Students at Washington University moved their money out of Bank of America and into St. Louis Community Credit Union and then took this picture of their action.
Students at other campuses around the country took action on Thursday and Friday as well. Events included teach-ins, credit union visits to campus, moving money to credit unions and other actions designed to showcase the problems with the banks and the value of investing and banking locally.
Fordham University will be moving forward with a $500,000 investment in two Bronx community development financial institutions.
REC is very proud to share a variety of exciting success stories this month:
*Please see the correction at the bottom of this story.
With the help of the tireless work of a REC Student Organizer and the student group Fordham for the Bronx, Fordham University has decided to invest $500,000 in two local Bronx community development financial institutions! REC applauds students and administration alike for showing the higher education community what a powerful and positive tool community investment can be for colleges and universities.
At Arizona State University, the ASU Coalition for Human Rights’ proposed bill to support responsible investing and the creation of an Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing has passed unanimously in the undergraduate student government. Congrulations, ASU!
Green Mountain College has decided to increase the amount of its endowment invested in responsible invested funds to 15% of its total endowment, with the help and collaboration of the investment office and their Socially Responsible Investment Advisory Committee.
Students are presenting to the University of Chicago administration and board regarding responsible investment models from other universities and the ways in which UChicago can move forward in their own community, following the sweeping 80% vote of approval in favor of creating a responsible investment committee last month.
The University of Oregon Foundation has expressed potential interest in the creation of a committee to investigate a responsible investment policy. This is an encouraging turn of events, and we wish the students’ campaign and the University of Oregon foundation the best of luck in coming to a powerful and effective consensus.
Green Mountain College will apportion 15% of its endowment to responsibly invested funds.
Other Campus Updates:
American University students are engaging in a dialog with REC about endowment transparency and what their school’s potential role may be in the funding of weapons manufacturers.
At Boston University, the administration has agreed to continue dialog surrounding the potential of a committee on investor responsibility pending the approval of the faculty council. Campaign organizers will be organizing around that vote through the summer and into the fall.
Washington University in St. Louis’s new Investor Responsibility Advisory Committee continues to come into focus, as undergraduates, grad students, and faculty are being staffed to serve on the committee for its first year.
REC visited Wesleyan University this past month, and had a great time engaging in a dialog with students about how their institution could be more transparent, responsible, and accountable to its community. Wesleyan’s campaign will be continuing in the 2011-2012 school year.
Active campaigns at a number of other schools such as Earlham College, Tufts University, Brown University, and Evergreen State College are taking a pause as the school year comes to a close, but with the hopes for more successes and gains in the upcoming school year. REC congratulates and thanks students at these schools and all over the country for their hard work and wishes them the best of luck over the summer and into the upcoming school year!
Correction. This blog post originally read that the University of California, Santa Barbara established a Committee on Investor Responsibility. This is not the case. REC sincerely apologize for any confusion.
Fordham photo by Flickr user mgrenner57.
REC’s presence at Power Shift 2011 was a huge success! We had a great workshop attended by a number of enthusiastic activists from all over the country, including a number of campuses new to the REC network, including Virginia Tech, Georgia Southern University, SUNY Purchase, Trinity University, the University of Montana, and many more!
A coalition of students at Boston University is in talks with their administration about the creation of a responsible investment committee, as well as instituting investment screens around a number of issues of concern to the community.
Fordham for the Bronx, a student group at Fordham University, has submitted a community investment proposal that has been well-received by the administration (although no official word yet.) Check out the full story here.
At Grinnell College, the Student Investment Committee hosted a forum recently on responsible investment and what it means at their school. Read the campus media coverage here.
REC was happy to meet a number of activists from Loyola University of New Orleans face-to-face for the first time at Power Shift 2011! The Loyola University Community Action Program (LUCAP) is considering responsible investment as an official campaign for the 2011-2012 school year.
Macalester College students and committee members are contemplating the creation of a student-run SRI fund. REC is eager to support their efforts!
