antisemitism, campus

Princeton Won’t Adopt BDS Move after Contentious Referendum

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The recent decision in favor of a BDS-inspired call at Princeton University to boycott the Caterpillar Inc. construction company has successfully been appealed. In the run-up to the referendum on the motion, Jewish students were assured that abstentions would not be counted as non-votes, when in fact, they were, the only reason the vote passed. More anti-Israel students had voted for the motion than Jews who abstained, tipping the results in favor of a boycott.

The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) upheld the appeal by those who opposed the measure. In effect, that means that the USG will not bring the measure to university administration, as would typically be done, since it can neither support nor oppose the proposed boycott, based on improper voting procedure. Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber has confirmed that the university will not be boycotting Caterpillar machinery.