Two WSU students, Bobby Selden and Connor Luce, called on ASWSU and WSU to divest and disassociate with corporations they claim to be taking part in the ongoing war in Gaza.

“Student governments from USF, UCLA, Riverside, [UC] Davis, San Diego, Columbia University, LSU and Evergreen have voted to call on their universities to divest,” Luce said. “The Washington State University Foundation invests in Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Intel, CAT, Volvo, Hyundai, Chevron and other companies actively participating in the apartheid and genocide of Palestinians.”

Luce said a petition that also calls for WSU to divest in the aforementioned companies, has been signed by over 600 WSU community members. As far as he was aware, the only university in Washington where its student government has called on them to divest in those companies is Evergreen State College, which has not yet divested. WSU doing so could send an important message.

“WSU should strive to be part of the national push to bring about change for the better and be leaders within the state,” Selden said. “I hope you all reflect on how your actions of the present affect people in the future.”

The senators received updates from WSU’s Ku-Ah-Mah and MECHA regarding recent events such as the WSU Powwow.

The council also heard from legislative affairs director Collin Bannister and Dylan Smentek, deputy legislative affairs director. The two discussed Bannister’s recent attendance of the Washington Student Association conference in where upcoming ASWSU Vice President, Bryan Kim, was elected VP of Finance and Bannister was elected President.

Bannister said he also proposed increasing financial aid, rent assistance and expanding scholarships for Native American students.

Smentek said student government councils will meet from all WSU campuses to coordinate with each other in the upcoming government conference on April 19. There are also plans for a Voter Registration Drive planned for a currently unknown date.

ASWSU meets at 5:30 every Wednesday in CUB 204.