Students at Miami University of Ohio are in the early stages of talks with the administration about how to make the university a more responsible investor.
Students at Middlebury College are putting the finishing touches on their report on Middlebury’s new sustainability fund, while also thinking about the potential for cross-campus organizing with other university clients that share fund managers.
At Tufts University, a community investment proposal endorsed by a wide variety of stakeholders in the university has been received by the administration. REC is hopeful that we will be able to add Tufts to our list of community investment success stories!
The University of Oregon’s ReVest campaign is at a crossroads following unsuccessful talks with the University of Oregon Foundation around the creation of a responsible investment committee, and are discussing next moves for this school year and the next.
At Washington University in St. Louis, students and other stakeholders are working hard to assemble their newly-won Investment Responsibility Advisory Committee with the support of REC.
American University. Photo by Flickr user amberley johanna.
AU Solidarity, a workers’ rights group at American University, is planning on taking up a community investment proposal developed in the spring of 2010. They are focusing on supporting a local bank in which other DC-area schools have already made an investment as a first step in a conversation about responsible investment on campus.
At Arizona State University, a new member of REC, the ASU Coalition for Human Rights is organizing a responsible investment effort as a coalition to work towards setting up a committee on investment responsibility and finding out how their university’s investment portfolio has an impact on human rights worldwide.
REC is working with Loyola University New Orleans on campus awareness of a three-point proposal for a revolving green loan fund, a green collar job training program, and a community investment and shareholder advocacy committee.
The Student Endowment Responsibility Committee (SERC) at Macalester College is having its first public event–a presentation about what the endowment is and how it can be invested in a more socially responsible manner.
At Portland State University, students are discussing the potential formation of a responsible investment committee, as well as the prospect of moving some money into a local bank. They are also in talks with students at the University of Oregon, who are working on their own responsible investment campaign.
Princeton Workers Rights, a labor group at Princeton University, is weighing its options as they move forward on their responsible investment campaign. They are hoping to use responsible investment as a way to bring more people from different issue areas towards a common cause by staging several events this school year.
At Tufts University, Students at Tufts for Investment Responsibility (STIR) have begun a petition to support community investment that they intend to bring to the administration next semester. The Advisory Committee on Investment Responsibility, meanwhile, is focusing on writing a report on how the university can be supporting ‘green’ technology and energy.
Students are planning an educational event at the University of California – Santa Barbara to educate the community in the winter term about responsible investment and its importance in the hopes that this will gather support for their committee campaign.
At the University of Michigan – Dearborn, grassroots groups are gathering support for the Talloires Declaration as a way to incorporate sustainability in a more comprehensive way, including investments, into the university’s activities.
At Washington University in St. Louis, Students for Endowment Transparency are presenting their proposal for a committee on responsible investment before leaving for winter break. We wish them luck!
Middlebury College. Photo by Flickr user bgblogging.
Bard College’s Socially Responsible Investment Committee is considering the issue of hydraulic fracturing (‘hydrofracking’) and how as an investor they might mitigate environmental and social risks involved in the practice.
Students at Fordham University continue to research and explore the potential benefits of community investment and hosted an event to educate the campus community about these opportunities.
At Howard University a campaign is beginning to petition to open up the campus credit union to the broader community, including students, to educate the community about responsible investment models and practices.
Middlebury College’s Sustainability Fund continues to be the focus of responsible investment activists’ attention as they work to ensure its transparency, performance, and credibility as a vehicle for truly sustainable investments.
Princeton for Workers’ Rights, a labor activism group at Princeton University, is planning a responsible investment campaign and is working with REC on the planning stages.
The Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility at Tufts University is preparing a community investment proposal with the help of Students at Tufts for Investment Responsibility (STIR).
At the University of California – Santa Barbara, students spoke with the Board of Trustees about setting up a committee on investment responsibility. The conversation received a warm reception and now both sides are working on next steps.
Student government representatives, campus environmental leaders, and other activists at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill are in the planning and discussion stages of a campaign for endowment transparency.
