Meeting Minutes
Associated Students | San Diego State University
Wednesday, April 22, 2026 - 3:30pm
Council Chambers, Student Union 3rd Floor
I. CALL TO ORDER
A.S. Vice President of University Affairs, Nadia Gallarzo called the meeting at 3:39 p.m.
II. ROLL CALL
- Voting Members Present: Nadia Gallarzo, Kareen Holstrom, Abby McLachlan, Milan Rawls, Aliza Siddiqui, Celina Ramirez, Grace Muldoon, Everett Richards, Noah Stuart, Nicholas Camacho, Peter Athey, Jace Peter, Tatum Vittitoe, Eric Krog, Ari Cohen, Natalie Puzon, Andy Lopez, Marco Loza, Karen Sawouq, Isaac Stuart, Myah Moreno, Milan Yerovam, Alex McMurray, James Lew, Kate Bylsma, Quentin Hansen, Jack Dubos,Sabrina Esteban
- Voting Members Absent: John Ferris, Leo Formighieri Pereira, Jackson Patterson
- Non-Voting Members Present: Christina Brown, Christine Molina, Dr. Taharka Ade, Araya Williams, Brian Levett
- Non-Voting Members Absent: None.
- Guests: Avi, Noa, Eliana, Sophie, Julia, Josh, Ana, Maxer, Ryan, Morgan Cooper, Eden Bittan, Aharon Barker, Cayla Grovehan, Shelly Yoffe, Osher Ben-Haim, Ari Cohen, Asher Bershatki, Miriam Estes, Yigal Berg, Maya Gerassi, Garrett Brooks, Mia Raine, Summer Ismail, Abdiaziz Mohamed, Daniel Frey, Lily Salkin, Avivo Madred, Tamar Hazon, Arwen Handel, Adam Ali, Omar Kassim, Elijah Keen, Fares Elkisy, Monique Thomas, David Rankin, Jibreen Abdullah, Ismail Ali, Anthony, Athena, Fatima, Azeem Khan, Leia M, Taia Youssef, Maya Gardner, Mokat
III. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
It was moved and seconded to approve the agenda April 20, 2026.
VITTITOE/PETER CARRIED (27-0-0)
IV. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES
It was moved and seconded to approve the previous meeting minutes of April 8 and special meeting April 15, 2026.
LOZA/RICHARDS CARRIED (27-0-0)
V. PUBLIC COMMENT
-
27 people made public comments regarding the resolution on Palestine.
VI. ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION
- General Consent Agenda (Action)
It was moved and seconded to approve the General Consent Agenda.
MCLACHLAN/LOZA CARRIED (27-0-0) - General Consent Report (Information)
The General Consent Report was reviewed. - #UCB S26-03 – Resolution on Palestine (Action)
A.S. Vice President of University Affairs, Nadia Gallarzo, started the discussion by reviewing the resolution from the top - line by line - and asking for feedback in terms of motions.
- It was moved and seconded to add a title to the resolution.
COHEN/KROG
A friendly amendment was made by RAWLS to call it: The Palestine Resolution: The Mokat Act. There were no objections.
The amended motion was voted on. CARRIED (26-1-0) - It was moved and seconded to add a semi-colon and “and” after Censorship on line 8.
ATHEY/MCLACHLAN CARRIED (26-0-1) - It was moved and seconded to add a semi-colon and “and” after every “WHEREAS” in the document.
COHEN/HANSEN CARRIED (27-0-0) - It was moved and seconded to include a link to the Instagram post regarding A.S.’ support for Ukraine.
SIDDIQUI/STUART CARRIED (26-0-1) - It was moved and seconded to reword lines 10-12 to be the following: “WHEREAS, A.S. leadership has taken steps to support Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) students, including initiatives such as the SWANA climate survey, and therefore strongly encourages SDSU administration to continue its efforts toward establishing a physical SWANA Resource Center on campus; and
PETER/RAMIREZ - A friendly amendment by RICHARDS made to add the year 2025 to the survey.
