California State University, Bakersfield’s Associated Students, Incorporated held a Board of Directors meeting on Zoom, March 15 allowing the public to comment on the SB 201 resolution.  

The SB 201 is a resolution that calls for a ceasefire by Israel and condemns violations committed in Gaza.  This resolution has been discussed in prior board of directors meetings.  

ASI President, Daisy Alamillo reported that she attended two California State Student Association meetings, one of them being the systemwide meeting in which the committee voted on the resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza strip and condemning human rights violations as well as reaffirming freedom of speech and expression.  

“So it was passed in our system wide committee meeting and I believe they are going to move forward with it in the board of directors meeting but has yet to do so,” said Alamillo.  

She assures that a copy will be sent to all students once a finalized and edited version is available.  

Robert Hunt, Marine Corps Veteran and student staff at the Veterans Success Center shares concerns of an anonymous student during the public comment section of the meeting’s agenda.  

Hunt said that he is the voice of this student, “this veteran who wants to be anonymous, who feels he has to be anonymous because he feels discrimination against him.”  

He mentions that the anonymous student, a Marine Corps Veteran, born in Israel and part of the Israeli Army Reserves, went to the Veterans Success Center to protest the SB 201 resolution.  

“I saw him three times, I counted, break down crying as he talked about this resolution. How it made him feel unsafe, how he wants to leave the country to go to Israel, a country actively at war rather that stay here at this university,” said Hunt.  

During the public comment section of the meeting, some Bakersfield residents shared their support of the SB 201 resolution.  

Mike Kwon, CSUB’s Executive Director, read a public comment during the meeting from Vanessa Moreno.  

“It has been five months since I initially approached CSUB to urge them to address the ongoing Mediterranean crisis in Gaza. Unfortunately, I am deeply disappointed by their response, or lack thereof, from both administration and ASI,” read the comment.  

Jose Garcia, a senior biology student at CSUB, shared his support of SB 201 in hopes this resolution will set the precedent of holding corporations and institutions responsible for injustices. 

“As someone who majors in biology and has been concerned with the environment… we cannot have environmental justice without justice in all regards and this includes human rights,” said Garcia.