Why are student protestors demanding colleges divest from Israel

It may seem like a strange rallying cry for college protests but many of theon campuses include calls for the schools to divest from Israel. So what does that mean?

Large colleges and universities often have something called an endowment. They're often made up of donations to the school from various sources. That money is used for everything from research to scholarships. The unused funds are invested to help the endowment grow. And we do mean grow -- the University of Texas system, including the Texas A&M system, has a reported endowment over $52 billion.

When students are calling for schools to divest they are talking about those endowments. But what they want the schools to divest from can differ. According to the, students at Yale and Cornell want the universities to stop investing in weapons manufacturers. At Columbia, activists say the school is investing in companies that are profiting from Israel’s invasion of Gaza and the occupation of Palestinian lands. According to those activists, those companies include Google and Airbnb.

Experts say even if the schools comply, divesting would have little effect on the companies or Israel, but there is precedence for this. In the 1980s, colleges and universities divested from companies that did business with South Africa after weeks of protests on campuses. At the time, South Africa was under apartheid rule.

Education Education Latest News, Education Education Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Private College Costs Exceed $90,000, Making College Education Expensive for Wealthy FamiliesA number of private colleges have exceeded the $90,000 threshold for the first time this year as they set their annual costs for tuition, board, meals, and other expenses. This means that a wealthy family with three children could expect to spend over $1 million by the time their youngest child completes a four-year degree. However, many colleges with large endowments have been focused on making college more affordable for lower-income students. Some lower-income families may only have to pay 10% of the advertised rate, making attending a selective private college cheaper than a state institution.
Source: NBCLA - 🏆 319. / 59 Read more »