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[…]last spring, pro-Palestinian activists, running under the Shut It Down party, won control over the student government. They immediately moved to withhold funding for all activities, until the university committed to divest from companies that profit from Israel’s war in Gaza.

University regents, though, have consistently said that divestment is off the table. And as students returned to school, the campus seemed to be at a virtual standstill.


When campaigning for student government, the Shut It Down party did not keep its intentions a secret. Its platform “ran with one single point: to halt the operations of the University of Michigan Central Student Government,” Alifa Chowdhury, the president of the party, wrote in a statement to The Times. Other members of the group declined to comment.

In the March election, in which less than 20 percent of students turned out to vote, Shut It Down won the presidency and vice presidency, and secured 22 of 45 seats in the assembly.

After the election, the new leaders of the student government passed a resolution, calling for the university’s regents to divest. In May, Ms. Chowdhury issued a statement condemning the university’s decision to call in police to break up the protest encampments.

see also this Detroit News article, which notes:

The new 2024-25 president of UM Central Student Government has since vetoed the summer budget, shutting down funding to student groups. She is expected to take the same action next month when a fall budget is considered. Students are expected to become more aware of this development as classes begin Monday on the Ann Arbor campus and most student organizations restart their activities.