Call for Divestment from Arms Production

Open to everyone from the SFU community, including alumni, students, staff, and faculty

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March 7, 2024

Board of Governors

Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, BC  V5A 1S6

Dear SFU Board of Governors,

The undersigned SFU-affiliated organizations and individuals call on Simon Fraser University to divest from corporations engaged in military arms production.

According to the Custodial Statement of Endowment Investments of December 2023, Simon Fraser University owns shares of BAE Systems, Booz Allen Hamilton, and CAE Inc. BAE is the sixth largest war contractor globally, with 97% of its revenue coming from military equipment, Booz Allen Hamilton derives 64% of revenue from war-related products, and CAE is Canada's fourth largest war contractor with 44% of its revenue from war-related products. These SFU investments are not anomalies. Over the past decade, SFU has invested in Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and others. The weapons and services of these corporations have collectively facilitated the killing, maiming, or displacement of millions of individuals, primarily in the Global South.

The undersigned organizations and individuals hold that these investments are antithetical to the values of the University and in contradiction with the stated commitments of the SFU administration. SFU’s most recent statement of strategy and values declares that "we are a community of citizens and scholars, working with partnerships to develop and share knowledge and make a difference in the world.” The same report commits our university to “leverage our experience, approach, and connections to help address humanity’s most complex problems and questions.” SFU has similarly committed to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Among these 17 goals are the reduction of poverty and gender inequality, environmental sustainability, and the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies. Evidence-based research affirms the common sense intuition that armed conflict undermines each of these goals. We can see no good reason why SFU would invest in an industry that enables and profits from such destruction, which disproportionately harms the most vulnerable members of our societies.

The immediate impetus for this letter is the unrelenting Israeli assault on the people of Gaza, which, by March 1, had already claimed over 30,000 lives and wrought catastrophic damage to civilian infrastructure, including the destruction of 392 educational facilities, among them Gaza’s 12 universities. Beyond Gaza, similar weapons systems have enabled the efficient killing of hundreds of thousands in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and beyond.

SFU has a Responsible Investment Policy (B10.16). However, it appears that arms producers and military services companies are not screened out by the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) criteria outlined in that policy. Given that SFU is divesting from fossil fuels, we can see no reason that a similar policy cannot be applied to military arms and services companies. We expect the adoption of an explicit policy statement, built into SFU’s Responsible Investment Policy, similar to SFU’s divestment from fossil fuels production.

We look forward to your response and seeing swift progress on this important matter.

Sincerely,

Organizations and groups
Faculty for Palestine at SFU

Association for Women in Math SFU Chapter

Communication Graduate Student Caucus

English Student Union

Independent Jewish Voices SFU

International Studies Student Association    

Migrant Students United at SFU 

SFU350

Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group

Sociology & Anthropology Graduate Student Association

Students For Justice In Palestine

Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU)

