At Michigan, Activists Take Over and Shut Down Student Government At Michigan, Activists Take Over and Shut Down Student Government
The New York Times
Pro-Palestinian protesters won council elections, and have refused to fund campus groups, like the men’s Ultimate Frisbee team, unless their divestment demands are met.
Students were braced for a stalemate. There was an Ultimate Frisbee team without money to compete, an airport shuttle whose cost to students almost doubled without a campus subsidy, and a ballroom dance team unable to rent rehearsal space.
At the University of Michigan, many student activities are usually funded or subsidized by the Central Student Government, known as C.S.G., an elected undergraduate and graduate council that decides how to dole out roughly $1.3 million annually to about 400 groups.
But last spring, pro-Palestinian activists, running under the Shut It Down party, won control over the student government. They immediately moved to withhold funding for all activities, until the university committed to divest from companies that profit from Israel’s war in Gaza.
University regents, though, have consistently said that divestment is off the table. And as students returned to school, the campus seemed to be at a virtual standstill.
“It’s incredibly stressful,” said Nicolette Kleinhoffer, president of the ballroom dance team. The team relies on the student government for the majority of its funding, which covers competitions, a coach and rehearsal and performance space.
The student government takeover was a novel strategy for pro-Palestinian activists, who have battled Michigan’s administration as it dismantled encampments and disciplined protesters.
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