Board Update September 2025: Responsible Partnerships and Investments Referendum

In May 2024, WUSA received a member-submitted petition requesting a referendum. In fall 2024, the referendum was held and students voted on two questions, as follows:  

• Should the University of Waterloo sever its partnership with Technion-Israel Institute of Technology due to its role in the research and development of technology used by the Israel Defense Forces? 

• • 83% of undergraduate voters voted “Yes” 

• Should the University of Waterloo review its partnerships and investment portfolios to ensure alignment with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles and Amnesty International, to prioritize institutions that demonstrate a commitment to human rights, peace, and international law in a manner that is timely and transparent to the undergraduate student? 

• • 88.6% of undergraduate voters voted “Yes” 

You can review the full referendum results at Responsible Partnerships and Investments Referendum 2024 – Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association.

Since these results were finalized, WUSA has been meeting with chairs, co-chairs, and other representatives from the Task Force on Principles for Institutional Partnerships and the Task Force on Social Responsibility in Investing, as well as bringing students’ voices to various spaces like the Senate and Board of Governors.  

The implementation leads for these two Task Forces met with WUSA’s Advocacy Positions Committee (APC). Some of these conversations included encouraging them to include student representation on university committees, including the Finance and Investment Committee and the Pension Investment Committee, given the roles of these committees in evaluating ESG compliance and incorporating community feedback. We also encouraged the implementation leads to share updates on the task force webpages more regularly, including key developments and any timeline changes. 

Most recently, we met with President Goel just a few weeks ago to encourage the University to listen to their students with respect to the referendum results. 

At the Senate meeting on Monday, September 22, the University stated that it does not have plans to renew their partnership with Technion. We are pleased to see the University take action that aligns with what undergraduate students have been telling them they want to see for almost a year.  

Additionally, as part of its initial response to the Task Force on Social Responsibility in Investing’s Report, the University updated its investments and responsible investing webpages to provide more transparency around endowment and pension plan investments. The University also committed to continuing its work with relevant Board Committees to address other aspects of the Task Force’s report. 

Although this step aligns with what students have asked the University to do, there is still work to be done relating to the second referendum question regarding the University’s partnerships and investment portfolios. WUSA will continue to push the University to listen to the voices of its undergraduate students.