My decision to enroll at the University of Denver was in part directed by its stated vision of being a “great private university dedicated to the public good.” It was in learning of this commitment during my campus tour and seeing it plastered on admission information that I came to believe that DU would be a good home for me—a place I could identify with for the rest of my life.
Unfortunately, DU’s recent decision against divestment has demonstrated the university administration’s empty commitment to these values. Rather, after reading the report, it seems to me that the Divestment Task Force was more committed to process than to progress, more committed to jurisprudence than to justice. Instead, the report affirms DU’s commitment to maximizing profit irrespective of “investment constraints established for political or social reasons” or, stated differently, irrespective of morals or the university’s purported values. As such, the report makes it clear that money is a more salient motivator than the future lives of its students, a decision that has transformed my relationship with the University of Denver.
In addition to missing an invaluable opportunity to champion its values through supporting the futures of its community members and the public good, DU’s decision to maintain its investments in the fossil fuel industry actively supports the climate catastrophe. By maintaining over $20 million, which was stated in the Task Force report titled “Ends and Means” in fossil fuel-related holdings, DU connects its financial prosperity to the strength and viability of the fossil fuel industry. In turn, this connection forces DU to actively root for the continued financial growth of the fossil fuel industry, growth that is scientifically irreconcilable with the safety and prosperity of DU’s community and the planet at large. Furthermore, this connection places the ethical burden of DU’s fossil fueled profits on its students with financial aid, forcing many students to accept a financially accessible education predicated upon the continued exploitation of the Earth and its most vulnerable communities — a financially accessible education that comes at the the price of their and their children’s futures.
In deciding to maintain its financial support of the fossil fuel industry, the University of Denver has lost the value of its brand, the trust of its students and the support of its alumni. This decision is irreconcilable with the university’s stated vision as well as my moral values, and it has forced a fundamental change in my relationship with my Alma Mater. More specifically, reading the Board’s decision as articulated in the “Ends and Means” report transformed my pride in having graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Denver into embarrassment and disillusionment. I cannot, in good conscious, continue my donations, endorsements, recommendations and general support for an institution that not only remains complicit but actively supports and empowers climate catastrophe. I only hope that DU can learn from this mistake, and in time regain the support and respect of alumni like myself.
Truly Yours,
An embarrassed and disillusioned DU alumni
