Holloway, RUSA town hall ends early following calls for divestment from Israel

On Thursday, the Rutgers University Student Assembly's town hall with University President Jonathan Holloway ended early after attendees supporting divestment began speaking out during the event.

Hosted in the College Avenue Student Center Multipurpose Room, the event's audience included students, external media outlets and senior members of the Rutgers administration.

Numerous attendees held signs supporting the University's divestment from firms with ties to the Israeli government, and the Endowment Justice Collective (EJC) distributed flyers calling for Holloway to endorse the results of the Assembly's student referendum on divestment.

The town hall began at approximately 7:50 p.m. with Jack Ramirez, the Assembly president and a School of Arts and Sciences junior, delivering a speech to advocate for more shared governance between the student body, the Assembly and the University administration.

Following this speech, Holloway approached the Multipurpose Room's stage to sit down and discuss shared governance with Ramirez.

In a later statement to The Daily Targum, the EJC reflected on the event.

"The room was packed with dissenters as they watched these two presidents, (Holloway) and (Ramirez), sitting in chairs talking to each other like it was a podcast," the statement read.

Approximately 20 minutes into Holloway and Ramirez's discussion, an event attendee spoke out about the town hall requiring questions to Holloway to be submitted through a form overseen by the Assembly's moderation team.

"The voices that are getting lost are the Palestinian voices that are in this room that you haven't allowed to speak. Why isn't there an open mic?" they said.

In a statement to the Targum, Ramirez and Aarushi Fernandez, the Assembly vice president and a School of Engineering senior, said moderated Q&A formats are standard practice for the Assembly's hosting of high-profile guests.

The attendee's statement was immediately met with applause from others who began to chant, "Divest now," and, "We want justice, you say how: Divest from apartheid now."

"We cannot continue if you continue to disrupt this meeting. Instead of having any opportunity to be heard, the meeting will be concluded, so it's really up to you," a University staff member said amid the chanting.

As chanting and audience interjections continued, Fernandez announced that the moderated Q&A portion of the town hall would begin.

Fernandez read out the first question to Holloway, which addressed a University-wide email that Holloway sent out on April 1. The question focused on Holloway's intention when writing the email and the University community's reaction to it.

Holloway responded that he had received numerous emails asking him to stop the referendum, which he did not want to do. While he spoke, some audience members called out "coward."

"Knowing how tortured the campus had been in the two weeks leading up to the Thursday deadline, with all kinds of disruptions and harassment related to the vote, I thought it important to just share my views about issues on the referendum," Holloway continued.

Holloway added that his intention was not to sway the vote but rather to add clarity to existing discourse.

"Clarity that you support genocide?" one attendee asked, with others calling for Holloway to "answer the question."

Holloway then touched upon how his email discussed his views on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and the University's ties with Tel Aviv University, resulting in audience members yelling, "shame," and referencing the 1980s Anti-Apartheid Movement for South Africa, in which the University divested from the country.

"Stop yapping," one attendee called out.

At one point, Holloway stated that the University would not be ending its relationship with Tel Aviv University, causing several attendees to boo. Shortly afterward, Fernandez announced to the audience that the town hall would conclude early at approximately 8:20 p.m. — 40 minutes earlier than originally planned.

Attendees chanted, "Divest now," as Holloway exited the Multipurpose Room. Until approximately 8:40 p.m. they continued to chant in support of divestment and Palestinian autonomy.

Chants included, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," "Say it loud, say it clear: We don't want Zionists here" and "Holloway, you will learn: Palestinians will return."

Ramirez and Fernandez told the Targum that the former spoke to Holloway after the town hall and the Assembly continues to maintain a relationship with Holloway and his staff.

"The events that happened at the town hall were unfortunate, while there is no consensus on emotions right now, individuals are entitled to their emotions, and we respect that as an organization," Ramirez and Fernandez stated.

Editor's note: A previous version of the article referenced the 1980s Anti-Apartheid Movement for South Africa as the 1990s Anti-Apartheid Movement for South Africa.