A resounding “AYE” from an overwhelming majority of the Syracuse University faculty on April 16 confirmed that they supported a resolution for fossil fuel divestment. We collapsed in relief, embracing each other with smiles on our faces.

We are members of Divest SU, dedicated to encouraging SU to withdraw its investments from the top 200 fossil fuel companies. This is part of a national campaign, the largest to fight climate change in U.S. history, with over 300 colleges and universities involved. It is about resetting priorities: the earth and its people first over profit.

The University Senate decision to support divestment from fossil fuels follows Syracuse University’s Student Association, which passed a similar resolution on April 29, 2013.

With the Student Association and University Senate giving nearly unanimous support for resolutions to divest from fossil fuels, the democratic representatives of the university have spoken. Unfortunately, when SU administration was presented with our formal request for divestment in March of 2014, we were not met with the same level of democracy and transparency that we expected.

Without asking members of Divest SU to participate in the meeting, nine members on the Socially Responsible Investment Matters Committee declined the opportunity to divest in a letter sent to Divest SU on June 16. This letter stated that “the Committee concluded that the direct divestment of fossil fuel companies from the University’s endowment is not practical or fiscally-prudent.”

Meanwhile, universities and institutions around the country are finding ways to be both fiscally and environmentally responsible. Thirteen colleges and universities have pledged to start divesting, as well as 28 cities, 28 foundations and 42 religious institutions. Perhaps the committee could consult with some of these other institutions to learn how it can be done. Stanford University, for example, has committed to divest its over 18 billion dollar endowment from the coal industry. By comparison, Syracuse University has a one billion dollar endowment, with as much as $100 million invested in the fossil fuel industry.

Global warming is not an investment. And we deserve a university that cares for the democratic decisions made by its representative bodies. We ask for a university that leads the way on the crucial issues of our time.

Come join members of Divest SU on Tuesday at 3 p.m. on the quad for a rally for a fossil free SU. Together, we will demand more from our university.

Emma Edwards
Syracuse University
Class of 2015
geography and policy studies

Quinn Weber
Syracuse University
Class of 2015
political science and english and textual studies

Ben Kuebrich
Syracuse University
doctoral student

Published on September 30, 2014 at 12:30 am