OCT 24, 2024 | NEWS | By Seth Jahraus
The Colorado College Board of Trustees announced that they will not divest from companies that enable, facilitate, or benefit from the conflict in Gaza in an email to the campus body on Oct. 15.
Student activists in support of Palestine met with Board members several times following the encampment which took place in early May last academic year. The two parties agreed to schedule monthly meetings between student representatives and John Troubh, the chair of the investment committee, as well as schedule a larger Nov. meeting with the full Board of Trustees to present their divestment proposal.
On Oct. 1, Troubh canceled the Nov. meeting, proposing a reschedule for Oct. 30 which he admitted would most likely have little effect on the Board members’ decisions. The email disclosing the Board’s reluctance to divest hit student inboxes two weeks later with signatures from Troubh and the board chair, Jeff Keller.
“While we deeply value our community’s perspectives on investment matters, the Colorado College Board of Trustees has decided that the college will not divest, nor change the approach to divestment within CC’s Investment Policy, at this time,” Keller and Troubh wrote.
The Board’s decision comes from a need to prioritize “financial stability,” according to the email. It said that 20% of CC’s operating budget comes from endowment payouts which support departments such as “financial aid, academic departments, the library” and “study abroad, field study, and faculty-student research.”
In response, the Colorado College Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) as well as the Colorado College Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP) staged a rally for Palestine on the Worner Quad after class on Wednesday, Oct. 23. The SJP Instagram post advertising the event asked students to join them “IN RAGE.”
“Instead of re-evaluating our endowment, they are prioritizing lucrative investments in the military-industrial-complex, functioning as a corporation rather than a school,” the post said.
Right now, it is unclear whether or not the Board and representatives from student activist groups will still meet on Oct. 30.
The Catalyst plans to continue coverage on this story for next week.