This year, students will be able to vote on a student-proposed referendum asking the AMS to endorse a two-day student strike from March 24-25 to demand UBC divest from companies students say are complicit in Palestinian human rights violations.
The Ubyssey spoke with three organizers from Palestine Strike Action UBC about how the referendum was created and what the process has been like. The organizers names have been withheld in accordance with The Ubyssey's anonymity policy due to safety concerns.
“The idea came up as a response to previous actions not having as much of an effect,” said one of the organizers, referring to the past encampment, rallies and AMS motion. They noted these attempts to ask UBC to divest from companies they say are complicit in human rights violations have not achieved the desired outcome.
They believe a two-day student strike endorsed by the AMS would show UBC the student body cares about divestment and that it is not a minority issue.
Another organizer explained this two-day strike is meant to coordinate with upcoming student strikes in Quebec, set to occur the same week.
The organizers said past UBC strikes have prompted tangible results. They cited the cases of UBC’s past partial divestment from South African Apartheid following student action. Another involved fossil fuel divestment from past climate movements.
Currently, UBC is invested in several companies organizers say are complicit in the violation of Palestinian human rights, including Lockheed Martin and Caterpillar. The organizers believe because the university is committed to responsible principles of investment, they must be held to this standard by divesting.
In May 2024, UBC President Benoit-Antoine Bacon said UBC’s endowment fund “does not directly own any stocks in the companies identified by the movement.” Instead, "capital is held in pooled funds and managed by external investment managers.”
“The endowment fund is meant to support the beneficiaries, which is us as the students,” said one of the organizers.
“The thought that human suffering is what is supporting our scholarship is something most students would not want to be party to.”
Staggered voting schedule
This referendum will appear on a staggered ballot running from March 10-17, with a start date three days after the AMS General Election ballot opened.
Palestine Strike Action UBC organizers claim the AMS incorrectly posted the deadline to submit the referendum petition in both its website and email communications.
Organizers said the AMS website initially said the deadline to submit the petition for a referendum was February 27. When the date was approaching, organizers were then informed the deadline was February 25.
AMS Elections Administrator Sansian Tan confirmed she had placed the wrong date on the referendum guide found on the AMS website.
"This was an unfortunate oversight on my part due to shifting the entire elections timeline by a week to accommodate [the by-election]," she wrote in a statement to The Ubyssey.
Due to the AMS's incorrect online deadline and since AMS Elections was unable to verify some of the referendum signatures, this referendum item is on a staggered ballot.
According to AMS bylaws, the 1,000 signatures for referendums must be collected and verified 10 days prior to voting, which moved this referendum’s voting period from March 7 to March 10.
The organizers said they are not concerned about whether students will vote ‘yes’ on this referendum, but are concerned about ensuring student will hear about this referendum item. With their experience gathering signatures and engaging with students, there is widespread support for this.
As per AMS bylaws, referendums require 8 per cent of active AMS members to support the vote in order to pass. Without this, the item automatically fails.
“It's unacceptable and unconscionable for UBC to maintain investments in firms tied to weapons manufacturing and international human rights violations," said one of the organizers.
This article is part of our 2025 AMS Elections coverage. Follow us at @UbysseyNews on X (formerly Twitter) and follow our election coverage starting March 3.
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