We wish to state our strong disagreement with the “SGPS Statement on BDS Israel Motion Passed by CFS Ontario” released by the SGPS Executive on August 26, 2014.
We strongly disagree with the position stated by Kevin Weiner, President of the SGPS, that the “SGPS Executive does not support taking political positions on foreign policy issues that divide our membership.” In fact, the SGPS Executive did take a political stance by distancing themselves from and implying their opposition to the CFS Ontario motion.
If the SGPS Executive felt it inappropriate to comment on behalf of the SGPS membership on this matter due to its content then no “SGPS Statement” should have been issued. The SGPS Executive is comprised of only five persons and does not reflect the opinions of the more than three thousand graduate and professional students at Queen’s University.
Moreover, the notion that an association of Queen’s graduate and professional students should avoid addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict is deeply disturbing. The University should indeed be a place for conscientious democratic deliberation and dialogue, and the SGPS should not be any exception, even and especially in such cases where there are serious human rights and social justice concerns. International academic and financial relationships are fundamental to Queen’s University. All members of the Queen’s University community are implicated in these relationships, which are unavoidably political.
We condemn the occupation of the Palestinian territories and the collective punishment of the Palestinian people by the state of Israel.
We support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, and the CFS-Ontario resolution.
We urge that Queen’s graduate and professional students take action in support of the BDS Movement and utilize the mechanisms provided for in the SGPS Bylaws.
Patrick Alexander
Shahab Asoodeh
Pansee Atta
Burcu Baba
Jeff Barbeau
Nikolas Barry-Shaw
Bianca Beauchemin
Mansoor Behnam
Mikhail Bjorge
Terry Bridges
May Chew
Meagan Crane
Nicole Day
Yasmine Djerbal
Angie Fazekas
Lisa Figge
Christine Grossutti
Derya Güngör
Karl Hardy
Jane Kirby
Poyraz Kolluoglu
Will Langford
Adriana Lopez-Villalobos
Krystle Maki
Stephanie McColl
Kathryn McDonald
Robin McDonald
Barbara Meneley
Jeffrey Monaghan
Filza Naveed
Douglas Nesbitt
Shawn Newman
Midori Ogasawara
Dilan Okcuoglu
Karen Raddon
Lindsay Rodgers
John Rose
Adam Saifer
Alana Saulnier
Matthew Shultz
Stephen Sheps
Nicole Slipp
Erica Spink
Natasha Stirrett
David Thompson
Ayca Tomac
Özgün Topak
Mark Vardy
Dana Wesley
Deniz Zorlu
SPHR QUEENS 