More on wider separation

We continue to point out that the stream of divestment resolutions coming out of student government suggests that UC needs to change its connections with those activities and widen the separation between the two. The current situation ranges from offensive to humorous, but each iteration reflects on the university because of the official connection and recognition of student government as speaking for all students. Were student government treated as any other extracurricular activity, its participants could do and say what they want without a need for university officials to explain/critique. And external public support for UC, very much needed at present, would be less at risk.

Below is the latest example of the current problem, this time from Berkeley:

The ASUC Senate unanimously passed a bill urging UC Berkeley, the UC Berkeley Foundation and the University of California to divest from the Republic of Turkey and an affiliate institution Wednesday night. The bill cites the Republic of Turkey’s denial of what many countries recognize as a genocide of the Armenian people beginning in 1915, as well as what the bill calls a “campaign of Armenian cultural erasure,” as its impetus for divesting funds. The bill calls for divestment from both the Republic of Turkey and the Export Credit Bank of Turkey, of which the Turkish treasury is the sole shareholder. The UCLA student government unanimously passed a similar measure last month...

Full story at http://www.dailycal.org/2015/02/19/asuc-senate-passes-divestment-republic-turkey-unanimous-vote/ 

See also http://dailybruin.com/2015/02/20/submission-usac-members-apologize-to-jewish-community/