A group of students from all years formed in the middle of fall quarter the student group SAIFF, which stands for: Students Against Investment in Fossil Fuels. They are outraged with the University of Denver’s investment in fossil fuels, so they decided to take matters into their own hands by raising awareness of this relationship.
“The main goal of SAIFF is to get the university to divest, and, also, as an organization, our goal is to instill leadership on campus and to be a presence for the student body. We care about this, and want change on campus,” said Ali Carrillo, a sophomore at DU and vice-president of SAIFF.
The organization began during fall quarter, when a small group of students met to discuss topics of climate change, and more thoroughly research DU’s investment in the fossil fuel industry. The students who have taken leadership positions within SAIFF have expressed their excitement about the formation of the club, and the trajectory it is on. The students are also aware of the mental toll leading an environmental movement can have on college students. The president and vice-president of SAIFF are both sophomores, and have not had leadership positions like this before.
“Not only is SAIFF a way to be engaged in my school community, but I can also say that we need to change the direction of our university. I have enjoyed the changes SAIFF has gone through, but I also know that there is still a lot more that needs to be done. This is our first time doing this, so there is a big learning curve for all of us,” Carrillo said.
“I wanted to get involved because climate change is something myself and other people my age care about a lot. I personally have the time to invest in SAIFF and I think it’s an opportunity for me to impact something that is bigger than myself. In universities, it is a really unique opportunity because the student is a part of the largest demographic on campus, and you are also the most listened to, which is rare. I think [SAIFF] seemed like a really unique opportunity to make a big impact that I wouldn’t otherwise have,” said Alex Corradino, a sophomore at DU and president of SAIFF.
This is the first time Corradino and Carrillo have been in a leadership position on campus. They described the learning curve they both experienced in discussing student-led organization and direction, since the student group just formed last quarter.
“I have learned so much from this group. The main thing that sets this group apart from other clubs on campus is that it is full of people who really care about the topic. As for other organizations, students may just show up for the sake of being involved in something. The vast majority of people involved in SAIFF are really passionate about it, which has made my job as a leader 10 times easier because people care a lot. It has been a little difficult to organize at times because we are student-led. There have been ups and downs with participation and the direction we are going, but right now we are in a stable place,” Corradino said.
At the beginning of winter quarter, the organization became more established through weekly meetings, and created the name for the group. Since the topic of DU’s investment in fossil fuels is intensive, the group has sub-committees that complete work outside of the weekly meetings.
“It has been amazing to see the growth. We have a Discord of 30 to 40 members, with a smaller group of people who are working every weekend for the organization. I am really thankful that people are putting in the time. Any bit of support that we can get really helps us to be more effective on campus. I can’t wait for next quarter. I am very optimistic about SAIFF and its future,” Carrillo said.
The committees consist of branding, social media, research, Clarion letter writing campaign, petition and events. But, since the movement is still in the beginning stages, these committees are subject to change depending on where SAIFF believes they need to focus their energy at that time. The process of starting a student organization, especially one that is involved within a larger worldwide movement for climate action, is difficult, but SAIFF has made progress since fall quarter.
“So far, we have been pretty successful just because we have been more organized and we have come into our own in a relatively short period of time. I think we have done a good job finding our footing, networking and making sure we actually have our voice heard on campus,” Corradino said.
Eventually, SAIFF hopes to work with other organizations on campus and divestment campaigns around Colorado. They believe it would be beneficial to work with other DU clubs towards one goal of getting DU to divest from fossil fuels.
“Along the way, we plan to support other sustainability efforts on campus, and if we do divest then hopefully we can support other divestment movements as well,” Corradino said. “Winter quarter, we were more focused on organizing ourselves, and next quarter is focused on creating events for everyone to participate in.”
SAIFF meets every Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. online or in Sturm room 287. You can also join the movement by following @saiff_du on Instagram to stay up-to-date on SAIFF’s events. To get involved, you can reach out through Instagram DMs, or contact Corradino or Carrillo directly and they will add you to an email list. SAIFF’s leadership is currently setting up a way to create an email list for students who want to get involved and stay informed on the upcoming events.
“Involvement can mean a lot of different things, and it is not necessarily a huge time commitment, but showing up a little bit can actually make a big difference. This is such a good opportunity to have your voice heard as a student, and also within the world. Climate change is impactful everywhere, and we have an opportunity to make a difference here. And if you can, I think you should,” Corradino said.
Corradino and Carrillo are excited for the future of SAIFF, and to watch the movement grow in size and impact at DU. The two leaders have expressed that anyone can get involved no matter your level of commitment. SAIFF wants every DU student and faculty member to join the movement, based on whatever that means for the individual.
