Brown’s Corporation struck down a proposal to divest from companies with Israeli military ties. A Herald poll conducted before the decision found that most Brown students supported the proposal.
Over 60% of 1,177 respondents said that they “somewhat” or “strongly” supported the divestment proposal, while 25% of undergraduates said they had no opinion. But not all shared this sentiment.
Jewish students made up 14% of respondents to The Herald’s poll. Of these students, 58% said they strongly or somewhat opposed the divestment proposal.
Jews for Ceasefire Now, a pro-divestment group comprising students who identify as Jewish, wrote in a statement prior to the Corporation’s decision that “these poll results reflect the processes of unlearning and rethinking many of us in JFCN have undertaken along with the truth that Zionism is steeped within the American Jewish conscience.”
“Divesting from companies facilitating Israeli occupation is a moral issue pertinent to all in the Brown community,” the statement read. “These results confirm what we already knew: the overwhelming majority of Brown students engaged with the vote support divestment.”
President of Brown Students for Israel Brooke Verschleiser ’25 wrote in a statement prior to the Corporation’s vote that “divestment is not an undergraduate popularity contest.”
She claimed that “there is substantial pro-divestment misinformation and peer pressure circulating on Brown’s campus.”
Two student groups arguing for and against divestment submitted proposals to a University committee outlining their argument regarding divestment.
In the past year, Jewish students on campus have remained divided over student demonstrations demanding divestment from companies affiliated with Israel, The Herald previously reported.
Those who identified as agnostic, atheist or not religious were among the strongest supporters of divestment.
Poll respondents identifying as Middle Eastern or North African were the most split on the proposal.
Over 35% of Middle Eastern and North African respondents said they oppose divestment from companies with ties to Israel. Middle Eastern and North African students were also the least likely to report they had no strong opinion on the proposal.
Two-thirds of female students support the divestment proposal compared to just over half of male students. Male students were also more likely to oppose the divestment proposal, with over 17% slightly or somewhat opposing the measure. Only 12% of female students opposed it.
Respondents who did not identify as male or female were the most likely to support divestment, at 74%.
Respondents in the classes of 2025 and 2026 were most likely to support divestment. Underclassmen were more likely to be neutral to the proposal.
Around 70% of the class of 2026 support the proposal compared to 51% of the class of 2028.
Editor’s Note: The Herald’s semesterly poll was conducted between Sept. 24 and Sept. 26, 2024. All responses were analyzed and weighted by class year using R Version 4.3.2. Polls were conducted at three locations around campus. The poll was analyzed by Owen Dahlkamp, Ryan Doherty, Abby Donovan, Ciara Meyer, Claire Song, Elise Haulund, Grace Hu, Manav Musunuru, Sanai Rashid, Talia LeVine, Megan Chan and Maya Kelly. It recieved 1,177 responses.
Owen Dahlkamp is a section editor overseeing coverage for University News and Science and Research. Hailing from San Diego, CA, he is concentrating in Political Science and Cognitive Neuroscience with an interest in data analytics. In his free time, you can find him making spreadsheets at Dave’s Coffee.
Ryan Doherty is a section editor covering faculty, higher education and science and research. He is a junior concentrating in Chemistry and Economics who likes to partially complete crosswords in his free time.
