Update on Undergraduate Student Referendum

Dear Members of the Georgetown Community:

A referendum sponsored by the Georgetown University Student Association, the student government representing Georgetown’s undergraduate student body, has passed with 1,447 students voting in support and 685 students voting in opposition (out of approximately 7,200 total undergraduate students who are eligible to vote).

At Georgetown, a student referendum provides a sense of the student body’s views on an issue. Student referenda, however, do not create university policy and are not binding on the university.

The resolution calls for “Georgetown University disclosing all private investments to its community members and upholding its Socially Responsible Investment Policy, through divesting from companies arming Israel and ending university partnerships with Israeli institutions.”

Georgetown will not implement this referendum, based on our institutional values and history and existing university resources and processes that address our investments. 

Academic Boycotts. Georgetown has a longstanding position against academic boycotts. As President DeGioia stated in 2013, “a boycott of Israeli universities undermines the academic freedom that is essential to the mission of the Academy …. as an academic institution, it is Georgetown’s responsibility to deepen engagement and foster dialogue between scholars and societies to enhance the entire global academic community.” Our University remains opposed to any such boycott.

Oversight of University Investments. In 2017, Georgetown’s Board of Directors adopted the University’s Socially Responsible Investing Policy (SRI Policy). The SRI Policy states:

Georgetown University … is committed to exercising ethical management of the University’s endowment in the course of seeking to generate the highest level of returns commensurate with the goal of ensuring intergenerational equity. Recognizing that the endowment shall not be used as a tool to promote a political agenda, the University shall continue to integrate its commitment to social justice, protection of human life and dignity, stewardship for the planet, and promotion of the common good into its investment management practices.

The Investment Office is charged with implementing the SRI Policy as part of managing Georgetown’s endowment. The Board of Directors has the fiduciary responsibility to oversee management of the endowment.

More than 45 years ago Georgetown established the Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility (CISR), which includes faculty, students and staff. CISR considers proposals from members of our community relating to the University endowment and makes recommendations to Georgetown’s Board of Directors. CISR has played an important role in helping to shape the University’s approach to socially responsible investing. 

I recognize there is a wide range of opinions on the conflict in the Middle East within our community. We have numerous events to present different perspectives on the conflict. Guided by the University’s Policy on Speech and Expression, we will continue to protect the right of members of our community to freely express their views.

We are guided by our mission statement, which includes our belief that “serious and sustained discourse among people of different faiths, cultures, and beliefs promotes intellectual, ethical and spiritual understanding.” This is a time to encourage such discourse.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves
Interim President