New Referendum Asks Brown Undergrads if They Lack Confidence in University’s Leadership

Measure comes after vote to not divest the university’s endowment from companies students say perpetuate human rights abuses against Palestinians

Olivia Ebertz/The Public’s Radio
Share
Olivia Ebertz/The Public’s Radio
New Referendum Asks Brown Undergrads if They Lack Confidence in University’s Leadership
Copy

Brown University’s Undergraduate Council of Students (UCS) sent out a referendum on Oct. 16 asking students to vote on whether they have faith in the university’s leadership, and whether they believe students should be able to elect student representatives to Brown’s corporate board.

Isaac Slevin, who sits on the UCS, said the referendum came in response to several decisions made by either the Corporation of Brown University or administrators that many students did not believe were reflective of student sentiment.

“Students are constantly pushing for things and constantly advocating for ourselves, and the university does not move,” said Slevin.

Last week the corporation voted not to divest the university’s endowment from companies student activists say facilitate human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories despite student support. A Brown Daily Herald poll taken before the announcement indicated that about 60% of students supported the divestment proposal.

A representative for Brown University did not respond to requests for comment on the new referendum.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.

The longtime artistic director reflects on building community, surviving industry shifts and why it’s time to pass the baton
Prepare for 1-2 feet of snow, low visibility and wind gusts up to 60 mph from Sunday into Tuesday
Trying to make sense of another senseless act, this time in Pawtucket
The suspected shooter worked at a shipyard in Bath, Maine, but often traveled to Rhode Island
Michael Black describes lunging at the gunman inside Pawtucket’s Dennis M. Lynch Arena, helping jam the weapon and subdue the shooter as other bystanders rushed in — actions police say “undoubtedly prevented further injury” in a tragedy that left three dead and three critically wounded
At Trinity Repertory Company, two women at life’s crossroads — played by Kortney Adams and Jackie Davis — discover connection, identity and unexpected spark in a sharply observed two-hander directed by Curt Columbus