Amidst a rise in pro-Palestinian advocacy on campus, Hamline’s Undergraduate Student Congress (HUSC) passed a resolution that takes an explicit pro-Palestine position and calls on Hamline University to do the same.

The resolution, citing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, calls upon the university to divest from the Israeli government as well as Boycott, Divest, Sanction-identified companies that are “implicated in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.” The resolution additionally calls on Acting Interim President Kathleen Murray to “immediately release a statement condemning Israel’s campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people, and our state and nation’s continued investment in it,” and to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Per the resolution authored by Disability Representative junior June Gromis, HUSC will also draft a letter to the editor of The Oracle “unequivocally condemning Israel’s campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people, and our state and nation’s continued investment in it, and calling for an unconditional ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.”
HUSC’s Board of Representatives passed the resolution with a two-thirds vote at HUSC’s general assembly with 13 yes votes, two abstaining and one present, after making minor changes in language. Senior Madeline Christensen, senior Hafsa Ahmed and first year Allie Kretsch also requested to be additional sponsors of the resolution.
Additionally, the resolution states that HUSC will “refrain from using its funds to make purchases from any of the corporations implicated in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, as listed by the BDS movement for targeted boycott,” while urging HUSC-chartered organizations to do the same.

The resolution includes the fourth principle of the university’s student conduct code, “The protection of human rights, health, safety, welfare, and property of all members of the university and the property of the university itself,” to emphasize Hamline’s values in their call to action.