Hampshire College divests from companies aiding Israel

In 1977, Hampshire College became the first in the nation to divest its South African holdings.

In 2009, Hampshire College has become the first in the nation to break financial ties with companies specifically because they do business with Israel. Although there is a difference between the college activists and the college itself, they are not really very far apart. Student activists at Hampshire College are hailing the decision to break financial ties with companies specifically because they do business with Israel. But the college denies the move was politically motivated. But, according to the Boston Globe,

[the] trustees [divested because they] concluded that the fund held stocks in more than 200 companies engaged in business practices that violated the college’s policy on 'socially responsible investments.' These violations included unfair labor practices, environmental abuse, military weapons manufacturing, and unsafe workplace settings, trustees said.

That seems to me like a more semantic difference than a real one. Also according to the Globe,

The six companies that formed the basis of the student group's complaints were: Caterpillar, United Technologies, General Electric, ITT Corporation, Motorola, and Terex.