent practices of racial segregation, discrimination, and socio-political disenfranchisement against Black South Africans. This decision exemplified the University’s commitment to acting against institutionalized inequality in accordance with its purported values of justice and equity; AND,

 

WHEREAS: It has been routinely documented by international governing bodies, including but not limited to the United Nations, that the State of Israel has engaged in systemic and violent practices that have led to the diminution of the rights of Palestinian people. These practices align with and fulfill the criteria outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, which defines the term “crime of apartheid” as including “similar policies and practices of racial segregation and discrimination as practiced in southern Africa.” Furthermore, on December 29, 2023, the Government of South Africa formally initiated proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), charging the State of Israel with violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention concerning its actions in the Gaza Strip, ruling on January 26th, 2024 that Israel must take immediate actions to prevent genocide; AND,  

 

WHEREAS: The University released an initial statement on October 11, 2023, recognizing the “brutal terrorist attacks on Israel” and “the actions of Hamas and the horrific violence that has taken place against civilians.” This message failed to address the crimes committed by the Israeli government and the ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. Furthermore, the University’s initial statement on this issue failed to mention the words “Palestine” or “Gaza,” causing entire student populations to feel unseen and otherized. Although the subsequent statement issued on November 6th, 2023, mentioned the “terrible toll the ensuing war has taken on both the Palestinian and Israeli people,” it failed to condemn any of Israel’s human rights violations since October 7th - let alone condemn Israel’s occupation and apartheid which has lasted over seven decades; AND,

 

WHEREAS: The University of Virginia and UVIMCO lack transparency within their specific investments and have continuously denied previous requests for transparency in their investments, leaving the University community uninformed of the extent to which the University and UVIMCO are implicated in the preservation of Israeli apartheid and violence against Palestinian people; THEREFORE BE IT

 

RESOLVED That the University community asks that, at a minimum, acknowledging Israel as a victim of violence should not be separated from acknowledging Palestine as a victim of settler colonialism and apartheid; AND BE IT FURTHER

 

RESOLVED  That while the damage of erasing Palestinian narratives in the University’s initial statement cannot be undone, the University community requests the University of Virginia to act on its claims of fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion for each of its students by not further ignoring the pain and existence of Palestinian students and community members; AND BE IT FURTHER

 

RESOLVED That the University community asks UVIMCO to subject itself to an external auditing process to determine the extent to which the University’s endowment is financially implicated in corporations that profit from or engage in human rights violations, including but not limited to the State of Israel’s apartheid regime; AND BE IT FURTHER

 

RESOLVED That the University community calls on UVIMCO to divest its stocks, funds, and endowment from companies that profit from any and all acts of human rights violations across the world; AND BE IT FURTHER

 

RESOLVED That a copy of this resolution be sent to

The Board of Visitors

James E. Ryan, President of the University of Virginia

Ian Baucom, Executive Vice President and Provost

Cedric Rucker, Dean of Students

Kevin G. McDonald, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Community Partnerships

Ian Baucom, Executive Vice President and Provost

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Definition, Ratification and Voter Information:

  • Per the UBE’s Rules & Regulations, a referendum is “a question that has been certified to appear on an official ballot in an election administered by the University Board of Elections pursuant to these rules and the qualifications established by the constitution of the relevant student governing body, if applicable.”
  • An amendment to the Student Council Constitution must be ratified by two-thirds of those students voting in a referendum election.
  • An amendment to the Honor Committee Constitution must be ratified by three-fifths of students voting in a referendum election, provided that at least ten percent (10%) of the entire eligible voting population has voted in favor of such an amendment.
  • An amendment to the University Judiciary Committee Constitution must be ratified by two-thirds of the students voting in a referendum election, provided that at least ten percent (10%) of the entire eligible voting population has voted in favor of such an amendment.
  • An amendment to the University Board of Elections Constitution must be ratified by a majority of those students voting in a referendum election.
  • For more information regarding University referendum, please consult Section III, Subsection E of the UBE’s Rules & Regulations, found here.
  • Voters may exit out of the ballot before voting on the proposed referenda. Votes for the other elected offices will be saved. Voters may return to the ballot at any time within the voting period of Wednesday, March 2nd at 10:00am to Friday, March 4th at 4:00pm. Voting on the proposed referenda is optional – voters may choose to vote on some, all, or none.

Important Referenda Information:

Please refer to the University Board of Elections Rules and Regulations for information regarding student referenda. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

Individuals or organizations seeking the certification of a question to be a referendum item must submit a petition pursuant to these rules:

  • A petition for a referendum on a non-binding question of opinion to be put to the entire student body shall be made on a form provided by the UBE and shall be signed by not less than 950 students.
  • A petition for a referendum on a non-binding question of opinion to a particular school or undergraduate class must be signed by five percent (5%) of full-time students in that particular school or class. Individuals or organizations collecting school or class referendum petitions should request that the UBE provide them a signature minimum based on up-to-date enrollment figures.
  • A petition for a referendum on a binding constitutional amendment to be put to the entire student body shall be made on a form provided by the UBE and shall be signed by a number of students governed by the requirements established in the existing constitutions of the governing body for which the amendment applies; the specific number, when set as a percentage of a student population, will be determined by the governing body using the previous semester’s enrollment numbers. If the constitution of the governing body does not specify a required number of signatures, the University Board of Elections shall require a petition signed by no less than 1,250 students.

    Only official petition packets created by the UBE that include the referendum text on each signature page will be accepted.

    Referenda Process Steps:

    1. Download and complete the Referenda Proposal.
    2. Submit the completed proposal by email to [email protected] from your U.Va. email address by February 14th at 4pm.
    3. The UBE will create the official petition packets with the text, and the final packet will be emailed back within 72 hours pending approval from the General Counsel. If a review of your proposal cannot be completed within 72 hours you will receive notification from the UBE.
    4. You may only gather signatures with the official petition forms; duplicates may be permitted in some circumstances.

    The UBE will not reject any properly submitted referendum proposal based on content except in special circumstances; the purpose of the proposal submission is to verify sponsor and referendum information.

    Constitutional Amendments:

    For referenda that affect the constitutions of the Honor Committee, University Judiciary Committee, Student Council, School Councils, or Class Councils, the UBE strongly recommends that you work with the Office of the Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer to help you with the text of the referendum to ensure its legality. While the UBE may not remove referenda from the ballot if a proposed constitutional amendment might be illegal, an amendment with questionable legality may not be approved by the Board of Visitors, even if passed by the student body. The UBE would like to prevent these sorts of situations as they can confuse and upset the student body and reflect poorly on all involved.