University of Minnesota regents on Wednesday were considering a neutrality policy for the U endowment as they navigate conflicting pleas over whether they should divest from some companies in response to the war between Israel and Hamas.
“We have learned that our university community is divided on the topic of divestment and that, even if it were not, the feasibility of doing divestments in this current financial environment is complicated and, I would say, nearly impossible,” Board Chair Janie Mayeron said during a Board of Regents meeting Wednesday.
Her remarks drew a strong response from fellow Regent Robyn Gulley, who said she found the proposal “really upsetting.”
“What we’re doing right now by taking up this resolution is saying not just today but in the past and in the future, forever and ever and ever, we’re never going to listen to our students again, when they call on us to take a moral position,” Gulley said.
Regents did not reach consensus on how they might resolve the divestment questions, but the conversation Wednesday presented the first public hints as to how they’re viewing one of many facets of an issue that has challenged colleges across the country. The war and a wave of student protests have reinvigorated debates about free speech, how to define antisemitism and Islamophobia, and who should be hired for various jobs.
The board also weighed in Wednesday on another issue about the conflict. Regents, except for Gulley, voted to endorse an earlier statement by board leaders regarding the search for a director for the U’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.