TAMPA, Fla. — Eighteen students at the University of South Florida have vowed to take the extreme step of starving themselves during a hunger strike as they demand USF divest from its investments in companies that do business with Israel.
The protestors say they have tried other means over the course of more than a decade to try to get the university's board of trustees to take such action by demanding meetings and submitting petitions with thousands of signatures.
But they say their demands are never met.
“Honestly, I do not feel that well,” Jaden Patel, one of the students taking part in the hunger strike, said. “But, again, we all knew the risks and we have medical advice. We have vitamins and supplements and things like that. We all know what we're doing. And we know that by doing this, hopefully, we will put pressure on the university.”
On Monday, many of the same students took their protest directly to the USF Board of Trustees meeting, demanding divestment that the university says is out of its hands.
“We do not select individual stocks or companies for investment,” USF’s Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford explained. “Instead, the university contracts with funds managers, who invest in a variety of asset classes, which include companies in most major industries.”
On day two of their hunger strike, students marched across campus to the student union. Some said they were already feeling the effects of their hunger but remained committed to making their point.
“Like, going hungry right now pales in comparison to their forced starvation because at least I have access to healthcare. I can drop out,” Alina Atiq said. “But I don't think it's that huge of a risk when I put it into perspective.”
“I would also just tell you, as the board chair, to be very cautious,” Weatherford said. “And to be very careful when doing something like that, that can lead to severe bodily harm.”
In addition to divestment, demonstrators say they want USF President Rhea Law to take a more public stance — calling for a cease-fire in the Middle East conflict.
They also want the board of trustees to make its investment portfolio public and would like to see the formation of a student advisory board to review the university's investments.