Tuesday, March 26, the Student Assembly of the College of William and Mary Senate will vote on SR 331-005 – The Ceasefire in Palestine Resolution. If passed, the resolution will formally call for College President Katherine Rowe to release a statement calling for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, as well as the delivery of immediate aid to the Gaza strip and the return of refugees.
Sen. Hashir Aqeel ’25 and Secretary of the Senate Sen. Hazel Vineet ’25 sponsored the resolution, which is currently endorsed by at least 30 members of Recognized Student Organizations and SA.
Sen. Laayba Tanoli ’26, Sen, Matthew Hwang ’25, Sen. Mayer Tawfik ’27, Sen. Tyson Liverman ’27 and Class President Yannie Chang ’25 are also listed as co-sponsors of the resolution.
The resolution, which states that its mission is “To Recognize and Condemn Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine,” was introduced to the chamber on Tuesday, March 5.
The resolution details Israel’s violence in Gaza and the College’s response to the conflict, including Rowe’s statement following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
According to the resolution, SA has the responsibility “to act as the bridge between the student body and the administration even when, and especially when, it is difficult to do so.”
It also states that SA is against all forms of discrimination.
“WHEREAS, the Student Assembly of William & Mary opposes all forms of oppression, including, anti-Palestinian, anti- Arab, anti-Semitic, anti-Asian, anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, anti-Latinx/Chicanx racisms, Islamophobia, and any other forms of prejudice;” a clause reads.
“WHEREAS, the Student Assembly of William & Mary opposes all forms of oppression, including, anti-Palestinian, anti- Arab, anti-Semitic, anti-Asian, anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, anti-Latinx/Chicanx racisms, Islamophobia, and any other forms of prejudice.”
Class President Mia Tilman ’24 also left a comment on the resolution providing her thoughts on the influence of the College.
“Thought: also might be helpful to provide the connection that the US and US based companies have, which is why advocacy from W&M admin, a relatively influential body in the US and DC, is relevant,” Tilman wrote.
Throughout the Google document version of the resolution, Sen. Connor Cheadle J.D. ’25 left comments rebutting whereas clauses of the resolution with his own thoughts of the conflict.
“Israel has been falsely accused by the United Nations and others of deliberately and willfully targeting residences,” a comment from Cheadle reads. “Tragically, one of the many violations by Hamas of international humanitarian norms is the conduct of its terror activities within residential areas throughout the towns and villages in the Gaza Strip, including the use of commanders’ own homes, where their families and other civilians may be residing. These houses have been used for weapons storage, and command, control, and communication centers.”
Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres condemned the killing of Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday, Feb. 29.
“The Secretary-General condemns the incident today in northern Gaza in which more than a hundred people were reportedly killed or injured while seeking life-saving aid,” The United Nations wrote in a press release. “The desperate civilians in Gaza need urgent help, including those in the besieged north where the United Nations has not been able to deliver aid in more than a week. The Secretary-General reiterates his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages. He once again calls for urgent steps so that critical humanitarian aid can get into and across Gaza to all those in need.”
The resolution follows similar moves from other colleges and universities. On Monday, March 4, Tufts University’s Tufts Community Union Senate — Tufts’ version of the Student Assembly Senate — passed three resolutions calling for Tufts University President Sunil Kumar to recognize genocide in Gaza, for the university to divest from Israeli companies and for it to cease selling Sabra products in dining halls, according to the Tufts Daily.
The University of Virginia student body also passed a referendum on Wednesday, Feb. 28, calling for the university to submit itself to an external audit of its investment portfolio and divest from any companies “engaging in or profiting from the State of Israel’s apartheid regime,” according to The Cavalier Daily.
SA President Sydney Thayer ’24 did not respond to a request for comment at the time of writing.
SA announced that it stopped live-streaming its meetings on Facebook on Tuesday, Feb. 20, as such, the discussion of the resolution will only be recorded in the meeting minutes without a video recording.
