Carleton students' protest prevents meeting

A noisy demonstration at Carleton University on Tuesday forced its board of governors to cancel its meeting.

Hundreds of students stormed the area where the board was set to debate.

The students were upset that the board has refused to debate a motion passed by the student union that calls for Carleton's pension fund to drop its investments in companies that profit from the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

The students were also upset over the board's plan to limit the number of students allowed to attend the meeting. The university brought in extra security staff for the event.

The students claimed the administration is attempting to silence them by trying to lock them out.

Kimalee Phillip, who represents graduate students on the board, said the university has made things worse through its attempts to silence divestment campaigners.

"All these students want to do is at least have their motion heard, and the way we've seen Carleton reacting…I find quite concerning," Phillip said.

But the university said simply divesting is not that easy.

"The university has an obligation to manage the fund to deliver the best risk-adjusted return for the plan members, and the university is not going to divest in the manner that these students have suggested that we should," said university spokesman Jason MacDonald.