Stanford University officials on Monday rejected a request from student activists to discuss divesting from companies with ties to Israel.
At least 12 students and three faculty members began a hunger strike this week to pressure the university to sever financial ties with companies they say are linked to the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
“The university does not intend to negotiate in response to your demands,” Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Students Michele Rasmussen wrote in a letter to Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine, which the group posted publicly Tuesday.
Despite the university’s response, the group said the hunger strike would continue and is expected to grow. A spokesperson said organizers anticipate a “large influx” of new participants and volunteers, allowing for “waves of strikers to join in subsequent weeks.”
The length of each participant’s fast will depend on their individual health and medical guidance, the group said.
The hunger strike also calls for local authorities to drop felony charges against student protesters, for Stanford to repeal recently enacted campus speech regulations, and for university President Jonathan Levin to sign a national academic freedom statement.
“They are aware that their students are putting their health at stake because of Stanford’s insistence on investing in genocide and repressing students for dissenting,” the activists said in a statement.
In declining to negotiate, Stanford spokesperson Luisa Rapport pointed to an October 2024 decision by the Board of Trustees’ Special Committee on Investment Responsibility, which had reviewed a proposal to divest from companies linked to the Israel Defense Forces.
“Just as the university does not take positions on partisan or political issues, the Trustees maintain a strong presumption against using the endowment as an instrument to advance any particular social or political agenda,” the board said in a statement at the time. “It (the decision) further provides that the Trustees ‘may choose to take no action on a request if an issue is divisive within the campus community.’”
The hunger strike follows months of pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.
On June 5, 2024, 13 individuals — including a student journalist — were arrested during a sit-in at the university’s administrative offices. Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen later filed felony vandalism charges against 12 students, citing property damage between $360,000 and $1 million. California law defines felony vandalism as causing more than $400 in damage.
“Dissent is American. Vandalism is criminal. Speech is protected by the First Amendment. Vandalism is prosecuted under the penal code,” Rosen said in announcing the charges.
Students arrested in the June 2024 protest have also faced administrative sanctions from Stanford, including two-quarter suspensions, delayed graduation conferrals, and community service requirements.
Stanford has drawn criticism from multiple sides over its handling of the protests. One university subcommittee reported widespread anti-Israel and antisemitic bias on campus. Another found that Islamophobia and prejudice against Muslim, Arab and Palestinian students were also prevalent.
Students from California State University campuses — including San Jose State, Sacramento State, San Francisco State, and CSU Long Beach — are participating in their own hunger strikes.
While Stanford has not yet shifted its investment policy, divestment campaigns have succeeded elsewhere.
The University of San Francisco earlier this month committed to divesting from defense companies tied to Israel after student pressure. San Francisco State University has already pulled its investments from four weapons manufacturers in August, and Sacramento State became the first public California university to divest from companies that “profit from genocide, ethnic cleansing, and activities that violate fundamental human rights” in May 2024.
Though the Stanford administration has declined to meet protesters’ demands, the group said it will continue to apply pressure, launching a letter-writing campaign and planning additional actions.
“Stanford doesn’t even want to listen to its students and faculty, who are now resorting to the last tactic possible in hopes that Stanford finally takes any action,” the group said. “We have decided to continue our hunger strike until Stanford negotiates and takes action on our demands.”