The Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility at Smith College, a private liberal arts college in Northampton, Mass., declined on June 3 to advance a proposal from the school’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter and Smith Alums for Justice in Palestine calling for changes to the college’s investment policies.
The proposal, submitted in November 2025, urged the college to adopt an ethical investment policy that would exclude companies that manufacture weapons, contract with countries found to have committed human-rights violations, including genocide and apartheid, and invest in “values-aligned” funds. The proposal also sought greater transparency, including disclosure of the committee’s membership and decision-making process. It asserted that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
The advisory committee, a subcommittee of the Board of Trustees’ Investment Committee that reviews endowment-related social-responsibility proposals, stated that the measure failed to meet its standards for mission alignment, societal impact and community consensus.
The committee also said the proposal could negatively affect the endowment’s ability to support the college and conflict with the trustees’ fiduciary responsibilities.
“There is also concern that it would have a negative financial impact, limiting the ability of the endowment to support the college’s mission and conflicting with the trustees’ fiduciary responsibility,” the committee wrote. “Further, many of the proposed actions are not viable or implementable.”
The committee concluded that it would not recommend the proposal to the Investment Committee for further consideration.
Carolyn McDaniel, Smith College’s senior director of media relations and strategic communications, told JNS that the college had no additional comment.
