18 Oct, 2024

NC State University Senate’s Controversial Ceasefire/BDS Resolution

NC State Student Senate Hearing
18 Oct, 2024

The 2023-2024 academic year at North Carolina State University witnessed a heated debate over a ceasefire/BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) resolution that polarized the campus community. Initially proposed last year, the resolution resurfaced for its first formal reading during a Student Senate meeting on September 4th.

The resolution placed much of the responsibility for the ongoing conflict on Israel, with minimal reference to the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, that lead to the ongoing war. The lack of balance in the proposal fueled concerns over its potential to cause further division on campus.

During the initial Student Senate meeting, two AEPi Brothers, Michael Dvoskin and Eli Edds, took the floor to express their opposition to the resolution. They highlighted the negative and divisive impact it would have on students, specifically addressing how it framed the conflict in a one-sided manner. Eli Edds’ speech passionately argued against the resolution, and video of his speech can be found here.

Despite the pushback, the resolution passed the Student Senate by a vote of 30-16, with one abstention. However, the Student Body President exercised her power to veto the resolution, citing the lack of consensus and its divisive nature as reasons for her decision.

Just a few weeks later, on September 18, the Student Senate reconvened to vote on whether to override the president’s veto. This time, Brother Eli Edds once again spoke in defense of keeping the veto in place, emphasizing the importance of fostering campus unity rather than division. Requiring a two-thirds majority to override the veto, 33 votes, this subsequent vote fell short by a 31-19 margin. As a result, the motion to override the veto failed, and the resolution was officially blocked from implementation.

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