Divest My UPP
Queen's Faculty, Librarians and Archivists for UPP Divestment
Demanding that our pension plan honour its commitment to ethical and sustainable investing
**The divestment motion will now be discussed and voted on at the December 18 Fall General Meeting, which will take place on Zoom from 1-3:00 pm.**
QUFA members must do 4 things in order to vote YES on the motion:
1) Hold the date in your calendar.
2) Once the invitation is circulated, RSVP to ep43@queensu.ca to receive the Zoom link. Please request the link even if you did so for the first two meetings.
3) Sign an association membership form.
4) Show up and vote YES on December 18 at 1:00 pm.
Adjunct Professor, Arts and Science
"I may never qualify to receive a pension from Queen’s, but my dues still contribute to the administration of the pension fund. We should not be investing in genocide."
Associate Professor, Education
"I want my university pension plan to thrive by contributing to building a better world, not from profits from war and genocide."
Librarian, Queen's Library
"I refuse to invest in genocide, I want my university pension plan to invest in building schools, universities, and libraries and not bombing them!"
Assistant Professor, Arts and Science
"It's the right thing to do."
Associate Professor, Arts and Science
"I refuse to accept financial security built upon blood money. I am convinced that divesting from companies complicit in death, ecological destruction, genocide, warfare, and mass surveillance will not endanger my future but, rather, make it safer and more sustainable. Contrary to the claim that divestment undermines retirement security, I believe that ethical investment strengthens both moral responsibility and long-term financial sustainability. It is deeply disheartening that I must share this statement anonymously, out of fear that the university administration could use my opposition to genocide as grounds for professional retaliation. This atmosphere of intimidation not only undermines academic freedom but also exposes a profound moral crisis within our institutions—one that prioritizes profit over justice and human dignity."
Professor, Arts and Science
One of our primary missions as educators is to help students become knowledgeable and ethical citizens, to be good stewards of the environment, and good neighbours to those near and far. Funding weapons destroys lives and it profoundly damages our mission as educators.
Assistant Professor, Arts and Science
"As an academic worker, my duty is to share knowledge that sustains life and dignity. The use of my wages and pension contributions to fund industries of war and destruction is a betrayal of my profession as an educator. We teach for life, not war."
Queen's Faculty and Staff for Palestine
"We do not want our pensions to be paid for with blood money."
Associate Professor, Arts and Science
"So many of us chose to become teachers because we believe that education is critical for building a better world. Profiting from genocide is the very negation of that mission."
Associate Professor, Arts and Science
"I don't want to be complicit in genocide."
Professor, Arts and Science
"It's a matter of conscience and responsibility. If my children or anyone from future generations said to me: "You knew that unethical and environmentally damaging activities were happening all around you, and that other people were suffering directly as a result. What did you do? Did you at least try to prevent those activities? Did you do anything at all?"
Demanding that my pension funds be divested away from companies that directly harm people or the environment is a very small but nevertheless positive answer."
Associate Professor, Arts and Science
Doing nothing in the full knowledge of what is happening is complicity; I am pleased and relieved that my union is trying to take action on the most chilling war crimes of my lifetime
Professor, Arts and Science
I do not want to benefit from genocide! As a human being, a parent, and an academic worker, I have a moral obligation to do what I can to stop unconscionable breaches of international law. Divestment is an important action, consistent with the principles of the UPP.
Associate Professor, Arts and Science
"Genocide is wrong."
Associate Librarian, Queen's Library
"Pensions should not be invested in genocide."
Professor, Faculty of Education
"It's beyond the pale to support genocide."
Associate Librarian, Queen's Library
"I don't want security at the cost of innocent lives."
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Arts and Science
"I do not have a pension, but the university should not be supporting a genocide in any way. We should all be committed to ethical investing."
Associate Professor, Arts and Science
"Because we cannot let Queen's support the means of genocide."
Associate Professor, Arts and Science
"I'm very grateful for this motion. I strongly believe it is the responsibility of all of us (and, in this case, UPP members) to do what we can to divest from any tools of warfare and, specifically, to halt the political economic support of genocide in Palestine."
Associate Librarian, Queen's Library
"I believe my pension should not be invested in companies that are involved in war crimes and the genocide being perpetrated against Palestinians."
Librarian, Queen's Library
Divesting from governments committing international war crimes and genocide is crucial."
