Sabra classic hummus. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – The student government at Dickinson College—a small liberal-arts school in Carlisle, Pa., outside Harrisburg—passed a resolution on Tuesday night to ban Sabra hummus, owned by American food conglomerate PepsiCo, ostensibly as part of a campaign on campus to boycott the Jewish state.

In response, the college administration was quick to note that it rejects the student move to ban hummus.

In a statement, it said “Dickinson encourages students to voice their opinions and affect change through our governance structure. We are pleased that the discussion about this issue at the Student Senate meeting was civil, and that competing opinions were articulated.

“As an institution that deeply values global diversity and civil discussion and debate, Dickinson opposes this boycott. In 2014, we rejected the call from the American Studies Association to boycott Israeli universities, and instead maintained our ongoing relationships with three Israeli institutions. We reject the current call for boycott on the same grounds.

“Students have committed to continue with the open dialogue and active listening that they demonstrated during the discussion. We are confident that as they grapple with this and other complex issues, they will continue to seek out and consider multiple perspectives, and draw on the critical thinking and analysis skills they are developing at Dickinson.”