Faculty
Ahmed Al-Rawi, Associate Professor, School of Communication
Hari Alluri, Sessional Instructor, Department of English
Juan Pablo Alperin, Associate Professor, Publishing
Benjamin Anderson, Lecturer, School of Communication
Ronda Arab, Associate Professor, Department of English
Yildiz Atasoy, Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Nadine Attewell, Associate Professor, Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies & the Global Asia Program
Behraad Bahreyni, Professor, School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering
Ali Bhagat, Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy
Sabine Bitter, Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Jonathan Boron, Instructor, School of Resource and Environmental Management
Sumercan Bozkurt, Lecturer, School for International Studies
Tracy Brennand, Professor, Department of Geography 
Adena Brons, Librarian, SFU Library
Enda Brophy, Associate Professor, School of Communication
Darren Byler, Assistant Professor, School for International Studies
John Calvert, Retired Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences
Layla Cameron, Lecturer, School of Communication
El Chenier, Professor, Department of History
Rosemary Collard, Associate Professor, Department of Geography   
Elizabeth Cooper, Associate Professor, School for International Studies
Megan Crouch, Librarian, SFU Library   
Dara Culhane, Professor Emeritus, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Catherine D'Andrea, Professor, Department of Archaeology
Veronica Dahl, Professor Emeritus, Computing Sciences/ Cognitive Sciences
Adrian De Leon, Farley Distinguished Visiting Scholar in History, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Sheila Delany, Professor Emeritus, Department of English
Deborah Dergousoff, Sessional Instructor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Stephanie Dick, Assistant Professor, School of Communication
Peter Dickinson, Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Milena Droumeva, Associate Professor, School of Communication
Zoë Druick, Professor, School of Communication
Ashley Edwards, Librarian, SFU Library
Eiman Elnoshokaty, Librarian, SFU Library
Baran Fakhri, Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Nancy Forde, Professor, Department of Physics
Lindsey Freeman, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Carman Fung, Lecturer, Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies
Kyla Gardiner, Assistant Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts   
Lisa Gelley, Limited Term Lecturer, School for the Contemporary Arts
Mariam Georgis, Assistant Professor, Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies
Carole Gerson, Professor Emeritus, Department of English
Rebecca Goyan, Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry
Evelyn Encalada Grez, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology & Labour Studies Program
Bascom Guffin, Sessional Instructor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Giuliano Gullotti, Sessional Instructor, Department of French / Département de français
Adair Harper, Librarian, SFU Library
John Harriss, Professor Emeritus, School for International Studies
John-Henry Harter, Lecturer, Department of History and Labour Studies Program   
Michael Hathaway, Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology   
Byron Rigel Hauck, Lecturer, School of Communication
Kate Hennessy, Associate Professor, School of Interactive Arts and Technology
Sabrina Higgins, Assistant Professor, Department of Global Humanities
Leah Hopton, Librarian 
Maureen Hoskyn, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education
Adel Iskandar, Associate Professor, School of Communication
Leanna Jantzi, Librarian, Fraser Library
Mohsen Javdani, Associate Professor, School of Public Policy
Leanne Johnson, Senior Lecturer, Publishing
Sharalyn Jordan, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education    
Ouldooz Baghban Karimi, Lecturer, School of Computing Science
Jeannie Kerr, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education      
Julia Lane, Writing Services Coordinator, SFU Library
Erika Latta, Assistant Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Claudette Lauzon, Associate Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Mark Lechner, University Lecturer, Faculty of Health Sciences
Mark Leier, Professor, Department of History
Carolyn Lesjak, Professor, Department of English
Sharon Luk, Associate Professor, Department of Geography
Brenda Lyshaug, Senior Lecturer, School for International Studies
Megan MacKenzie, Professor, School for International Studies   
Stefan Maier, Assistant Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Anushay Malik, Lecturer, School for International Studies
