Vassar College sees mass vandalism after trustees reject BDS policy

Bradley said there were multiple instances of graffiti on campus, with some of the content deemed by community members as antisemitic.

By MICHAEL STARR DECEMBER 19, 2024 18:05

Pro-Hamas graffiti on the bar in Berlin (photo credit: SCREENSHOT/X)

Vassar College saw extensive vandalism across its campus almost two weeks after its trustees declined to adopt Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions policies, according to statements by Vassar College President Elizabeth Bradley and Vassar College Students for Justice in Palestine.

Bradley said there were multiple instances of graffiti on campus, with some of the content deemed by community members as antisemitic.

SJP claimed that a group of “autonomous actors” was responsible in an Instagram post, sharing photographs with red graffiti on campus buildings proclaiming “free Palestine” and “blood on your hands.”

The extent of the graffiti and damage to college property meant that the local police department would be involved in the investigation, according to Bradley.

“This mode of communication is not effective in fostering the community of dialogue and respect to which we aspire. Instead, it can make people feel intimidated, unsafe, and excluded,” said Bradley.

Graffiti in a Goldsmiths University University of London bathroom. (credit: Beata Konya)

SJP attacked Bradley’s response for focusing on “the feelings of Zionist students” and ignoring the graffiti’s “call for divestment from the military-industrial complex.

“No amount of damage to Vassar buildings will ever compare to the devastation in Gaza. Over two-thirds of all buildings in Gaza have been destroyed by Israeli bombardment, and no universities remain,” said SJP Vassar. “We stand in solidarity with the autonomous actors who disrupted normalcy at Vassar today.”

BDS

The anti-Israel student group noted that the vandalism came a week after the Trustee Investment Responsibility Committee rejected divestment from weapons and surveillance manufacturers, which had been supported by members of the student body.

Fake wanted posters posted on the college walls attacked trustees and administrators for “investment in genocide,” according to SJP.

The TIRC issued a memorandum on December 2 thanking students for their input following a September Campus Investor Responsibility Committee to forward a proposal made by students in a May meeting for the institution to “divest its endowment from companies that design, manufacture, sell, and/or finance military and/or surveillance technologies.”

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“The Board of Trustees, including members from TIRC, has taken time to discuss the proposal fully and weigh the various considerations and has come to the decision that Vassar will not divest from military investments. The board did, however, decide to enhance transparency about the policies and practices that govern our stewardship of the endowment,” said the TIRC.

“Almost 30% of the college’s operating budget each year comes from the endowment. Making an investment decision that does not have a basis in the college’s long-term investment strategy could have a negative impact on the ability of the college to support its educational mission over time.”

The TIRC noted that it does not select or directly control which companies the Vassar endowment is invested in but is managed through third-party managers and funds. It also added that the endowment had little engagement with defense and surveillance firms.