Special Elections - Fall 2024

Handbook

Support the Four Referendums for a More Accountable Rice University

Will this change anything? We believe it will.

These referendums are our chance to demand a more ethical, transparent, and accountable university. Passing them will amplify our voices and demonstrate student support for meaningful change.

Referendum #1: Transparency in Rice's Endowment

Rice Management Company manages a $7.24 billion endowment—$1.59 million per undergraduate. We deserve to know how our university invests these funds. A "yes" vote promotes accountability, as seen at Stanford and Brown.

Referendum #2: Divestment from War and Genocide

This calls for divestment from entities that profit from war and genocide. By supporting it, we take a stand against unethical investments, just as universities did during apartheid, in response to investment in fossil fuels, and after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Referendum #3: Condemning Genocide and Scholasticide

Rice must condemn the Israeli destruction across Palestine, including every single higher education institution in Gaza, enabled by $22 billion in U.S. military support. It’s time to explicitly denounce this violence.

Referendum #4: Support Anti-Colonial Scholarship

We ask Rice to support anti-colonial scholarship, particularly for Palestinian scholars. Universities shape discourse—Rice must amplify underrepresented voices and challenge oppression.

Vote YES to make Rice a more transparent, ethical institution. By voting, we can help push for significant and ethical change at our university and beyond.

Special Elections Raw Results Data

From Amsterdam to Columbus to our own campus, antisemitic violence and harassment are on the rise. We should strive to uplift all students and ensure that our words and our deeds do not support one group at the expense of others. There are real, valid humanitarian concerns over Israel’s prosecution of the war against Hamas, but these referenda are not the right way to go about addressing these concerns. Jewish soccer fans were left beaten and bloodied on the streets of Amsterdam in a premeditated riot. Closer to home, Rice students have been harassed on campus for being visibly Jewish. We have not yet experienced violence on campus, but the tone of these referenda is part of a larger pattern that enables an escalation of hateful and inflammatory rhetoric.

Furthermore, divestment from all organizations that have a supposed financial stake in the war only serves to negatively affect already disadvantaged students. The donations from these organizations and the returns from the endowment fund financial aid and scholarships. Additionally, Rice is also able to fund labs and offer internships with these parter organizations. Many students rely on Rice to provide these opportunities, and it does nothing but harm us and our learning outcomes to deny ourselves this funding. There is plenty to be said about the war in the Middle East, but we should not be shooting ourselves in the foot and severely impacting student life and university operations to make a point.