Students at the University of Oregon are planning a dialogue and campaign with the administration and student body about taking first steps towards a commitment to responsible investment.
A policy recommendation, supported by the student government of the University of Texas at Austin, is being submitted to the state university’s system-wide Board of Trustees that would make social responsibility an official consideration in investments.
At Washington University in St. Louis, students are preparing to meet with the administration about the creation of a responsible investment committee.
Students at the Yale University Responsible Endowments Project continue to brainstorm and dialogue with the Advisory Committee on Investment Responsibility and the university administration about ways that all parties can work together towards new responsible investment ideas and models.
American University
We’re working on gathering signatures on our petition to show student support, and finishing our Community Investment proposal. Our group is expanding and many alumni have expressed support.
Bard College
We’re currently working on a widespread information spreading campaign on campus, and we’re finishing our proxy voting guidelines.
Brown University
Brown became the first school to take action on labor abuses by HEI, a private company that operates several hotel chains in the U.S. Read more at http://www.yaledailynews.com/crosscampus/2010/03/15/brown-speaks-out-embattled-investment-yale-alleged/
Dartmouth College
Students for Staff are offering teach-ins the first week of spring term, culminating when the trustees are meeting. Hoping to change the structure of the ACIR so it has greater power over investment decisions
Dickinson College
Students on their CIR are busy voting proxies this season and supporting students who have entered the Cornell SustaInvest competition for sustainable investment.
Drew College
Students on their CIR are actively outreaching to other CIRs to learn how they operate. They are also interested in pursuing a community investment campaign as well as getting Drew to sign on to the UN Principles of Responsible Investment.
Hampshire College
Officials have refused to respond to repeated inquiries about the status of their responsible investment policy, which was suspended last year after the Palestine divestment situation.
Howard University
Students hope to include SRI in the Earth Day activities and are continuing to work to open the campus credit union to students.
Loyola University of Chicago
The CIR filed a shareholder resolution against financing mountaintop removal mining at JP Morgan Chase. The resolution was omitted but the company has agreed to take a public stand against mountaintop removal mining. You can read more at http://www.endowmentethics.org/news-media/archives/205.
Luther College
Students submitted a proposal for an SRI committee at the end of last semester and have been meeting with a fairly receptive administration regarding next steps.
Swarthmore College
Swat representatives attended the REC roundtable on shareholder engagement and hope to pursue greater collaboration with other area universities. They plan to host a similar collaborative roundtable this fall.
UC Berkeley and the UCs
The UC Coalition for Responsible Investment continues to organize around proxy voting by bringing speakers to campus and raising awareness about the issue in advance of the upcoming Regents meeting. Students for Justice in Palestine at Berkeley successfully got a student senate resolution that asked the university to divest from companies profiting from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territory. The student president vetoed it but the senate will consider overriding his veto later this month.
University of Chicago
Students continue to push for a responsible investment policy and plan to submit a proposal to their administration by the end of spring semester.
University of Virginia
Students in the Socially Responsible Investment Organization successfully convinced their student government to support their proposal for the responsible investment of UVA’s endowment. You can read more at (http://www.cavalierdaily.com/2009/12/01/studco-expresses-support-for-investment-proposal/).
American University
AU Solidarity is pushing the university to move the operating budget and a portion of the endowment into local community development financial institutions. More campaign news available here.
Brown University
Brown Open the Books Coalition is lobbying for increased transparency and accountability from the university administration. More campaign news available here.
Columbia University
The Committee plans to spend the spring voting proxies and working with the Trustees to ensure their approval of the proxy voting guidelines drafted last year. The Committee also hopes to learn more about filing resolutions and continue to engage in corporate dialogue
Dartmouth College Dartmouth Students for Staff is standing with both organized and unorganized labor for greater accountability regarding recent budget cuts. The students believe the university community should play a role in determining how the cuts are enacted. More campaign news available here.
