Sonoma State encampment to disband as SSU president agrees to divest

Sonoma State administrators have agreed to disclose and financially divest the school from companies and organizations that support and profit from Israel's occupation of Gaza.

photo credit: Noah Abrams/KRCB
Community guidelines for the SSU Palestine solidarity encampment written by students on the first night of the encampment on April 26, 2024.

It was a joyous and unexpected final night for Sonoma State’s Palestine solidarity encampment.

Over 19 days after a committed group of SSU students joined the burgeoning college antiwar movement and erected their own protest encampment, university administrators Tuesday evening agreed to the students’ four demands.

The agreement comes just four days before Sonoma State's commencement ceremony on May 18.

For Vivo, one of the main student organizers at SSU’s encampment, the agreement is cause for celebration.

"Whoever's gonna end up reading this, look at what people can do when we band together," Vivo said. "If you believe in something, find other people who believe in that and work with them because you can make real change happen."

Sonoma State President Mike Lee agreed to the students' demands, as outlined in an email to the campus community. Scroll the bottom of this article to read the full message.

Those demands include the creation of an advisory council of "Students for Justice in Palestine;" and, crucially to the students, a review of the school's finances, said Albert Levine, another of the main student organizers.

"Sonoma State, they're gonna be reviewing a lot of the investments, divestments specifically with the foundation," Levine said.

Besides disclosing and divesting from university financial ties to the Israeli occupation, SSU, as Vivo noted, has also agreed to an academic boycott.

"They've agreed to permanently end all relations with Israeli state funded universities, faculty exchange programs," Vivo said. "But we worded it in a specific way that still allows for Palestinians who want to do the faculty exchange to come over. Professors in Israel who are just like acting out of their own personal interest, if they want to come over, they can [too]."

The other agreements the university has made: acknowledging Palestinian Identity and the creation of curriculum on Palestinian history, said Madyline Jaramillo.

"The faculty have been amazing about building and programming for curriculum on Palestine studies," Jaramillo said. "And that's gonna begin in fall of this coming year, it's gonna be housed within the School of Ethnic Studies."

And a call for an end to the conflict, said Jules, another of the student leaders.

"President Mike Lee stood with us in opposing genocide and in his letter says the statement, 'and thus I called for a ceasefire so that a process for permanent peaceful resolution can be established,'" Jules said.

Adam is a Palestinian-American alum, who, like multiple other speakers, asked that we only use his first name for personal safety. He said he’s amazed by the students' unwavering commitment.

"This is truly a history making moment that they were a part of," Adam said. "And I cannot express my gratitude to them as a Palestinian enough. My grandfather was affected by the Nakba in 1948, so to see people out here fighting for essentially his memory and for the people of Gaza today and in the West Bank and in the heartland of Palestine, is a beautiful thing. And I will forever be indebted."

Vivo said, it’s students like Adam, and his family, that remain at the core of their effort.

"I don't know how many Palestinians will read this, but I just wanna say to the people of Palestine and to the people of Gaza, this is for you," Vivo said. "Everything we're doing here is for you. We're gonna try to do our best by you, and your support means literally everything."

Given 24 hours to de-camp by the university, students have agreed to end their peaceful encampment on Person Lawn by Wednesday night, May 15th, at 8 p.m.

Sonoma State is now the third CSU to agree to divestment following Sacramento and San Francisco State universities.

Many of the protesting students said they are excited to continue their efforts into the fall semester via the new advisory council.

A first report on disclosure and divestment of SSU finances is expected in early fall of this year.

Editor's Note: Below is the full text of Lee's May 14, 2024 email to the campus community:

May 14, 2024

To: Campus Community

From: Mike Lee, President

Re: Encampment

Nineteen days ago, like many students across the globe, our students set up an encampment on Person Lawn to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people, registering a campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. Over the past week, senior administrators met with students and faculty to listen to and discuss student demands. On Friday, May 10 and Tuesday, May 14, I joined the group to hear directly from them.

Student activism, protest, and dissent in service of social and political change are key democratic principles that allow us to imagine a more perfect union -- not only for ourselves, but also for others. None of us should be on the sidelines when human beings are subject to mass killing and destruction. I have said this before and it merits repeating: There is no political, religious, or cultural principle that merits the murder of the innocent, and the one battle we should all be engaged in is the fight for inclusion, respect, and freedom for all people, regardless of their background or identity. I appreciated the civility and respect that centered our conversations, which opened the door to new ideas and opportunities. As a result of our conversations, we have reached the following points of agreement:

Advisory Council of Students for Justice in Palestine

The Advisory Council of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) will be established as a mechanism to ensure SSU administration accountability for all agreements. The main goal of the SJP Advisory Council is to work closely with the SSU administration to review progress on the initiatives listed below.

