Evergreen Divests? Not Really at All

A critical look at claims that Evergreen University in so-called Olympia, WA has divested from the state of Israel following protests on campus.

Yesterday, the Cooper Point Journal ran a story with the headline: TESC AGREES TO DIVESTMENT: Greeners say ‘The Struggle Continues! In uncritical, triumphalist language, the article summarizes the terms of a supposed agreement entered into between four individuals claiming to represent the “Evergreen Gaza Solidarity Encampment” and The Evergreen State University (TESC).

Despite the article’s claim that the agreement represents “won divestment processes,” the document really doesn’t do anything – and it certainly does not mean TESC will divest its investments from the State of Israel or the Israeli, American, and international companies that enable the genocide in Palestine.

To focus on what real and/or legal effect this agreement could possibly have, we’ll have to set aside a few issues like how the “Duly Authorized Student Representatives” came to represent the camp, etc. Taking the agreement at face value, does it even accomplish what it set out to? In a word, No. The agreement merely creates an “Investment Policy Disappearing Task Force” that is “charged with proposing revisions to investment policies.” The task force will “address divestment from companies that profit from gross human rights violations and/or the occupation of Palestinian territories.” Ultimately, the task force will only gather information and “complete a recommendation.” These are just vague and unenforceable promises, and TESC will be free to ignore whatever the task force does.The agreement does not contain any specific, concrete commitment to divest.

The ability to “propose revisions” and to “address divestment” is nothing the movement doesn’t already have. We don’t need to wait years to make our recommendation – it’s already clear: We want TESC to stop providing direct or even indirect financial support for American and Israeli wars, and specifically the genocide happening in Gaza right now. TESC has the information it needs to make this happen. It can and should identify its own investments and eliminate the ones that profit from the ongoing crisis in Israel and Palestine.

Why is this agreement so bad for us? Well, the whole point of the farce is to mollify the movement. The Investment Policy Disappearing Task Force lacks power and authority by design. And it’s shocking the Cooper Point Journal article uncritically praises the agreement. TESC’s way of killing student activity by creating dead end task forces is well-developed at this point. As Peter Bohmer observed in an article he published in last year (coincidentally one day before October 7):

A common tactic by the Evergreen administration is to set up a task force called a DTF (Disappearing Task Force), where students have a token representation or the administration selects students who will go along with the objectives of the Evergreen administration even if they conflict with justice or real student power.

The Cooper Point Journal article quotes an unidentified student who said “this is the beginning not the end.” But we know the opposite is true. By negotiating the end of the encampment in exchange for a nebulous task force that could only ever make mere recommendations, the four representatives bargained away what leverage the movement made this week and only got indefinite and unenforceable promises. This is an unqualified victory for TESC, which got the pacification they wanted and keeps complete control over its investments. It’s an unqualified loss for the movement against genocide.

Don’t believe the hype / Don’t be pacified
The April 30 MOU does not mean that TESC will divest
The encampment was sold out