The Sacramento Bee reached out to all of the CSU campuses and reviewed other statements they sent to students. On some campuses, such as Bakersfield and Channel Islands, students have not made any demands about disclosure and divestment. On others, such as Sonoma, San Francisco and Dominguez Hills, university administration has expressed willingness to meet with student activists who did make demands. The San Bernardino campus said it does not invest directly or indirectly with any Israeli companies, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo said it does not intend to change its current investments.

The Bee’s review found that Cal Poly Humboldt has responded most thoroughly, outlining their position on each specific demand in a lengthy email sent to all students on April 26.

Humboldt’s foundation fundraises and manages the school’s investments.

Aileen Yoo, the school’s director of news and information, said in an emailed statement the university was willing “to have an open dialog” about its investment strategy.

What are Cal Poly Humboldt’s investments?

Student activists barricaded themselves in Siemens Hall on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus on April 22, and relayed their demands that same day, saying they would not leave the building until the university disclosed “all holdings and collaborations with Israel,” divest from companies and corporations complicit in the occupation of Palestine, cut ties with any Israeli universities, drop charges against students and “halt the harassment of student organizers by law enforcement,” call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and change university policy that allows the university to call police on its own students.

In response to the disclosure demand, the university told students in the April 26 email alert, its endowment “does not include any direct investment in defense companies or any securities issued by Israeli companies or organizations, or to defense firms.”

“Because of the relatively small size of the endowment,” the statement read, “the investment strategy does not include direct investment in any specific companies or securities.”

That said, the university acknowledged that its more than $51 million portfolio has money that is indirectly invested in companies through mutual funds, which are often bundles of stocks or other financial assets. It estimated that 1%, or roughly $510,000, of that portfolio is in areas “that are asked about.”

Beyond that, the university estimates that “potential defense investment” is likely less than .5% of the entire investment fund.

...continued

©2024 The Sacramento Bee. Visit at sacbee.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.