Editors Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified a negotiations member as the founder and president of WWU divest.
The Western Washington University Board of Trustees formally enacted the Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing (ACSRI) during their Oct. 18 meeting.
Two student appointees – one student position from WWU Divest Apartheid Coalition along with the Associated Students’ Vice President of University Operations – will serve a one-year term with the possibility of reappointment. Non-student committee members will serve a two-year term. Board of Trustees ACSRI members may serve a shorter term if their time on the Board ends, according to the nine-part charter that was approved during the meeting.
The ACSRI was first outlined in a memorandum of understanding signed between representatives of WWU Divest Apartheid Coalition and President Sabah Randhawa on May 29, 2024, following a two-week encampment protest on the Old Main lawn. Universities across the country have maintained similar committees, including the University of Washington since 2021 and Boston University since 2013.
The committee is responsible for developing policy that will be referenced when the WWU Foundation for Alumni and Family makes investment decisions. To enact policy, the ACSRI can move a recommendation forward to the Board of Trustees with a two-thirds majority of six voting members.
The Board of Trustees can also vote and transmit recommendations to the board of the Foundation. However, the Foundation is “not obligated to act upon or implement any resolution from the Board of Trustees,” according to the charter.
Jasmine Welaye is a student activist with WWU Divest Apartheid, Arab Student Association and the newly-formed WWU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.
Welaye feels as though the university has more sway in proceedings due to the advisory nature of policy recommendations between all three levels, from the ACSRI to the Board of Directors at the WWU Foundation.
Welaye feels as though the university has more sway in proceedings. As the ACSRI moves policy recommendations through the advisory committees -- from the Board of Trustees to Board of Directors – the groups are not mandated to implement any of the policies.
“There’s no policy [in the charter] that says, ‘XYZ needs to happen if this request for divestment goes through.’” Welaye said. “It’s still purely up to [the Board of Trustees.] People aren’t paying attention to the process and whether they’re saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ after the ACSRI makes a recommendation. That will also be a huge power sink to the committee.”
Welaye was also part of a group of four students from WWU Divest Apartheid Coalition that attended the Board of Trustees meeting on Oct. 18. Leading up to the meeting, the Coalition made a petition that demanded a clearer standard of mandatory financial disclosure to the ACSRI and the appointment of three student representatives who reflect student values. It garnered over 1,800 signatures. Provost Brad Johnson confirmed to The Front that the Board of Trustees voted to retain two student representatives on the committee, but the matter was not finalized.
“One [more] student representative is worth asking for,” said Malachi Phillips, AS President and acting student representative on the ACSRI. “Of course, in the traditional sense, the Board of Trustees has tried to listen to all constituencies if possible and wants to convene as much as possible.”
Much of the contention around WWU Divest Apartheid Coalition’s calls for mandatory financial disclosure stems from the WWU Foundation’s endowment portfolio program, which is in partnership with Russell Investments.
The charter states, “The Foundation for WWU and Alumni uses an outsourced CIO model for investment management and works with Russell Investments to manage its endowment portfolio. Russell Investments’ program is proprietary in nature which precludes them from disclosing certain information due to non-disclosure agreements.”
Liam Pratt, a member of WWU Divest Apartheid Coalition thanked the Board of Trustees during a public comment period at the Oct. 18 meeting and addressed student concerns.
“The ACSRI cannot function without clear and transparent access to the very information that they would exercise judgment over…” Pratt said. “[I have] based much of my extracurricular activities around trying to change this school for what I feel is the better. I am happy to see that we are starting to gain momentum in achieving that. However, it is crucial that we do so deliberately and with clear intention.”
Welaye’s intentions on the ACSRI are to inform students how university government works. They expressed a lack of proactive measures from the university.
“This is one of the aspects [I’m] talking about when I feel disillusioned by the university,” Welaye said. “You have all of the people who are on a payroll to make committees like this and have these kinds of conversations. Instead, you waited until students camped for two weeks… things like that are really frustrating to me when the university can take the work of students and promote themselves on it.”
A community member holds a Palestinian flag while studying shoes laid around Fisher Fountain in Bellingham, Wash. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. The shoes each represent someone killed in the conflict in Gaza. // Photo by Ayden Sweat
A speaker asks those in attendance to recite a poem about the strength of Palestinian children with them at Red Square on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Bellingham, Wash. The poem was a call and response with those in the crowd participating. // Photo by Ayden Sweat
Austin Wright (he/him) is a campus news reporter for The Front this quarter. He is a third-year journalism/news ed major. When he’s not reporting, you can find him playing ultimate frisbee, watching soccer or hiking. You can reach him at austinwright.thefront@gmail.com.