There were no objections. - The amendment motion was voted on. CARRIED (26-0-1)
- It was moved and seconded to reword lines 14-16 to be the following: “WHEREAS, CSU Fullerton has passed a resolution condemning anti-Palestinian racism, and Sacramento State, through sustained student organizing, divested approximately $4.5 million in direct investments from Israel due to human rights violations, thereby setting a precedent for such action; and
PETER/STUART CARRIED (19-8-0) - It was moved and seconded to strike lines 22-23: “WHEREAS, A.S. SDSU passed #UCB S24-01 Resolution in Support of Gaza Ceasefire in 2024; and
SIDIQQUI/STUART CARRIED (26-0-1) - It was moved and seconded to strike all of line 25-26 “WHEREAS, SDSU Academic Senate passed Senate Resolution Condemning anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim Racism in 2024, reaffirming students’ rights to protest a genocide.
MCLACHLAN/COHEN FAILED (0-27-0) - It was moved and seconded to change the language on line 28 to “WHEREAS, students and members of the SDSU community have identified patterns of perceived censorship when raising awareness about Palestinian experiences in campus spaces and forums.
RAMIREZ/HANSEN FAILED (4-20-2)
- It was moved and seconded to change the language on line 28-29 to the following:
“WHEREAS, San Diego State University has experienced a rise in anti-Palestinian, anti-SWANA, and anti-Muslim hate incidents, harassment, and discrimination including: an assault of a student who was targeted for wearing a hijab; harassment of students for wearing a kuffiyeh; doxing, including death threats, of student organization members on their social media account for posting content in support of Palestine; harassment from staff and faculty members targeting Muslim and Palestinian students; and targeting students for holding the Palestinian flag; and”
SAWOUQ/RAMIREZ - A friendly amendment was made by HOLSTROM to include “[as presented in Senate Resolution Condemning anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim Racism]” after San Diego State University.
- A friendly amendment was made by MCLACHLAN to abbreviate SDSU at the beginning of the line.
- There were no objections.
- The amended motion was voted on. CARRIED (23-1-3)
SAWOUQ made a suggestion to change the language on lines 31-33 to reflect the following:
“WHEREAS, on April 29, 2025, a Palestinian student leader within A.S., Mohamed Erekat, reported receiving feedback requesting revisions to a personal statement, including changes to the use of the term “genocide”; and - It was moved and seconded to add “from A.S.”
PETER / RICHARDS CARRIED (22-1-0)
- It was moved and seconded to add ““SWANA Heritage Month Instagram post”.
HOLSTROM/PETER CARRIED (23-0-0)
- It was moved and seconded to add “A.S. Instagram account”.
RICHARDS/COHEN CARRIED (15-8-0) - It was moved and seconded to add “a member of the A.S. Board of Directors within A.S.”
HOLSTROM / COHEN CARRIED (15-5-2) - The approved amended language is as follows:
“WHEREAS, on April 29, 2025, a Palestinian student leader, and a member of A.S. Board of Directors, Mohamed Erekat, reported receiving feedback from A.S. requesting revisions to a personal statement for a SWANA Heritage Month Instagram post on the A.S. Instagram account, including changes to the use of the term “genocide”; and” - It was moved and seconded to remove lines 35-37 with replacing it with: “WHEREAS, after declining to make the requested revisions, the student’s A.S. social media post was not published, with staff indicating it was considered a political statement, raising concerns about A.S.’s role in suppressing student identity and expression without a clear or consistent process; and”
CAMACHO / RICHARDS CARRIED (21-0-1) - It was moved and seconded to change the lines 38-40 to reflect the following:
“WHEREAS, Mohamed Erekat submitted a personal identity statement at the request of A.S., not as an official statement on behalf of the organization, and was not informed of applicable agenda deadlines that would have allowed him the opportunity to present his case to the Board of Directors; and”
STUART / RAMIREZ CARRIED (22-0-0) - It was moved and seconded to add “felt he”.
HOLSTOM / SAWOUQ CARRIED (12-10-0)
- It was moved and seconded to strike out the following language on line 42-44:
“...but rather, a legal classification under international law, as cited by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in an ongoing case abiding by the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention charter.”