Laura Marks, Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Miwa Matreyek, Assistant Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Svitlana Matviyenko, Associate Professor, School of Communication
Kirsten Emiko McAllister, Professor, School of Communication
Eugene McCann, Professor, Department of Geography   
Hannah McGregor, Associate Professor, Publishing
Janis McKenzie, Librarian, SFU Library   
Cait McKinney, Assistant Professor, School of Communication
Kathleen Millar, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Elliot Montpellier, Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Tamir Moustafa, Professor, School for International Studies
Keshav Mukunda, Librarian, SFU Library
Nawal Musleh-Motut, Lecturer, School of Communication
Vivian Neal, Lecturer, School of Sustainable Energy Engineering
Urooj Nizami, Librarian, Public Knowledge Project
Denise Oleksijczuk, Associate Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Melek Ortabasi, Associate Professor, Department of World Languages and Literatures
Gerardo Otero, Professor, School for International Studies
Mauve Pagé, Senior Lecturer, Publishing
Roxanne Panchasi, Associate Professor, Department of History
Irene Pang, Assistant Professor, School for International Studies
Philippe Pasquier, Professor, School of Interactive Arts and Technology
Lyana Patrick, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences
Christopher Pavsek, Associate Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Stacy Leigh Pigg, Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Evelyn Pinkerton, Professor Emeritus, School of Resource and Environmental Management
Gaëlle Planchenault, Associate Professor, Department of French / Département de français
Hazel Plante, Librarian, SFU Library
Cristen Polley, Librarian
Madelyn Prevost, Sessional Instructor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Lynne Quarmby, Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Judy Radul, Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Simone Rapisarda, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Dawn Rault, Lecturer, School of Criminology
Nicholas Reo, Associate Professor, Department of Indigenous Studies
Bernhard Riecke, Professor, School of Interactive Arts and Technology
Chloe Riley, Librarian, SFU Library
Sylvia Roberts, Librarian, Belzberg Library
Noé Rodríguez, Assistant Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Amyn B. Sajoo, Scholar-in-Residence and Lecturer, School for International Studies
Travis Salway, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences
Betty Schellenberg, Professor Emeritus, Department of English
Michael T. Schmitt, Professor, Department of Psychology
Sabrina Schroeder, Associate Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts  
Paul Sedra, Associate Professor, Department of History
Ken Seigneurie, Professor, Department of World Languages and Literatures
Özlem Sensoy, Professor, Faculty of Education
Gabriela Aceves Sepúlveda, Associate Professor, School of Interactive Arts and Technology       
Nazanin Shahrokni, Associate Professor, School for International Studies
Nadia Shihab, Assistant Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Rupak Shrestha, Assistant Professor, School for International Studies and Global Asia
Julia Smith, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences
Spyros Sofos, Assistant Professor, Department of Global Humanities
Dal Sohal, SFU Library
Tammara Soma, Assistant Professor, School of Resource and Environmental Management
Jason K. Stearns, Assistant Professor, School for International Studies
Scott Steedman, Senior Lecturer, Publishing
Malcolm Steinberg, Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences
Kendra Strauss, Professor, The Labour Studies Program and the Department of Sociology & Anthropology
Andréa Tarnawsky, Archivist, SFU Library
Gary Teeple, Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Jenna Thomson, Librarian, SFU Library
Zoe Todd, Associate Professor, Department of Indigenous Studies
Alberto Toscano, Associate Professor, School of Communication
Travers, Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Sarah Walshaw, University Lecturer, Department of History
Amanda Watson, Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Katherine Watson, Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Kyle Willmott, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Aaron Windel, Associate Professor, Department of History
Sandra Wong, Librarian, SFU Library
Nilay Yalcin, Assistant Professor, School of Interactive Arts and Technology  
Azadeh Yamini-Hamedani, Associate Professor, Department of World Languages and Literatures
Siyuan Yin, Assistant Professor, School of Communication
Jin-me Yoon, Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts
Baharak Yousefi, Librarian, SFU Library
Jennifer Zerkee, Librarian, SFU Library                                      

