UNL student senators pass weapons divestment after focus on Israel stripped out

After more than 50 public speakers and a meeting that went late into the night Wednesday, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln student government voted to urge the university to divest from investing in weapons manufacturers. Public comment on the measure stretched into almost three hours.

The Association of Students of the University of Nebraska, which is the student government, went into closed session for roughly two hours after the testimony. The “Divest for Humanity Act,” which was co-authored by two ASUN senators and the campus chapter of the Students for Justice in Palestine, passed in a 22-10 vote.

The student senators did amend the bill during closed session to add to the list of countries with international law and human rights violations, including Guatemala, Myanmar and Yemen. They also took out a mention of Israel.

The bill will be sent to more than 20 university leaders, including NU President Jeffrey Gold, UNL interim chancellor Katherine Ankerson and members of the Board of Regents.

In a statement Thursday morning, Board of Regents Chairman Paul Kenney said the regents aren't planning to act on the resolution.

“While the University of Nebraska respects student governance and our students' right to voice their perspectives, the members of the NU Board of Regents do not have plans to act on the divestiture resolution passed during Wednesday’s ASUN meeting at UNL," Kenney said.

Ankerson also released a statement following the vote, saying that while student organizations play a role in expressing student opinions, they don’t represent the official positions of UNL or the Board of Regents.

“Our Board of Regents retains final authority on matters of university policy,” she said. “UNL remains committed to fostering a safe and respectful environment for students, faculty, staff and community members.”

Students for Justice in Palestine has said NU officials told them the university has invested more than $9 million in weapons manufacturing and military service companies, including Boeing and General Dynamics.

The university had more than $454 million in Fund N investments as of Sept. 30, 2025. A university spokesperson told Nebraska Public Media News that it’s hard to track down exactly where those investments go since they put money in companies that handle the investing process. Based on the funds listed in the report, it’s possible the university system indirectly owns equity stakes in some defense companies.

The majority of speakers supported divesting and denounced the deaths from the war. A United Nations commission concluded in October that Israel committed genocide in Gaza.

One student, who did not provide a namen, said the bill is meant to divest from all weapons companies, not just those sending arms to Israel.

“For example, weapons from these companies are also sent to UAE and then put into the hands of the RSF (Rapid Support Forces) to commit genocide against the Sudanese,” the student said. “Manufacturers also collaborate with ICE. As you can tell, Nebraska students have serious ethical concerns about these investments.”

Others called the bill anti-semitic. Another student, who also did no not give a name, said several others on campus were uncomfortable with coming to speak out against the bill.

“This bill is not about weapons,” the student said. “If it was only about weapons, most of us who are testifying against it wouldn't be here today. It's ultimately about the only state that was singled out in this bill.”

Mili Kagan, who is a junior textiles, merchandising and fashion design major, said she is Jewish and supports divesting.

“We are concerned that the university's investments are profiting from the death of human beings,” Kagan said. “This has nothing to do with religion. Refusing to spend money on and profit from companies complicit in genocide and war crimes is not anti-Jewish, and it is very concerning if you believe it is.”

Willy Massay, a critical care nurse from Omaha, spoke about his experience helping first hand in the war in Gaza. He told the stories of several children who died, including one where a mother brought Massay the remains of her daughter.

“She came to the emergency room in December of 2024,” Massay said. “She was holding a plastic bag. She asked me, ‘Brother, look.’

Massay said the bag held what remained of the woman’s daughter after her tent was bombed.

“Is that the world you want to leave behind?” he asked of the weapons and the results.

Division among student groups

Several members of Hillel, a club for Jewish students at UNL, spoke against the proposal. Preston Gordman, president of Hillel, said the group tried to connect with Students for Justice for Palestine to collaborate on a bill for ethical investments, but was rebuffed.

“SJP specifically wants to target Israel, and by doing so, they will tarnish UNL’s reputation and kill their federal funding,” Gordman said. “I'm not asking you guys to solve an issue that is thousands of years old that no one has been able to figure out. I am asking you to not be fearful of backlash for doing what is best for the entire student population.”

A member of SJP, who did not provide a name, confirmed the group declined to meet with Hillel. The person said Hillel mentioned wanting to work with university leaders about ethical investing, which the SJP said was a step farther down the line. The speaker also mentioned Hillel concerns for negative effects on the university.

“Second, we respond saying that there are no negative consequences for the university in passing such legislation,” the person said. “We have done incredible work and research in this topic, so we will have to politely decline meeting with you, unless you can explain how we can reasonably expect that you were entering this conversation in good faith.”

Jack Burchess, the executive director of the Husker Democrats, read a statement from the group opposing the bill, saying they would be on board if Israel wasn’t mentioned.

“It does not matter what the intent is. It matters if all of our students feel safe, included and respected,” Burchess said. “Don't take my word for that, take the word of almost every Jewish student who has spoken tonight that this bill makes them fear being a Husker.”

Raiyah Nader, who is vice president of Husker Democrats, disagreed with the statement. She said it was made at a midnight meeting that she and another member were not included in.

“I find it unprofessional and inappropriate for the Husker Democrats to release a statement without my knowledge as an officer that has dedicated countless hours of my time to this organization,” Nader said.

Nader supported the bill to divest.

The overall Nebraska Young Democrats organization seemed to also disagree with the statement, leaving a comment on Instagram including a Palestinian flag emoji. The Maverick Young Democrats at UNO also opposed.

A history of divestment

In 2021, the university system made a policy change for regents to consider environmental, social and governance criteria when investing. NU leaders at the time hoped to have no investments in energy companies without a clean energy plan. The university currently invests about $8 million, which is roughly 1.8% of its portfolio, in companies on the Carbon Underground 200 list, which are ranked by carbon emissions.

The Nebraska legislature divested from South Africa in the 1980s, led by Ernie Chambers, in response to the country’s apartheid policy.

Students for Justice in Palestine previously attempted to pass a resolution in April 2025 that ultimately failed to make it through the student government body.

National, state attention

Several state leaders and at least one national official have spoken out against the UNL student bill. Leo Terrell, chair of the U.S. Department of Justice Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, called the proposal “antisemtic” in a social media post Tuesday.

Gov. Jim Pillen, Rep. Don Bacon and Rep. Mike Flood also released statements in opposition to the proposal.

Since a ceasefire deal on Oct. 10., more than 530 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza health ministry in an NPR report. More than 71,800 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war. That number does not differentiate how many were fighters or civilians.

The war started when Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 3, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.