Student organizations form coalition to support SA referenda

By James Cancelarich     12/3/24 11:41pm

Four Student Association referenda open for the general student body vote today at noon. The referenda call for disclosure of Rice Management Company holdings and divestment from entities that profit off the Israel-Hamas war. The referenda also ask that Rice release a statement condemning genocide and materially support anti-colonial scholarship. Voting will close Dec. 11 at noon and the results will be published the next day. For the referenda to pass, a two-thirds majority with a 20% student body turnout is needed. 

Nineteen student organizations announced the formation of the Rice Coalition for Liberation in support of the referenda in an Instagram post Nov. 20. In a statement released by RCL, the coalition says it is committed to “collective liberation.”

“We commit to being the conscience of this university, continually working toward a more equitable Rice,” the statement reads.

---

---

The statement says that the RCL’s first action is to support the SA referenda.

“An expression of popular student support demonstrates to the university administration that they are at odds with the will of its students,” the statement reads.

The coalition statement then expresses support for each of the referenda, including divestment from Israel-aligned companies and a focus on anti-colonial scholarship.

“Divesting from weapons manufacturers and companies profiting from the genocide in Gaza would be a form of resistance, undermining the economic and political structures supporting the apartheid state of Israel’s actions and reducing the financial viability of its military operations,” the statement reads.

“By establishing this scholarship, Rice can play a pivotal role in rebuilding Gaza’s academic strength and supporting the global fight for justice,” the statement reads. “This scholarship should be open to all victims of colonial violence, offering them the opportunity to pursue their education at Rice and contribute to reimagining a more equitable world.”

Matti Haacke, a Rice Students for Justice in Palestine representative, said that SJP initiated the formation of the coalition but aims to work alongside all the involved parties in its mission for collective liberation.

“The coalition has collaborated on social media outreach, as well as highlighting collective messaging around the referendums at individual [organization] events, as well as mobilizing volunteers to table in support of the referendums,” Haacke, a Sid Richardson College senior, wrote in a message to the Thresher. 

Solomon Ni, president of the Rice Young Democratic Socialists, handed out pamphlets in Jones College that explained and voiced support for the referenda Dec. 2.

Ni said his organization signed on to the RCL letter because he identified with the goals of the referenda, especially anti-colonial scholarship, and that he wanted to support people in the Rice community. Ni said he supported the coalition through student outreach.

“We will do our best in terms of tabling and making sure that people know what is on their ballot and educating them about each and every referendum that is there,” Ni, a Jones College senior, said.

Ni said that while the coalition initially formed to support the Students for Justice in Palestine, its plans extend beyond just the referenda.

“I think educational events are definitely in the cards, and I think that other ways that we can show our support is trying to get people to recognize the atrocities that are going on in Gaza,” Ni said.

Reem Abbas and Saif Ganni, co-presidents of Rice Muslim Student Association, wrote in a message to the Thresher that the organization joined the RCL because it was their obligation to call out injustice.

“Joining the coalition … to the MSA … means following Islamic guidance to speak against oppression in all its forms. It means supporting students who are deeply affected by what’s happening when the campus fails to acknowledge it or provide support for them,” they wrote. “It means advocating for students’ families overseas who are forced to endure that violent oppression every day without the same basic resources, rights and speech privileges that students have in the United States.”

Rice Urban Agriculture is another organization that joined the coalition. Isabelle Chang, the president of the organization, said that her organization sent out a poll after an officer brought up RCL.

“We didn’t see any reason not to join because ... I think, our mission aligns with SJPs,” Chang, a McMurtry College senior, said. “At the garden, we focus a lot on inclusivity and gardening for everybody … and I think that’s kind of what SJP is doing on a broader scale.”

Chang said that while she personally supports that referenda, Rice Urban Agriculture views organizing to support the referenda as outside of the scope of the organization.

Oscar Vietor is the chair of the SA Labor Commission, one of the three SA commissions that joined RCL. Vietor said that although he was not familiar with the referenda, he supported scholarship by colonial victims.

“I think that students and laborers everywhere need to support one another, and being a coalition member is how the Labor Commission is showing that support,” Vietor, a Wiess College sophomore, wrote in a message to the Thresher.

---