Dear Kim Brooks and Dalhousie administration-at-large:

Dalhousie University is complicit in the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestine and Palestinians.
When contrasted with Dalhousie’s clear messaging surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, such an oversight only confirms the success of Israel’s decades-long campaign to systematically dehumanize the Palestinian people. Dalhousie might be a global community but apparently is not one where Palestinian students, faculty and staff warrant mention, much less empathy. It took over three weeks for the President’s Office to issue a statement that finally acknowledged the violence and loss experienced by Palestinians but still failed to recognize the fundamental structure of oppression and power underlying the violence in the region. Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion must involve understanding that the harms experienced by an oppressor do not negate the existence of oppression, it only confirms that oppression hurts us all and that our liberation is ultimately tied up in the liberation of others.
We are calling on Dalhousie University to:

Disclose to students and the public the full list of the university’s financial and academic ties, including those with the state of Israel.
Completely divest from all companies on the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) list, and establish a divestment committee made up of 50%+ students to oversee this.
End all institutional ties to Israeli companies, goods, and universities at Dalhousie and on its premises. This includes ending the Israeli Exchange Program under the Faculty of Management.
Issue a statement condemning Israel as per Motion 2024-03-22-7.3 passed at the Dalhousie Student Union on March 22, 2024, and acknowledge and implement the rest of the calls to action listed in that motion.
Better protect Palestinian students by codifying protections against anti-Palestinian racism and distinguishing between anti-semitism and anti-Zionism.
Establish partnerships with Palestinian universities on research and student experiences, and to increase campus diversity and capacity building.
Waive application and differential fees for students from Gaza, establish scholarships for them, and expedite the processing of applications from students in Palestine.
Invest in education related to West Asia and Palestine, such as through establishing a Middle Eastern Studies Department and major.
To expand the Indigenous Studies minor into a major.