Drew College
Students on the Socially Responsible Investment Committee are currently evaluating whether the school will sign on to the UN Principles of Responsible Investment, and whether or not to pursue a Revolving Green Fund. In addition, they hope to begin researching community investment this spring.are currently evaluating whether the school will sign on to the UN Principles of Responsible Investment, and whether or not to pursue a Revolving Green Fund. In addition, they hope to begin researching community investment this spring.
Grinnell College
Grinell Students for Responsible Investing are going to continue to research proxies and encourage the Trustees to vote on them, especially those proxies related to gender identity and sexuality.
Haverford College
The Committee is co-hosting a REC Roundtable on Shareholder Advocacy on March 18th from 4-6pm, followed by an SRI networking hour. In addition the Committee continues to express interest in filing a resolution.
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola’s Shareholder Advisory Committee lead-filed a resolution on mountaintop removal financing at JP Morgan Chase. The committee is actively looking for other investors who would like to join the dialogue Chase has now opened with the shareholders on this issue. If you’re interested please contact Elaine Lehman at elehma1@luc.edu.
Macalester College
A broad coalition of student groups continues to push for a more comprehensive responsible investment policy.
Seattle University
Students recently succeeded in convincing the university to move a chunk of money into local community investment. More information is available here.
Ohio State University
Student senators are preparing a resolution to require the university to consider social responsibility as part of its investment criteria and to maintain a process for enforcing the criteria.
SUNY Albany
Students are interested in pursuing a divestment campaign and have just begun researching their options.
SUNY Stony Brook
Students are renewing their divestment campaign from war profiteers with an educational event with REC staff.
UCLA/The UC system Students across the UCs are joining together to push the administration to adopt proxy voting guidelines that reflect university mission and policy. Read more campaign news here.
University of Chicago Students for a Democratic Society are drafting their proposal for a CIR. They’re particularly concerned about their school’s ties to HEI. Read more campaign news at their website.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Net Impact graduate and undergraduate students continue to work with the administration toward setting up a committee on responsible investing. We are currently meeting with the administration to discuss o proxy voting guidelines and with student government to secure that body’s support for the effort.
American University students are working on establishing a corporate responsibility board for responsible investing . We are currently drafting a proposal to present to the Board of Trustees. We just held a workshop on the Solidarity Economy with Jessica Gordon Nembhard. She led a discussion about how our work on responsible investment fits into the solidarity economy movement and how we can make changes in our own lives to act in solidarity with people, not corporations.
Bard College students are reevaluating the SRI mutual fund where the student endowment is invested. Alongside this reevaluation, we are writing an article in the student paper to inform the student body about the performance of the fund, as well as its purpose and screening methods. We are continuing to look for different options for community investment and are putting together a proposal for the short-term deposit of the Student Activities Fee Fund in a community bank over the summer.
Columbia University The Columbia Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing recently held its annual town hall to hear from students interested in proposing specific actions by the committee. The Columbia REC group made three proposals. More details here.
Fordam University students continue to educate their campus social justice community about responsible endowments practices. They hope to host a campus-wide event with speakers from the SRI industry and local campus Committees On Investor Responsibility this spring.
Grinnell College Students for Responsible Investing are urging their school to co-file a resolution on gender discrimination at a major company after successfully convincing the school to vote on that proxy last year. They will know in a couple weeks whether or not this effort will be successful.
Hampshire College students continue to await their administration’s decision regarding the school’s socially responsible investment policy. A campus group charged with managing a student-run endowment according to ESG criteria is currently researching their options as well.
Haverford College faculty and administrators are weighing whether or not to co-file a resolution with a major company concerning indigenous rights in the developing world.
Students at the London School of Economics and Political Science recently submitted a proposal to their administration for the creation of a cir that will include a purview encompassing multiple investment strategies. Read more here.
Loyola University Chicago ‘s committee plans to co-file on several resolutions, details forthcoming.
Luther College students are proposing a subcommittee to their Trustee endowment committee to both examine and make recommendations based on ESG criteria regarding mutual funds.
