Dear Members of the Seattle University Community:
I am writing to share information about the results of a recent meeting I held with students regarding the university’s response to their demands relating to the conflict in Israel and Gaza. The meeting was a productive one and we agreed to take a number of steps in the coming weeks:
Endowment Transparency
We agreed to hold a meeting in the coming weeks between student leaders—including the leaders of several student organizations and of Student Government of Seattle University—and those responsible for managing the university’s endowment. This includes the university’s chief financial officer, the chair of the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees and the outside Chief Investment Officer, Cambridge Associates, which manages the university’s investments within the parameters of the university’s investment policy. I agreed that the university would provide as much transparency about the university’s investments as possible.
Boeing
In addition, the students asked that we sever all ties with Boeing, which includes among other things donations in support of the university and our students, student internships and other experiential learning opportunities. Although I am not supportive of the request, I offered to facilitate a discussion of that issue between student advocates and members of the Board of Trustees.
Code of Student Conduct
At the meeting, students expressed specific concerns about elements of the Code of Student Conduct governing student protests. We agreed to establish a small working group under the auspices of Student and Campus Life to discuss the students’ concerns and explore possible modifications of the code that would balance student interest in freedom of expression with the need for accountability around the organization and management of protest activity. This working group will meet in the coming weeks.
Statements
Despite requests that the university issue a statement endorsing, in effect, an official university perspective on the issue of Israel and Gaza, we will continue to adhere to the approach I have adopted since I arrived at Seattle University, leaving statements about world affairs to students and faculty. My stance on statements does not come from a commitment to neutrality, as some have characterized it, but from a belief that university statements are largely empty gestures and serve to silence those who disagree. It is more meaningful for the university to focus on the actions we can take in response to events around the world or in our own community. In this case, those actions include the responses I have described above. We have also taken the step of sharing statements from the Pope or from the Society of Jesus when those seem particularly relevant and responsive to members of our community, while always ensuring that we reaffirm the rights of community members to express their own positions on these issues.
I am grateful to our students for their continued advocacy and engagement. Although we will not always agree about specific issues or about the appropriate university response to them, I take comfort from our students’ passion and commitment, particularly on behalf of the most vulnerable among us.
Respectfully,
Eduardo M. Peñalver
President