Staff
Joud A
Claire Adams
Brendan Anderson
Mary Chen
Brady Cranfield
Adriana Cumming-Teicher
Rajdeep Dhadwal
Nada El Masry
Anna Fowler
Victoria Gauthier
Xyleen Haban
Erik Hanson
Rayne I
Mark Jordan
Ebony Magnus
Patricia Mangahis
Ann McDonell
Rachel Nelson
Zoreen Nuraney
Tara Parsons
Caprice Pybus
Paola Quiros-Cruz
Mason Rezazadeh
Ashley Schultheiss
Olive Shakur
Suze Shore
Alexis Smecher
Ash Tanasiychuk
Emma Uhl
Cathy Walker
Leah Wiener
Ellen Yap
Omar Zabaneh
Wafaa Zaqout

Graduate students
Azraf Ahmad
Sofia Ahmed
Sreya Ajay
Zuhal Akay
Alaa Al-Shaer
Carina Albrecht
Sikandra Ali
Nicole Anderson
Koushik Bar
Katie Belcher
Mary Berger
Olivia Bing
Ty Bryant
Anthony Burton
Jil Busmann
MacKenzie Carr
Hannah Couse
Raj Deol   
Sarah Derasp
Alexander Donald
Kelsey Duncan
Natalie Dusek
Jonas Eschenfelder
Eugene
Mirette Fawzy
Ian Garvie
Matthew Gasparin
Arlene Gidda
Katie Gravestock
Ramy Habib
Omri Haiven
Rebecca Harrington
Amanda Harrop
Daria Hetmanova
Kayla Hilstob
hannah holtzclaw
Nina Houle
Meghan Hunter
C Icart
Ivonne
Aso Javaheri
Kabir
D. W. Kamish
Suwatthi Kandiah
Tyson Singh Kelsall
Liam Kennedy-Slaney
Judy Yae Young Kim
Lisa Kremer
Kamaria Kuling
Christopher Lacroix
Moira Laidlaw
Sarah Law
Geri Lee
Morgaine Lee
Robyn Lee
Steff Hui Ci Ling
Joni Low
Luis
Jess MacCormack
Molly MacKay
Regina Baeza Martinez
Noemi Rosario Martinez
Emily McMann
Alonso Melgar
Rowan Melling
S. Berk Metin
Abede Mohammadi
Nara Monteiro
Yussuf Osman
Kevin Park
Tanaya Parmar 
Michelle Phan
Rebecca Poulin
Whitney Qualls
George Rahi
Luis Ramírez Ramírez
Haya S
Tanjila Afrin Sejuty
Laila Shaheen
Maha Shehadeh
Elena Sierra
Noah Sim
Amelia Singh
Maria Sommers
Sondos
Dongwook Song
Janine Srocka
Anmol Swaich
Alison Tedford
Karlie Tessmer
Cathy Tran
Naz Vardar
Shafira Vidyamaharani
Jaimie Waltz
Yuan Wei
Tintin Yang
Yameena Zaidi
Liana Zaroubi
Jinglun Zhu
Freya Zinovieff

Undergraduates
Yarah A
Ahmed Abdalla
Muhanad Abdulrahman
Shahd Abed
Jana Abusharar
Adriana
Nadia Ahmed
Sophia Ahmed
Ghadeer Al-Shaer
Navid Aliakbar
Lark Anderson
Ariana Andom
Amado Dakila Alcuitas Arradaza
Mila Babic
Noor Bajwa
Rebecca Ballard
Eshana Baran
Ayesha Beg
Nat Begg
Hannah Beram
Emma Best
Simrit Boparai
Melanie Budisusilo
Yse Buffard
Harkirat Bumrah
Sheena C
Denise Faith Cachero
Ana Caicedo
Barbara Cassie
Rea Chatterjee
Jessica Chen
Sunghyun Choi
Clive Chou
Emma Chow
Anu Choytun
Sam D
Daniela
Meghan Danyluk
Shannon Davies
Mars de Menezes
Shaliya Dean
Den
Harjoban Dhillon
Erica Dong
Cassie Drieschner
Knave Duncan
Poth Dut
Brianna Dyer
Jaden Dyer
Yassmeen El-Hariri
Hannah El-Hilo
Jianna Escudero
Bianca Esquivel
Esra
Elin Estifan
Tena Faizi
Fatima
Olivia Favreau 
Lynn Fedellaga
Ehren Felser
Sarah Firoz
Kira Foley
Milan Franco
Aaron Fung
Elyse G
Jodhan Gill
Noor A. Ghazal
Sana Goel
Che Goondiwala
Aiden Green
Tania Grigoriadis
Amaan Harris
Ayah Has
Brihanne Hutchings
Yusuf Ibrahim
Seniha Inceoz
Natasha Ivkov
René Jack
Jessica Jandu
Sherry Jiang
Kareena
Nava Karimi   
Anum Khalid
Radin Khodadadi
Lisa Kim
Ana Kolesnikovas
Rachel L.
Vivian L.   
Lucas Lang
Morgan Legal
Youhyun Lim
Kevin Ling
Ethylyne Lorete
Erin Lum                                                                                 
Cathy Luo
Hasan M
Hidayah M
Zoya M
Molly MacKay
Zaynab Madi    
Taaibah Malik
Basma Mangat
Joie Marin
Lynn Masri
Quinn Masselink
Taegan McFarlane
Harjot Minhas
parsa mohammady
Sierra Monforton                        
Mustafa
Naomi
Assia Nathu
Amanda H Ngo
Trixie Nguyen
Nim
Mishaal Nugroho
Lanie O
Jessica P.
Suma Pallapothu
Abigail Pena
cherysh perry   
Pooria
Ash Powers
Arlo Pritchard
Masih Mohammad Rafi
Raima Rahman
Renil Ramsewak
Dania Rashid
Rianna Richards
riley
Leo Roizman
Brendan Routh
Gabby S.
Marwan Saleh
Samia
Simran Sarai
Larkin Schering
Teona Seabrook
Sneha Shah
Sharon
Nebula Shen
Pravleen Shoker
Sehtaj Sidhu
Tahira Simmons
Simon
Iver Smith
Quinn Smith
Allyson Soriano
Kaelan Stout
Bennet Stroich
Amiera Syahdella
Shayan Tahmorsi
Vaani Thind
Emilia Thrift
Lauren Toporowski
Anh Truong
Dylan Tse
Sumaiya Tufail
Wajahat Ullah
Natalie Van Grol
Rachelle Veloso
Nickole Villamin
Thu Vo
Megan Ward
Caitlyn Waterhouse
Joanna Whitter
Sybil Willoughby
Melissa Wong   
Ava Wood
Finlay Wright
Jeen Young Yi
Emma Yip
Zarena Zaidi
Maria Zia
Zuhra