Macalester College students from a wide variety of organizations have formed a campus coalition to propose a substantial proactive investment policy based on the community’s shared values of sustainability and social responsibility.
Middlebury College’s Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investment is working with the college’s Board of Trustees to establish a “Sustainability Fund.” This fund will be invested in a mutual fund that fits certain environmental criteria. The students hope that this fund will become a model for how larger portions of the endowment could be invested in the future.
Mount Holyoke College students recently met with their Trustees to propose placing endowment funds into Community Development Financial Institutions based on the success of the student-run community investment fund. They are also pushing their Student Senate to support the effort with a resolution.
New School students from a number of organizations have presented several campus events on sustainable investment. They plan to implement their committee on responsible investment this spring.
New York University students are creating a detailed proposal for the steering committee of the Sustainability Task Force to create a Finance Working Group at NYU. The proposal outlines various financial mechanisms that will enhance sustainability on campus, including the recommendation of a revolving loan fund, a system of cost benefit analysis, proxy voting and preferential investment strategies. The working group aims to create a cross-disciplinary approach to use finance as a way to achieve a triple-bottom line, not only at NYU but in the global community as well.
Sarah Lawrence College students are creating an active SRI committee of students through their Student Government. Students who serve on the board would be responsible for all things SRI and would have a non-voting position on the school’s Board. Sarah Lawrence is working towards more student transparency on the Board (we currently only have one student with a seated position).
Tufts University students continue to lobby their school to strengthen the existing committee on investor responsibility. Their latest op-ed is available here.
At the University of Michigan we are working on getting a student advisory committee on responsible investing set up. We have been working with the administration, specifically the CFO, Tim Slottow, and the secretary to the Board of Regents, Sally Churchill. They have expressed that we will need to convey more student support before setting up such a committee, so we are refocusing on building student support for a committee.
Washington University Students for Endowment Transparency continue to raise awareness on campus of their school ties to coal while also meeting with school officials about implementing a responsible investment policy.We are asking for the creation of an institutionalized financial oversight committee with elected student, faculty, and community representation. This committee would be able to oversee all investment decisions and vote on them, as well as engage in shareholder activism. We are also asking for this committee to report back to the university community through a website providing full endowment transparency and also through regular briefings of the student union.
Amherst College CIR voted proxies for the first time this year.
Barnard College The Barnard Committee on Socially Responsible Investing is currently working to redefine its mission and re-evaluate its raison d’etre in light of its endowment no longer being managed in house. The Committee is working to develop several over-arching principles that will focus and guide its activities and pursuits in the near future.
Brown University students will begin managing a $30,000 SRI fund that will invest in stocks and mutual funds. If it does well, the school will commit $20,000 more after two years. The money is coming from Brown’s annual operating budget, and the students have relative autonomy over their investment decisions, although the investment office will have veto power. The first informational meeting is April 7, and hopefully they’ll make our first investment in September.
Columbia University students wrote proxy voting guidelines and prepared a community investment proposal as part of a service learning course organized by the chair of their CIR. They are currently looking to file a resolution this fall and have formally launched a REC campus chapter.
DePaul University students are continuing to pressure the school to adopt weighing an RI policy as part of their Fair Business Practices Committee.
Dickinson College students are holding educational events to elicit greater student support. They continue to work on proxy voting and building a paper portfolio.
Drew University SDS won a CIR this spring to be instituted this fall.
Grinnell College Grinnell College students are again preparing to submit a proposal for an officially sanctioned RI committee along with recommendation to trustees on proxy resolutions. They are also working an awareness campaign around community-based credit unions.
Green Mountain College Students in the course Public Policy & the Environment elected to write an SRI policy as their big policy assignment this semester. The Campus Sustainability Council recently approved our formal policy request to the class. The policy will focus on establishing endowment transparency and forming a CIR. This doesn’t mean the school will adopt the policy, but we’re hopeful. and should know by the start of the fall semester as the cabinet and trustees will vote on the students’ policy during the summer break.