The Advisory Council of SJP will be established through a collaboration between SJP and Sonoma State and will be composed of members from the encampment, faculty, staff, administrators, Palestinian alumni, and other interested students, as determined by Students for Justice in Palestine. The Advisory Council of SJP will meet regularly beginning Fall 2024 with administrators and researchers in accordance with the following Mandatory Protections:

Mandatory Protections:

1) Regular meetings with an agenda set and approved by the SJP Advisory Council.

2) It is the public’s right to attend and participate in official Sonoma State meetings, which are required to meet the transparency requirements of the CSU policies and regulations. Meeting materials are to be disclosed to the Advisory Council of SJP in keeping with the law. Meetings will be recorded.

3) Preserve the future of the Advisory Council of SJP.

The first meeting date will occur in late August with a presentation from the appropriate SSU Foundation Committee as determined by the VP for University Advancement. The Advisory Council of SJP and SSU Foundation leadership will meet regularly in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 to review progress. The Advisory Council of SJP will be extended into additional semesters as needed and by mutual agreement between Sonoma State leadership and student leaders.

Disclosure and Divestment

Sonoma State is in the process of launching research on and a review of all SSU Foundation investments, to be released in a meeting between the Committee of SJP and members of the Investment Committee of the SSU Foundation in early Fall 2024. This also includes research on and review of all Sonoma State vendor contracts, to be released in a meeting between the Advisory Council of SJP and the Vice President of Administration and Finance. After the review, the Advisory Council of SJP and SSU administrators will meet with proper officials to determine a course of action leading to divestment strategies that include seeking ethical alternatives.

SSU will post and disseminate a Disclosure Statement related to funding amounts, the use of funding, and conditions attached to funds.

Academic Boycott

Currently, the CSU International Programs are not engaging in exchange with Israeli universities, and Sonoma State has no other faculty or student exchange agreements in Israel. Academic Affairs and Strategic Enrollment will evaluate any potential exchange partnerships on an annual basis, in conversation with the Advisory Council of SJP.

SSU will not pursue or engage in any study abroad programs, faculty exchanges, or other formal collaborations that are sponsored by, or represent, the Israeli state academic and research institutions.

SSU also commits to immediately updating any SSU pamphlets and SSU-hosted websites that may still be circulating or searchable and to remove hosting or linking to any pamphlets, flyers, or brochures advertising the study abroad program where students are encouraged to study abroad in Israel. SSU will make it clear to any students that any such programs are terminated until further notice and not simply suspended.

SSU remains committed to upholding principles of academic freedom and open scholarly exchange. As such, SSU welcomes opportunities to engage Palestinian scholars and students, as well as individual Israeli scholars acting in a personal capacity.

Recognize Palestinian Identity and Introduce Historic Curriculum

Sonoma State commits to working with Ethnic Studies and WGS faculties to build out the curriculum and programming for Palestine Studies within SWANA Studies at SSU beginning in Fall 2024.

SSU will provide support and resources to develop curriculum and programming on Palestine and a future Palestine Studies program within SWANA Studies that will be taught and housed within the School of Ethnic Studies and Languages. Support will include: annual funding of guest lecture series on Palestine and faculty hires (for example, lecturers, visiting assistant professors, and tenure-track hires) in Palestine Studies within SWANA Studies.

The Office of Academic Programs, the Provost, the President, and Ethnic Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies faculty will create a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) confirming that there will be support for the development of Palestine Studies within SWANA Studies courses and programs as they move through the governance process.

Statement for Permanent Cease-fire in Gaza

Both SSU Students for Justice in Palestine and I, President Mike Lee, oppose and condemn all acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing, racism, antisemitism, and other activities that violate fundamental human rights. And thus, I call for a cease-fire so that a process for permanent, peaceful resolution can be established.

Student protests and political action are cornerstones of higher education and democracy, and we unequivocally condemn hate and bias in all forms. SSU administration supports students' right to engage in peaceful activism without fear for their personal safety or any form of retaliation. We understand that many people feel anxious and fearful, particularly when standing for what they believe. We ask that everyone do their part to support one another, to ensure that Sonoma State is a safe and inclusive place for all.

Finally, I am pleased to witness that our students have effectively chosen to not be on the sidelines of history during this critical moment. They have peacefully utilized their agency, knowledge, and passion to effect change, and for that I am grateful.