Get Email Updates Sign up for our free daily newsletter, along with occasional offers for programs that support our journalism. By signing up to receive emails, you agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support
The Nation s journalism. You may unsubscribe or adjust your preferences at any time. You can read our
How to get your university to divest from fossil fuels
Students are pressuring their universities to divest from fossil fuels. Here s how to do the same.
Image: VICKY LETA / MASHABLE
2021-04-28 21:40:16 UTC
University of Michigan students know a little something about how difficult it can be to get a resistant administration to stop investing in fossil fuels.
Even convincing the school to greenlight a committee to just explore the issue was a hair-pulling hassle. In 2015, a group of University of Michigan law students tried to do just that but basically got the middle finger from the university, says Jonathan Morris, a University of Michigan Ph.D. student who has long been involved in divestment efforts.
Jonathan Morris 1 POSTS 0 COMMENTS Jonathan R. Morris is a doctoral student in the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan, an organizer with the Climate Action Movement, and a former organizer with DivestInvest at U-M.
NationofChange
How persistent student organizing forced one of the largest public universities to divest from fossil fuels
Over eight years, University of Michigan students led bold direct actions, continually recruited new students and forged ties with regents to keep $1 billion from the fossil fuel industry.
Image Credit: Adam Glanzman/Michigan Daily
Last month, the University of Michigan became the latest to accept
the obvious that investing in the destruction of society is
fundamentally counter to the mission of higher education. With its
endowment of $14.2 billion, Michigan now becomes one of the largest public universities to commit to divesting from fossil fuels.
The reason? According to
The Michigan Daily, “not specifically denouncing” President Trump after last Wednesday’s Capitol Hill riot, along with his past support of the president and the state GOP.
“On January 6, 2021, the world watched as white supremacy stormed America’s Capitol, shed blood, and reasserted its dominance in the American political landscape,” the petition reads. “Politicians and community leaders swiftly condemned the events, and more importantly, condemned Donald Trump and his enablers for directly inciting the violence.”
But not Regent Ron Weiser, the petition says. Weiser says he stayed away from television during the DC fracas because he had surgery … and then he opted to watch college basketball. As a result, he said he “didn’t know” if Trump bore any responsibility for the Capitol Hill mob.