COHEN / MCLACHLAN CARRIED (12-10-1) - It was moved and seconded to add the word “as” and removing the word “and” to be reflected as the following:
“WHEREAS, the term ‘genocide” cannot be subverted as “political opinion”. The term as defined by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and has been repeatedly invoked by international entities, such as the United Nations, to describe the atrocities in Gaza;
RICHARDS / COHEN CARRIED (10-1-12) - It was moved and seconded to approve the final language to reflect the following:
“WHEREAS, the term “genocide” cannot be subverted as “political opinion”. The term The term as defined by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was found plausible in an ongoing case abiding by the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention Charter and has been repeatedly invoked by international entities, such as the United Nations, to describe the atrocities in Gaza; and
COHEN/HANSEN CARRIED (23-0-0) - It was moved and seconded to strike “concentration camp development”.
HOLSTROM / MCLACHLAN
A friendly amendment was made by MCLACHLAN to change the language “development of camps” in replacement of “concentration camp development”.
- There were no objections.
The amended motion was voted on. CARRIED (19-0-0)
- It was moved by COHEN to remove “Israel’s actions in Gaza, including mass civilian killings, forced starvation and famine. There was not a second.
- It was moved and seconded to strike lines 53-56.
COHEN/RICHARDS FAILED (3-16-0)
- It was moved and seconded to replace language on lines 53-56 to the following:
“reports that it is not implausible to estimate” that the Israeli government has murdered over up to 186,000 “or even more including more than 20,000 children (as of September 2025).
MCLACHLAN/HOLSTROM CARRIED (14-1-4)
- A friendly amendment was made to further amend the whereas clause, “due to the Israeli Defense Force blockade of food and medicine;"
COHEN/RICHARDS CARRIED (10-9-0)
- It was moved and seconded to replace “Israel” with “the Israeli government” in line 58.
COHEN / SIDDIQUI CARRIED (12-3-4)
- It was moved and seconded to strike line 67-69 and replace with the following:
“WHEREAS, this genocide, perpetrated by the Israeli government, has been the most documented and deliberate mass killing in modern history, which has resulted in the systematic killing of journalists, reflecting a broader pattern of silencing Palestinian voices while enabling ongoing atrocities; and”
STUART/SAWOUQ CARRIED (17-0-2)
- It was moved and seconded to strike lines 71-76 referring to Dr. Jonathan Graubart.
COHEN/VITTITOE CARRIED (10-6-3) - It was moved and seconded to strike lines 78-80 regarding MGSDII.
COHEN/SAWOUQ FAILED (8-10-1) - It was moved and seconded to replace the language regarding MGSDII to the following:
“WHEREAS, we formally criticize the presence of former Israeli diplomat Ido Aharoni, a visiting professor at SDSU brought by the Murray Galinson San Diego-Israel Initiative (MGSDII), despite his documented political affiliations that were immensely harmful to Palestinian, Arab, SWANA, and Muslim students. The university is expected to practice ethical, neutral practices in faculty hiring and instructional design that align with its principles of academic integrity for all students. This extends to guest speakers and presenters at campus-wide events.”
HOLSTROM/COHEN CARRIED (14-0-5) - It was moved and seconded to replace “BE IT RESOLVED, this resolution defines the 'Israel-Hamas war' as "the genocide against the people of Palestine." By formally adopting this position, A.S.ensures procedural updates be made to uphold their mission, values, and commitment to students”
with - “BE IT RESOLVED, given the undeniable evidence in this resolution, this resolution calls to recognize the 'Israel-Hamas war' as "the genocide against the people of Palestine." By formally adopting this position, A.S. commits to reviewing and improving its processes to ensure alignment with its mission, values, and responsibility to protect student expression, including addressing concerns regarding past instances where student speech was restricted or not published; and”
SAWOUQ/RICHARDS
- An amendment was made to add “A.S. SDSU hereby recognizes” to the aforementioned proposed clause.
The amendment was voted on
RICHARDS/RAMIREZ CARRIED (11-3-5)
- The main motion was then voted on. CARRIED (16-1-2)
- It was moved and seconded to strike “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, this resolution in no way antagonizes the Jewish people or faith, but rather, calls for accountability from the state of Israel, and this resolution further condemns antisemitism in all forms.”