Alumni
Karissa Abad, 2020
Linah Salah Abdulkader, 2021
Jazmyne Abraham, 2022
Ashleen, 2024
Abdulaa Babili, 2017
Mikaela Kathryn Bamba, 2023
Dalia Basim, 2023
Kirandeep Kaur Bath, 2019
Reagan Belan, 2017
Harvin Bhathal, 2022
Cynthia Broderick, 2023
Elena Burnham, 2023
Torien Cafferata, 2024
Carolina, 2023
Esther Cho, 2023
Esmond Chong, 2020
Kenna Clifford, 2023
Lillian Deeb, 2019   
Donya, 2023
Catherine Dubé, 2022
Olivia Dupasquier, 2023
Anya e, 2021    
Leigh Eldridge, 2013                          
Muhannad Fahmy, 2023
Aliya Griffin, 2018
Steven (Squire) Hall, 2020
Jennifer Hasenknopf, 2004
Jade Ho, 2023
Nikole Sae Ho, 2022
Yvonne Huang, 2022
Ahmad Jaffer, 2022
Charisma Jurica, 2009
Mandip Kharod, 2002
Ava Kottmeier, 2021
Helena Krobath, 2015
Stella Kwan, 2022
Conan Leong, 2017
Lindsay Macklin, 2022
Shiva Manavipour, 2016
Mikka Marin, 2022
Basil Mattar, 2022
Kathleen McElwain, 2010
Simbarashe Mtetwa, 2020 
Riley Mullen, 2023
Sujit Narayanan, 2023
Tony Nguyen, 2016
Natalia O, 2023
Pat, 2023
Robyn Pekar, 2011
Chelsey Perry, 2023
Leah Reimer, 2023
Sherif Salem, 2023
Jana Sarris, 2020
Sylvana Sbeinati, 2018
Gunreet Sethi, 2018
Jeff Shantz
Chantel Smeysters, 2011
Chantelle Spicer, 2021
Kent Sproul, 1973 & 1978
Sarah-May Strange, 2021                               
Rachel Taylor, 2019
Alexis Tennent
Matia Theodosakis, 2023
John Tolentino, 2017
umer, 2023
Yasmeen Vaquerano, 2021   
Omar Vazquez, 2023
Leslie W., 2020
Emma Warner-Chee, 2020
Conor Wilkie, 2023
Sue Wilson, 1991
Rita Wong, 2002
Justin Yang, 2022
Dennis Yeung, 1997
Kiana Zemenchik, 2023    

-- New endorsements added every few days --