This article is part nine of a nine-part series that focuses on climate change. More specifically, this series will go in-depth on the human disconnect of accepting the reality of climate change, the role of the media, the power of student voices in environmental movements, climate science and the pressure for the University of Denver to divest from fossil fuels.
The demand for DU to divest from fossil fuels continues. The increase in student activism at DU, with the formation of the new student organization called SAIFF—Students Against Investment in Fossil Fuels, is only the beginning of the fight to get DU to divest from fossil fuels.
As I wrap up my time at the University of Denver, with graduation only one week away, I am faced with a mix of emotions. I am excited to join the workforce, and spend my homework-less weekends outside, but a part of me does not feel ready to close the DU chapter of my life.
Throughout my time with the Clarion, I discovered I can write about the environment and use the paper as an outlet on the important issues at hand, like DU’s relationship with fossil fuels. I am skeptical if the university reads the Clarion, the voice of the students. My articles exposing DU and their investments in fossil fuels have continuously amassed, yet it seems the message has not gotten through to the leaders and financial advisors (as far as I am aware). I am not alone in this fight, as other students are using the Clarion as an outlet to express their concerns on divestment as well.
The concern surrounding climate change is very present amongst the student body. There is an increase in action and awareness at the university, with the creation of SAIFF, advocacy within the sustainability council and, at the graduate level, the formation of the Climate Conscious Corps group. Even though I am graduating this week, the conversations and movements around divestment will not end. The topic of divestment is about us, the student body and the youth. If anything, the conversations will only become louder. Climate change is not going away anytime soon, as there are real issues that are impacting people around the world at different rates than others.
In January 2017, the divestment task force of the Board of Trustees came out with a statement saying that “divestment in fossil fuel companies, or any other industry, would not be an effective means of mitigating global warming nor would it be consistent with the endowment’s long-term purpose to provide enduring benefit to present and future students.” At this time, the board believed it would be more beneficial to mitigate climate change through “education, research and the ability to foster informed community discourse and in accelerating its sustainability in its operations.”
I do agree that DU students should be educated on climate change and concepts of sustainability, but that feels like a polite way of diverting from the issue by not doing anything. Why is it up to the students to put in the work alone? Shouldn’t we be able to work with the board to come up with a solution, rather than DU saying to continue going to class and paying tuition because nothing is going to change?
The unresponsiveness from the university is apparent. I ask myself, what does the voice of the students mean to the university? What voice do we have, if the university is ignoring the newspaper that represents the student body?
The university is invested in the very industry that is causing harm to so many people. It is truly a disservice to the students to ignore their questions and demands about divestment from fossil fuels. Will DU ever be able to break the addiction of fossil fuels?
In a survey of 81 undergraduate students at the University of Denver, 46% of the students were unaware that DU was investing in fossil fuels. This statistic adds weight to the issue of DU’s investments being secretive and the lack of knowledge surrounding the topic on campus.
The survey was completed by students who are majoring in biology, computer science, history, international studies, finance, political science, psychology, film and production, business information and analytics, economics, marketing, physics, electrical engineering and more. This wide array of majors proves how important the issue of climate change and DU’s investments are to the student body, no matter what their focus is.
Around 46% of students in the survey said that it would influence their college decision if they knew a university was invested in fossil fuels. This number can explain the growing concern of students with the environment and how it does impact students’ decisions when choosing a college.
82% of the DU students believed that the five-question survey changed their opinion of DU because they claim to be a “private university dedicated to the public good,” yet are invested in fossil fuels.
If DU will not pull out their investments in fossil fuels, the main contributor of climate change, how can we believe they are dedicated to the public good?
The time to act on climate change is now, and the exacerbating effects of climate change can slowly be combatted or reversed if larger institutions, like DU, evaluate their financial portfolio and reflect on if investments are truly benefiting the public good and student body.
Not one college in Colorado has divested from fossil fuels. There are student movements at University of Colorado-Boulder, Colorado State University, DU, Colorado College and University of Colorado-Colorado Springs that are actively working to get their college to divest from fossil fuels.
The University of Colorado-Boulder is partnering with the UN Human Rights sector and hosting a global climate summit this upcoming winter. Will Boulder divest from fossil fuels? Or will Boulder hold a global climate summit while remaining invested in the biggest contributor of climate change? We will see if Colorado universities will take a stand against climate change.
DU has a moral obligation to divest from fossil fuels and 88% of DU students in the survey agree with that statement. I am disappointed that this has not been the case, but I am optimistic about the future of DU and in the university, eventually realizing the implications of their actions on the environment. Divestment is not the finish line, but only the beginning of years worth of continuous environmental protests and demands led by the youth.