HOLSTROM/MCLACHLAN FAILED (7-11-0) - It was moved and seconded to replace “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, this resolution in no way antagonizes the Jewish people or faith, but rather, calls for accountability from the state of Israel, and this resolution further condemns antisemitism in all forms”
with - “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution does not intend to target or antagonize the Jewish faith or people, but instead calls for accountability from the Israeli government and affirms a commitment to condemning antisemitism in all forms; and”
STUART/HOLSTROM CARRIED (19-0-0)
- It was moved and seconded to amend “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the urgency of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is due to Israel’s active role in perpetuating violence via illegal occupation and militarization.”
To this: - “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the urgency of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is due to the Israeli government’s active role in perpetuating violence via illegal occupation and militarization.”
SIDIQQUI/COHEN CARRIED (19-0-0)
- It was moved and seconded to replace “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that A.S. call upon SDSU to sever all ties with the MGSDII, more specifically by removing MGSDII branding and educational materials from official SDSU websites and forums. recognizing it as a propaganda arm that compromises academic freedom, student safety, and institutional integrity; and”
With - “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that AS leadership brought MGSDII to the attention of University Senate and Student Affairs & Campus Diversity and the harm its presence brought the safety of this campus. Furthermore, SDSU's division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity and University Senate must collaborate with AS's University Council to incorporate a presentation detailing background checks on guest faculty and speakers brought to this campus.”
RAWLS/RICHARDS
- It was moved and seconded to add Kareen/Milan to add “Palestinian, Arab, SWANA, and Muslim students on this campus.”
HOLSTROM/RAWLS CARRIED (17-1-1)
- It was moved and seconded to add Kareen/Milan adding amendment to change
“background checks” to “selection processes”.
HOLSTROM/DUBOS CARRIED (17-1-1)
- The amended motion made by RAWLS/RICHARDS was then voted on.
CARRIED (10-7-2)
- It was moved and seconded to replace “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that AS leadership bring MGSDII to the attention of University Senate and Student Affairs & Campus Diversity and the harm its presence brought to Palestinian, Arab, SWANA, and Muslim students on this campus. Furthermore, SDSU's division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity and University Senate must collaborate with A.S.'s University Council to incorporate a presentation detailing selection processes on guest faculty and speakers brought to this campus.”
with
- “BE IT RESOLVED, that the Associated Students of San Diego State University calls on the university to sever its institutional partnership with the Murray Galinson San Diego-Israel Initiative (MGSDII) and to adopt a formal policy prohibiting SDSU from entering into or maintaining partnerships with any foreign government-linked academic program brought to strategically promote a government credibly documented as committing human rights violations, ensuring that all institutional partnerships reflect the university’s stated commitment to equity, neutrality, and the safety and dignity of all students; and”
SAWOUQ/MCLACHLAN FAILED (8-10-1)
- It was moved and seconded to replace “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that A.S. demands SDSU adopt policies to ensure transparency for their donor and partnership agreements, prohibiting outside advocacy organizations from shaping curriculum or faculty hiring; and”
With
- “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that A.S. SDSU urges the university to adopt policies that promote transparency in donor and partnership agreements, including safeguards to ensure that external organizations do not unduly influence curriculum or faculty hiring; and”
CAMACHO/SIDDIQUI CARRIED (19-0-0) - It was moved and seconded to add “SWANA students” to the resolved clause
HOLSTROM/COHEN CARRIED (17-0-1)
- It was moved and seconded to strike:
- “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, necessitates the continuation in developing the SWANA Resource Center, ensuring allocation of funding from SDSU and a designated campus space to provide adequate support and solidarity, officially recognizing SWANA students as a part of the numerous other cultural communities that SDSU has promised to serve; and”
And replace With:
- “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that A.S. SDSU supports the continued development of a SWANA Resource Center, including the allocation of funding and a designated campus space to provide support and foster a sense of belonging for SWANA students, in alignment with the university’s commitment to serving diverse cultural communities; and”
STUART/SIDDIQUI CARRIED (17-0-1)
- It was moved and seconded to split “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that A.S. demands SDSU halt all funding for A.S. scholarships related to studying abroad in Israel, unless as a part of a recognized religious obligation, alongside divestments from all current investments in technology and services used by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the occupation to ensure it does not inadvertently contribute to genocide and ensure consistent and unwavering efforts in line with its commitment to principled practices.”