Hampshire College students pressured their administration to divest from a mutual fund containing six US corporations that directly benefit from the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The administration then took to the media to deny the success of the student movement. The full story is available at www.hsjp.prg. The school also received a $500,000 donation to be invested by students according to Hampshire’s SRI policy. Students hope to pursue community investment options for this fund as well.
Haverford College CIR is voting proxies and researching the resolution filing process.
Harvard University students held a well-attended responsible endowment event in February and are continuing to pressure the school to respond to HEI’s labor abuses.
Hofstra University students are negotiating with their administration to introduce an RI policy for the endowment.
Loyola University of Chicago CIR co-filed a shareholder resolution on country selection at Chevron. This resolution is primarily focused on human rights abuses and specifically seeks to target Chevron’s presence in Burma. Loyola is also co-hosting an SRI conference in March with REC and the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility.
Macalester College students are working on a campaign to engage companies involved in coltan extraction (the mineral used in cellphones and laptops). You can reach them at easterndrcaction@gmail.com. Additionally students are working to pass a transparency proposal that would give all of the Macalester community access to the school’s proxy voting records and a list of all investments, not just direct holdings.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology students continue to push for a permanent CIR. Read more at http://www-tech.mit.edu/V128/N38/acsr.html.
Middlebury College CIR is working on proxy voting guidelines and hopes to meet with the fund manager who invests their money to determine a process for voting on the whole endowment. They are also pushing the school to sign onto the UN Principles of Responsible Investment.
Mount Holyoke College students recently met with their administration after proposing their final investment in a Community Development Financial Institution in Worcester. Due to poor mutual fund performance the students are fundraising in order to meet the minimum requirements for this final investment, mostly by asking alumnae to donate. The students are also lobbying for a password-protected site that would allow the campus community to find information about investment managers and top holdings. They plan to introduce a proposal integrating community investment into the endowment by fall 2009.
New School University students won their CIR this December after a two and a half day occupation of the school’s signature Greenwich Village building. The full story is available at www.newschoolinexile.com and www.newschoolinexile.blogspot.com. They have since hosted several events to educate themselves and the campus community about how a CIR will work as part of their efforts to bring greater democracy and community accountability to the school. They are also working on a community investment proposal.
New York University students unsuccessfully pushed for an RI policy and CIR with a two day occupation in February. Full details at www.takebacknyu.com and for commentary http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2009/02/23/the-7-errors-take-back-nyu-made-in-their-occupation/comment-page-1/#comment-9404
Pomona College CIR is busy developing process for increased shareholder engagement and other RI tools.
Princeton University students continue to push for an RI policy that includes addressing the school’s role in supporting HEI’s poor labor practices. Read more at
http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/02/23/22853/ and http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/03/04/22968/
Rice University students have launched a campaign for an RI policy. Read more at http://media.www.ricethresher.org/media/storage/paper1290/news/2009/03/13/Opinion/Endowment.Must.Be.Handled.Responsibly-3670776.shtml
Sarah Lawrence College students have launched a campaign for a responsible investment policy.
Seattle University The Seattle University Committee on Responsible Investment is organizing an interdisciplinary Northwest Sustainability Conference which incorporates education around socially and environmentally responsible investment and revolving loan funds. They have recently started a campus Revolving Loan Fund for Sustainability Projects and oversight committee as a sub-group of the CRI and are in the process of proposing the incorporation of a new RI policy for their endowment which includes a sustainability clause and increased investment in microfinance and community investment.
State University of NY Stony Brook students are working on a divesting from war profiteers and getting the school to adopt an RI policy.
