Mark your calendars, to throw a wrench into the war machine!
Student Senate is hosting an open forum on March 26th, 7pm, at UNO Mammel Hall - Room #113 to speak on weapons divestment! The university is too invested in industry that has not been held accountable and is unethical for an academic institution to be profiting from. We could easily make more ethical investments. Bring everyone you know who is passionate about peace and speak up. You don’t have to be a student to join this forum. It is open to the whole community!
The resolution is titled “Divestment From Weapons Manufacturing For The Sake Of Humanity,” and the language is as follows:
“WHEREAS, as part of its mission, The University
of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) "transforms and
improves the quality of life locally, nationally, and
globally."'
WHEREAS, UNO is a public research university
whose core values include "innovate for the public
good through pragmatic and impactful research and
assume responsibility discovery" and for
workforce and economic development within our
state and beyond, in addition to the value of
Integrity, which has been defined as, "the highest
of professional and ethical standards."1
WHEREAS, the University of Nebraska system
has investments of over $9 million in top weapons
manufacturers according to the
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 2,3
WHEREAS, The City of Omaha has a history of
enabling major war crimes, including building the
Enola Gay and Bockscar, the aircraft that dropped
nuclear bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, the first use of a nuclear weapon
against a civilian population.4 The Glenn L. Martin
Company, the builder of those aircraft, was
incorporated into Lockheed Martin Corporation,
which mostly produces products for the U.S.
Department of Defense and is the largest arms
producerin the United States.5,3 Lockheed Martin
remains one of the largest companies in the S&P
500. 6
WHEREAS, The United States has been the
number one arms dealer in the world, and a large
amount of U.S. weapons sold are distributed to
enemies of the U.S. 7, 8, 9, 10
WHEREAS, The United States would be complicit
of international violations of humanitarian law
committed by U.S. allies who use weapons supplied
by the U.S. 11
WHEREAS, similar divestment resolution
passed by UNO's student government in the
Spring 2025 semester, SR24-25-028, has been
ignored by university administration.
WHEREAS, The University of Nebraska
Lincoln's Association of Students at the University
of Nebraska has recently passed a resolution
calling from divestment of funds invested in
weapons manufacturers. 12
WHEREAS, The University demonstrated its potential
to implement ethical investment practices when in 2021
the University of Nebraska Board of Regents changed
endowment policy "to consider environmental, social
and governance criteria when investing
university-controlled endowment holdings."12
WHEREAS, Socially Responsible Investment
(SRI) funds similar to current index fund
investments are available to investors, as well as
weapons-free funds. 13, 14 Investors are able to
engage in Environmental, Social, and Governance
(ESG) investing, which is more conscious of
social and environmental concerns.'S
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That
the student government of the University of
Nebraska at Omaha finds the university's
investment in weapons of war to be
inconsistent with University values and
unbecoming of an academic institution.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That
the student government of the University of
Nebraska at Omaha condemns the university's
continued investment in
weapons of war.”