(JTA) — Pro-Israel students at Chicago’s Loyola University met with the student government president in an effort to overturn a divestment resolution on Israel.
Representatives of the university’s pro-Israel community and the Jewish United Fund’s Israel Education Center met with Pedro Guerrero of the Loyola United Student Government Association on March 19, a day after the Loyola United Student Government Association voted 26-0 with two abstentions on the divestment measure.
The association called on the university to remove its holdings from eight companies that provide equipment to Israel for use in the West Bank. The measure was proposed by the Loyola chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.
Guerrero invited the pro-Israel students to present their position at the next meeting on Tuesday before deciding whether to uphold or veto the resolution. He has 13 days from the approval of the proposal to veto the resolution.
The Metro Chicago Hillel is backing the effort to overturn the measure along with the Israel Education Center, according to a statement issued by the two organizations.
If the proposal is vetoed, the student senate can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote. If approved, the resolution becomes the official position of the student body and is presented to the administration.
The university in a statement said the resolution is not its position and it has not adopted the proposal.
“As a university, we welcome open dialogue and debate on differing points of view,” the statement said. “Proposals like this one benefit from broader campus discussion.”
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