Students protest Towson foundation decision to not divest from companies involved in Gaza conflict

By Jayden Gonsalves, Contributing Writer

Towson University students protested Wednesday the TU Foundation’s decision to not divest from companies involved in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Roughly 20 people gathered across from Tiger Plaza in the afternoon, holding Palestinian flags and signs criticizing the foundation’s decision. Towson’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter, known as YDSA, organized the protest.

The TU Foundation manages donations to the college and invests those funds to grow its endowment. In May of 2024, the Student Government Association passed a resolution “urging” the foundation to divest from companies funding the killing of “civilians involved in the Israel-Palestine conflict.”

After creating a committee to consider the resolution, the foundation decided it would not be making any changes to its investments. 

YDSA proposed the original resolution to SGA. Annalese Estepp, YDSA’s grievance officer, said they were under the impression the divestment would be followed through on.

“Unfortunately, this never happened,” Estepp said. “We have been deflected, very openly dismissed.”

TU Foundation Executive Vice President Brian DeFilippis told The Towerlight in an email it fully supports students gathering peacefully to express their opinions.

“We remain open to further discussions that are presented through the university’s shared governance bodies,” DeFilippis said.

The foundation doesn’t invest in singular stock, but rather large portfolios that contain a wide variety of companies.

“The money that the TU Foundation is funneling into this problematic fund could be used to help improve student experience, not support genocide,” YDSA Co-Chair Davis Payton said. 

YDSA demanded for the foundation to fully divest and create student representation beyond just the SGA president’s position on the foundation’s board.  

Nicole Fabricant is YDSA’s faculty advisor and participated in the protest.

“If students care about their futures, it’s not just going to happen in the classrooms,” Fabricant said. “They must be out here fighting. That’s the only reason Civil Rights happened, we’d still be in Jim Crow otherwise.”