To the Editor:
I was distressed and dismayed to learn that the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies, an official University committee, sent a letter to President Christina Paxson requesting a campus dialogue to discuss divestment from Israel. As an alum and the parent of an alum, Brown's campus had always been a place that encouraged the exploration of all points of view. While it might be appropriate to have a campus dialogue concerning University investments in and possible divestment from various companies and countries, based on respect for and violation of human rights, it is inappropriate and intellectually dishonest to only focus on divestment from Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. Any such dialogue should consider, for example, investments in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran.
While I understand that it is currently in vogue to subject Israel to unrelenting and unrealistic examination, I had previously believed that Brown did not succumb to what was in vogue. Rather than engage in a dialogue that focuses solely on divestment from Israel, the more appropriate and intellectually honest dialogue would be to examine University investments and make recommendations concerning divestment based upon a uniform standard, not a double standard.
Tani Sapirstein '78 P'12
