UW-Madison students pass controversial divestment vote

The Associated Students of Madison (ASM) Student Council passed a controversial divestment resolution 15-5-3 after three hours of heated debate at an emergency meeting Wednesday night. The measure calls on the UW System to disclose and divest from companies "complicit in apartheid and genocide," explicitly including Israel's actions in Gaza and military operations by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces. Supporters cheered the vote, while about 30 Jewish students staged a walkout in protest.[2][3][5]

The resolution, backed by groups like Students for Justice in Palestine, Young Democratic Socialists of America, and over 30 campus organizations, builds on prior divestment pushes, including a 2024 pro-Palestine encampment and historical campaigns against South African apartheid and Sudan in 2006. Debate featured over 35 speakers in favor, citing moral obligations to oppose companies profiting from conflicts, immigration enforcement, and climate change. University attorneys had warned ASM leaders the provision violates Wisconsin law barring state agencies from boycotting Israel, a point echoed in prior meetings where voting was delayed by time limits.[2][3][4]

UW-Madison swiftly condemned the resolution as containing "flawed, unrelated and illegal demands," stating it does not bind the university, Board of Regents, or endowments. The administration is also investigating reports of antisemitic language in an ASM online chat and stressed the need for civil discourse amid rising campus tensions.[2][5]

This divide highlights ongoing friction at UW-Madison, Wisconsin's flagship university, where student activism intersects with state law and free speech concerns, potentially deepening rifts among Badgers and influencing future investment debates.[2][3][5]