Tufts University Students at Tufts for Investing Responsibly (STIR) won a meeting with their administration after increasing their visibility by involving alumni, staff, and a securing passage of a student government resolution. That meeting resulted in increased communication and good feelings between the administration and the existing CIR. STIR continues to advocate for increased transparency and a broader committee representation while acknowledging the administration’s concessions. http://www.tuftsdaily.com/tufts_behind_on_endowment_transparency-1.1598792 and http://www.tuftsdaily.com/endowment-transparency-allows-students-to-encourage-socially-responsible-investing-1.1600757
University of California student Regent D’artagnan Scorza has successfully presented revised proxy voting guidelines to the investment committee that students wrote as part of a Proxy Guidelines Working Group. The school is now looking into proxy voting services and researching the additional administrative costs of maintaining an RI policy.
University of California-Berkeley Members of the student government and the Graduate assembly have developed a strong and detailed draft proposal and presented it to the administrators of the UC Berkeley endowment as well as a vice-Chancellor. Their initial response has been welcoming, and they have agreed to meet with us soon to enter negotiations.
University of California-Los Angeles Students are working out of the Undergraduate student government president’s office to create a CIR at their campus foundation. They have submitted a proposal to the chair of their Board of Director’s executive committee and will present it formally in April. The campaign was also recognized by thepeoplespeak.org, a UN Foundation, and awarded a $500 mini-grant to assist the project.
University of Houston students are collecting signatures from the community to petition the UH administration in an ongoing campaign to pressure the school to divest from Sudan. More information at www.uhdivest.org.
University of Michigan have met with their administration to propose an RI policy and are building support in their community as they work out the details. Read more at http://www.michigandaily.com/content/2009-03-18/standing-investors and http://annarborchronicle.com/2009/03/22/students-press-um-on-tuition-sustainability/
University of Michigan-Dearborn Students for Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) have made great progress since the REC conference in October of last year. HEI: We attended an event in Ann Arbor for the HEI campaign, held a small-group screening of the documentary from UNITE HERE and continue to collect postcard signatures to be sent to our university’s CFO. Gaza: We are currently working with Amnesty International to host a call-in/write-in day where students will be encouraged to call and write to their congressmen regarding their inexcusable response to the situation in Gaza. Divestment: We, along with a couple other orgs, are also pursuing a new divestment resolution (to divest from companies that benefit from illegal Israeli occupation) that calls on the support of all registered student organizations on campus. Proxy voting: Most recently, we have been in contact with students from the Ann Arbor campus that are working on passing a resolution to allow proxy voting on social, political and environmental issues. We hope to join their efforts in the near future and continue collaborating with other clubs on campus to promote socially responsible investing.
University of North Dakota Students for a Democratic Society have launched a campaign for an RI policy especially targeting greening the endowment.
University of Rochester Alumni at the University of Rochester are again submitting requests for proxy votes to the University Investment Committee. They are also working with students to support their campaigns, and are looking to work with other Alumni groups around the country. SDS has also launched an Israeli occupation of Palestine divestment campaign and continues to pressure the administration to adopt a stronger RI policy. More at http://www.rightsidenews.com/200902133650/culture-wars/university-officials-struggle-to-explain-israeli-divestment-moves.html
University of Vermont students are working with their SRI working group to push for a stronger RI policy. They are preparing a presentation for the leader member of the group who is also on the Board of Trustees Investment Committee. They are also beginning to educate the student body about RI. http://socialistworker.org/2009/04/23/uvm-students-occupation
University of Virginia students met with student council leadership and are soon meeting with a faculty committee on sustainability to build support for an RI policy.
Washington University of St. Louis Students have launched a campaign for greater endowment transparency.
Wellesley College students are pushing the school for greater transparency in investment decisions and investigating what kind of policy would best fit.
Wesleyan College Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees approved the creation of a Committee for Investor Responsibility (CIR) last spring. The CIR will expand on Wesleyan’s current Endowment Advisory Committee, which is all students, by adding faculty, staff, and alumni. Students are currently working with the Investment Office and members of the Board to finalize the committee’s charter and get it moving in time for proxy season!
Yale University students have developed a process and determined advisors for the Dwight Hall student-managed SRI fund. They continue to push the school to take action on HEI’s poor labor practices.
