(JTA) — The student government at Western Washington University unanimously passed a resolution against boycotts, divestment and sanctions.
The seven-member board of directors of the Associated Students of Western Washington University passed the measure on Tuesday.
It states that “to maintain a safe and inclusive campus environment, tensions between students related to foreign conflicts should be managed in a healthy and collaborative manner rather than be exacerbated,” and that “boycott, divestment, and sanction measures rooted in national origin or other identity-based features can cause students to be targeted on the basis of nationality.”
It is the first university student government to vote for a resolution against BDS, according to StandWithUs, an Israel advocacy organization.
WWU student Alysa Kipersztok, a StandWithUs Emerson fellow, brought the anti-BDS resolution to the student government.
“I’ve seen how divisive anti-Israel BDS campaigns have been on campuses across the country,” Kipersztok said in a statement released by StandWithUs. “BDS has been a source of disconnect and resentment among students, creating a hostile environment. It divides students, marginalizing those who support Israel.”
Western Washington is a state-funded four-year university in Bellingham.
