Transcription:
Berkeley
University of California
Carol T. Christ
CHANCELLOR
200 California Hall #1500
Berkeley, CA 94720-1500
510 642-7464
chancellor@berkeley.edu
chancellor.berkeley.edu
May 14, 2024
Dear Free Palestine Encampment,
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me and members of campus leadership to discuss the UCB Divest Coalition’s demands. I found many of the conversations quite valuable and I want to recognize your efforts to maintain a professional, organized, and productive approach during a very difficult time. In addition, I want to again acknowledge your efforts to peacefully protest the extraordinary death and destruction in Gaza. I, too, am concerned about the horrific killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians as well as the destruction of the Palestinian educational infrastructure. I plan to make a public statement by the end of the month sharing my personal support for government officials’ efforts to secure an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Such support for the plight of Palestinians, including protest, should not be conflated with hatred or antisemitism.
I understand that the UCB Divest Coalition believes that the current allocation of the University’s investment portfolio is not consistent with our values.
In 2014, the University of California was the first American public university to commit itself to upholding the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, principles that include a commitment to avoid investing in “[b]usinesses whose profits are derived from direct harm to public safety, [or] the unlawful deprivation of human dignity.”[1] I believe this standard requires us to avoid investing in companies that are complicit in, or derive profit from, serious human rights violations.[2]
I strongly support, as I have always supported, investigating the alignment of UC Berkeley’s investments with our institution’s core values. Those values include a respect for equality, human rights, a commitment to fostering the conditions for human growth and development, and an abhorrence of war. The University of California has decided in the past to divest from businesses that were determined to not be aligned with our values. We should examine whether UC Berkeley’s investments continue to align with our values or should be modified in order to do so.
I understand that the UCB Divest Coalition will continue its advocacy for divestment from Israel by demanding an end to direct and indirect investments in companies that derive profit from, or whose conduct is complicit in violations of international law and/or human rights. This includes companies that profit from weapons manufacturing, mass incarceration, and/or surveillance industries. As stated by the University of California Office of the President, divestment from companies on the basis of whether or not they do business with or in Israel is not supported. The sale of direct investments is not within the authority of the Office of the Chancellor but rather lies with the UC Regents.
Date: May 14, 2024
Attribution: Letter from Chancellor Carol Christ, May 14, 2024, University of California, Berkeley, Free Palestine Encampment Collection, CU-620, https://archive-it.org/collections/30322, University Archives, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.