In their demands during the Nov. 8 sit-in, student protestors were specific: The University should divest from corporations identified as 鈥渇acilitating human rights violations in Palestine鈥� based on a 2020 report from the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies.
That report is no longer being considered as of 2021 鈥� and the University body that created it was succeeded in 2020 by a new body, the Advisory Committee on University Resources Management.
ACURM, like ACCRIP before it, is an advisory board tasked with considering the ethical standards of University investment and business practices. In this capacity, both committees have been involved in debates over divestment.
Proposed divestment from 鈥渉uman rights violations in Palestine鈥�
In the decade before being succeeded by ACURM in 2020, ACCRIP addressed two statements to President Christina Paxson P 鈥�19 P鈥橫D鈥�20 relating to University investments in corporations with ties to Israel and Palestine.
In a November 2012 following two years of 鈥渙ngoing dialog with Brown Students for Justice in Palestine,鈥� the committee wrote that 鈥渢he relevant evidence suggests that Brown may be invested in firms whose products and services are being used to commit human rights violations in Palestine鈥� and asked Paxson to 鈥渃onsider initiating a forum for broader exploration.鈥�
鈥淭he University should consider the implications of its investment in companies perpetrating human rights abuses, and whether or not divestment is an option in dealing with the issue,鈥� the committee members added.
鈥淔ortunately, a forum for discourse already exists,鈥� Paxson wrote in a responding , referring to the Brown University Community Council. In her response letter, Paxson added that while ACCRIP should consider campus voices, 鈥渢his is not the only factor the committee should rely on as it considers this issue.鈥�
In January 2020, ACCRIP published a that included the committee鈥檚 two-thirds majority vote for divestment in response to a proposal made by the group Brown Divest.
The committee voted to recommend that the Corporation 鈥� the University鈥檚 highest governing body 鈥� and the University鈥檚 separate account investment managers exclude 鈥渃ompanies identified as facilitating human rights violations in Palestine,鈥� adding that investments should be withdrawn 鈥渇rom said companies until they cease to engage in social harm.鈥�
Paxson responded to the divestment recommendations after ACCRIP was succeeded by ACURM in . She wrote that after a revised ACCRIP report, 鈥渢he recommendation to divest still does not meet the standard as stated in the committee鈥檚 charge.鈥�
鈥淎s I have stated on multiple occasions, Brown鈥檚 endowment should not be used as an instrument to take sides on contested geopolitical issues over which thoughtful and intelligent members of the Brown community vehemently disagree,鈥� she continued. 鈥淲e will not use the endowment to take an institutional position on this issue.鈥�
The recommendations were never brought to the Corporation. In a recent interview with The Herald, Cass Cliatt, the University鈥檚 senior vice president for communications, said that the process surrounding ACCRIP鈥檚 recommendation has 鈥渃losed鈥� and the recommendation is not factored into current University decision-making.
ACURM鈥檚 history
ACURM was established on July 1, 2020 to replace ACCRIP, established in 1978.
At a May 2019 faculty meeting, faculty discussed a motion to replace ACCRIP with ACURM to expand the focus of the committee鈥檚 charge, which previously focused only on University investment policy, The Herald previously reported. Establishing ACURM allowed members of the Brown community to 鈥渂ring pressing issues concerning core University values without being limited solely to matters of investment policy,鈥� according to its .
The motion received criticism from student organizations such as Brown Divest over concerns that the change would decrease student involvement, weaken the body鈥檚 independence and interfere with divestment efforts, The Herald previously reported.
Brown Divest also cited concerns over the expanded mission of ACURM, which it claimed would deliberately 鈥渄ilute ACCRIP/ACURM鈥檚 focus on divestment-related issues'' by overburdening members, in a May 2019 addressed to the Brown community.
In May 2020 faculty to create ACURM, which formally came into existence on July 1, 2020.
ACURM consists of faculty members, staff representatives, student representatives and alumni representatives. All members, except for student representatives, are appointed by different bodies with advice from the President, according to the committee鈥檚 .
ACURM鈥檚 policies
ACURM considers the 鈥渆thical and moral standards鈥� applied to University business and investment practices, according to its . In addition to investments, the committee also considers 鈥渋ssues of ethics in the acceptance of gifts and other University business practices,鈥� such as procurement, vendor contracts and labor standards.
Members of the Brown community can submit requests for ACURM to examine 鈥渁llegations of 鈥榮ocial harm鈥� with respect to the investment or expenditure of University financial resources,鈥� according to ACURM鈥檚 . ACURM is not required to consider all requests.
When examining requests, ACURM committee members consider many factors in addition to social harms, such as 鈥渢he potential effectiveness of various means of influencing relevant policy or conduct, the University鈥檚 need to maintain a sound financial policy and the consistency of various proposed recommendations with the maintenance of an environment at Brown conducive to teaching and scholarly inquiry.鈥�
The guidelines add that ACURM committee members should not recommend actions advancing political stances 鈥渦nrelated to the investment or expenditure of University financial resources under consideration.鈥�
In the past, the Corporation voted to divest from companies dealing in tobacco, as well as companies with business activities that supported the 鈥淪udanese government in its continuing sponsorship of genocidal actions and human rights violations in Darfur,鈥� based on recommendations by ACCRIP, according to the ACURM website.
Additional reporting by Sam Levine
Jennifer Shim is a University 国产偷拍 editor overseeing the staff and student labor beat. She is a sophomore studying Applied Math-Economics. Outside of The Herald, you can find her playing NYT Connections.
