March 25, 2016

Contact:
osudivest@gmail.com
osudivest.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
#OSUDivest Makes Case for Divestment; Vows to Continue Campaign Despite Setback
Columbus, OH - On Wednesday, March 23, #OSUDivest and a coalition of over 20 endorsing
organizations once again urged the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) to adopt
Resolution 48-R-43, which called on the University to divest from British security firm G4S,
Caterpillar, Inc., and global information technology company Hewlett-Packard. The USG had
previously tabled the resolution for further discussion on March 9th. Although the resolution
ultimately failed to pass, #OSUDivest vows to continue advocating for divestment from
corporations complicit in human rights violations in occupied Palestine and all forms of
oppression against marginalized communities.
More than 300 students and community members attended Wednesdays general assembly
meeting, which lasted more than five hours. During the meeting, over 20 individuals spoke
passionately about the urgency of holding OSU accountable for the impact of its investment
decisions beyond campus. Among the speakers were Connie Hammond from Jewish Voice for
Peace - Central Ohio, and a former OSU student during the era of South African Apartheid, who
urged the USG not to make the same mistake the University did in the 80s and ignore what
needed to be done to end the Universitys complicity in human rights abuses abroad.
Voting by secret ballot, nine USG senators affirmed the right of OSU students to demand
greater transparency and accountability in the Universitys investment decisions and to end
OSUs effective approval of corporate human rights abuses. Twenty one senators voted against
the resolution, and 15 abstained. While this vote marked the defeat of the resolution, the 9 votes
in favor of the resolution marked a significant departure from the status quo institutional
tolerance of the human rights abuses in occupied Palestine and served as an important
testament to the strength of the #OSUDivest campaign. Indeed, throughout the campaign,
#OSUDivest faced significant external pressure from outside actors, including three Members of
Congress and one state representative, who lobbied members of the USG to reject the
resolution.

Following the vote, members of the #OSUDivest campaign gathered together to reflect on the
power of their collective student action and committed to remaining united to fight for justice and
accountability from the OSU administration. Over the coming days, #OSUDivest will be planning
how best to build off the power of the divestment campaign to challenge attempts to stifle free
speech on campus and in our community, and to continue its divestment and public education
work.
###