Associate Librarian, Queen's Library
"I believe my pension should not be invested in companies that are involved in war crimes and the genocide being perpetrated against Palestinians."
Associate Professor, Arts and Science
"It's the ethical thing to do."
Associate Librarian, Queen's Library
"I believe my pension should not be invested in companies that are involved in war crimes and the genocide being perpetrated against Palestinians."
Professor, Arts and Science
"I am a strong supporter of Palestinian rights. This is the smallest gesture I can make to align with a people whose lives and homes have been destroyed by on-going Israeli aggression."
Professor, Arts and Science
"I do not want to benefit from genocide! As a human being, a parent, and an academic worker, I have a moral obligation to do what I can to stop unconscionable breaches of international law. Divestment is an important action, consistent with the principles of the UPP."
Associate Professor, Arts and Science
"Doing nothing in the full knowledge of what is happening is complicity; i am pleased and relieved that my union is trying to take action on the most chilling war crimes of my lifetime."
Professor, Arts and Science
"One of our primary missions as educators is to help students become knowledgeable and ethical citizens, to be good stewards of the environment, and good neighbours to those near and far. Funding weapons destroys lives and it profoundly damages our mission as educators."
Assistant Professor, Arts and Science
"Our money shouldn't be invested in death."
Associate Professor, Arts and Science
"Because it is our duty as educators who are influencing students and teaching them to be ethical to support the motion to divest from weapons and from financial support of unlawful occupations or violations of human rights in Israel and in other contexts."
Associate Professor, Arts and Science
"I do not wish to retire on blood money."
Anonymous
"On ethical grounds."
Professor, Queen's School of English
"It's beyond the pale to support genocide."
Associate Professor, Global Development Studies
"I'm very grateful for this motion. I strongly believe it is the responsibility of all of us (and, in this case, UPP members) to do what we can to divest from any tools of warfare and, specifically, to halt the political economic support of genocide in Palestine."
Associate Librarian, Queen's University Library
"I believe my pension should not be invested in companies that are involved in war crimes and the genocide being perpetrated against Palestinians."
Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts & Sciences
"Divestment from genocide seems pretty essential to support!"
Librarian, Queen's University Library
"Divesting from governments committing international war crimes and genocide is crucial."
Professor, Global Development Studies
"It's the right thing to do."
Associate Professor
"Because we cannot let Queen's support the means of genocide."
Associate Professor, Film and Media
"It’s the ethical thing to do."
Associate Professor, Education
"There is no place for supporting genocide in the world."
Assistant professor
"Our pension funds must not support development of any weapons."
Associate Professor, Faculty of Law
"I do not want my pension investment funds to support companies, especially weapons manufacturers and suppliers, that are linked to human rights violations."
Assistant professor
"Our pension funds must not support development of any weapons."
Assistant Professor
"I actually don’t receive a pension, but I want Queen’s University to advocate for peace and make ethical financial decisions and policies."
Associate Professor
"I believe in human dignity and safety for all people, I am anti-war, and do not want my livelihood to depend on my complicity in violence."
Associate Professor, Faculty of Law
"I do not want to benefit in my retirement, even indirectly, minutely or remotely, from the commission of war crimes or crimes against humanity or the commission of any war."
Professor, FAS and FHS
"I am opposed to violence and exploitation of the marginalized."
Associate Professor, Faculty of Law
"I do not want to benefit in my retirement, even indirectly, minutely or remotely, from the commission of war crimes or crimes against humanity or the commission of any war."
Professor, FAS and FHS
"I am opposed to violence and exploitation of the marginalized."
Continuing Adjunct, Faculty of Arts and Science
"I vote for the motion to demand that the University Pension Plan (UPP) divest from weapons."
Associate Professor, Faculty of Education
"I don't know how I can teach my students to participate in creating classrooms where everyone is safe when my own retirement is even partially secured by the profits reaped from supporting genocide."
Associate Professor, Faculty of Law
"I do not want to benefit in my retirement, even indirectly, minutely or remotely, from the commission of war crimes or crimes against humanity or the commission of any war."
Professor, FAS and FHS
"I am opposed to violence and exploitation of the marginalized."
Associate Professor, FAS
"I want us to divest from the manufacture of weapons used to commit or facilitate war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international law in Palestine and elsewhere."
Assistant Professor
"No need to secure our future to arms dealers and war mongers."
Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts and Science
"I don't want my retirement fuelled by death."