Into:
- “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that A.S. SDSU shall implement an ethical travel disclosure process for students receiving scholarships for international travel to countries with documented human rights concerns, thereby ensuring transparency, alignment with A.S. values, and the opportunity for students to make informed decisions regarding their participation; and”
And
- “Be It Further Resolved A.S. urges SDSU divestments from all current investments in technology and services used by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the occupation to ensure it does not inadvertently contribute to genocide and ensure consistent and unwavering efforts in line with its commitment to principled practices.”
SIDDIQUI/MCLACHLAN CARRIED (18-0-0)
- It was moved and seconded to cut: “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED A.S. urges SDSU divest from all current investments in technology and services used by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the occupation to ensure it does not inadvertently contribute to genocide and ensure consistent and unwavering efforts in line with its commitment to principled practices.”
COHEN/RICHARDS FAILED (4-11-3)
- It was moved and seconded to cut “divest from” and “current” from:
- BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that A.S urges SDSU to divest from all investments in technology and services used by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the occupation to ensure it does not inadvertently contribute to genocide and ensure consistent and unwavering efforts in line with its commitment to principled practices.
RICHARDS/COHEN FAILED (2-16-0)
- It was moved and seconded to change the clause to: BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that A.S. urges SDSU to divest from all future investments in technology and services used by any government entity participating in human rights violations or genocide
HOLSTROM/RICHARDS
- It was moved and seconded to amend the language to: “any nation state found guilty of committing crimes against humanity, but not limited to apartheid and genocide”
SAWOQU/HANSEN CARRIED (16-0-1)
- It was moved and seconded to amend the language to strike “found guilty of”.
STUART/HANSEN CARRIED (15-3-0) - It was moved and seconded to amend the language to add “actively”.
RICHARDS/COHEN CARRIED (18-0-0) - It was moved and seconded to amend the language to add “determined by the International Court of Justice”.
COHEN/MCLACHLAN FAILED (1-16-1) - It was moved and seconded to amend the language to add “or plausibly,” and “such as”
SAWOUQ/STUART CARRIED (15-2-2)
- The amendment motion was then voted on to approve the following language:
- “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that A.S. urges SDSU to divest from all future current investments in technology and services used by any nation state actively, or plausibly, committing crimes against humanity, such as but not limited to apartheid and genocide,”
CARRIED (18-0-1)
- Kate Bylsma came back at 9:45 PM
- It was moved and seconded to amend the verbiage to: “all students affected by the Israel-Palestine conflict, especially those who have historically been neglected and ignored” in the following Resolved clause.
RICHARDS/HANSEN
- It was moved and seconded to amend the verbiage to include “Jewish and Israeli students”
COHEN/RICHARDS FAILED (2-13-3) - It was moved and seconded to remove “by the Israel-Palestine conflict,”
SAWOUQ/BYLSMA CARRIED (18-0-1) - The amendment motion was then voted on to approve “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that A.S. necessitate the SDSU administration, including a direct acknowledgment from President Adela De la Torre, to issue an immediate statement affirming institutional support for all students, especially those who have historically been neglected, ignored and suppressed, including Palestinian, Arab, SWANA, and Muslim students, committing to their safety, inclusion, and academic freedom; and”
CARRIED (19-0-0)
- It was moved and seconded that the meeting adjourn to continue to next week’s 3:30 p.m. meeting.
COHEN/BYSLMA FAILED (5-14-0)
- Question was called by HOLSTROM to stop discussion and move into a final vote of resolution #UCB S26-03.
- It was moved and seconded to approve #UCB S26-03: A Resolution on Palestine: The Mokat Act.
HOLSTROM/MCLACHLAN CARRIED (17-1-2)
Karen - Yes Ari - No Isaac - Yes Noah - Yes Jake - Yes Celina - Yes
Marco - Yes Quentin - Yes Abby - Yes
Andy - Yes Kate - Abstain Aliza - Yes
Everett - Yes James - Yes Milan - Yes
Tatum - Yes Natalie - Yes Kareen - Yes
Milan V. - Abstain Jace - Yes
VII. ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- College of Engineering Event, 6-9 p.m. Montezuma Hall, this Friday!
- Noah - April 28, SWANA night
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
It was moved and seconded to adjourn at 10:40 p.m.
RAWLS/STUART CARRIED (20-0-0)
