If
you happened to be on the Quad this Thursday, you may have noticed some
odd symbols marking the concrete walkways. No, these orange squares
weren't alien in origin, nor were they the result another Banksy
wannabe, they were symbols of the national fossil fuel divestment
movement. UIUC Beyond Coal chalked the squares in honor of the day's
meeting of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.
As well as chalking the orange squares about the Quad's paths, Beyond
Coal members stationed themselves at Anniversary Plaza (directly south
of the Union) to hand out free orange felt squares for passersby to pin
on their backpacks and jackets. The pins display 
support
for the national movement, which has spread to 308 college campuses
after beginning with three, including UIUC, in the year 2010. Throughout
the day, Beyond Coalers new and seasoned offered up orange squares and
campaign info for any accepting quad-goer
To conclude the day, group members walked north into the Illini Union
for the Board of Trustees meeting, where Beyond Coal Co-President Peter
Whitney would speak during the public comment section. While Beyond Coal
has spoken at trustee's meetings three times in the past, this
opportunity would be a pivotal point in the campaign. Peter, after
speaking on how Beyond Coal has garnered the support of the student
body, would question why the trustees have not acted on divestment and
ask them to wait upon the conclusion of the meeting for campaign members
to approach them to set up individual meetings with the Beyond Coal
campaign. After a short wait, Peter took the podium and spoke before the
trustees. (Video to be included in this post upon its upload to the
Board of Trustees website. Until then, a transcript of Peter's speech
follows.)
"Good afternoon, and thank you for allowing me to speak today in an
attempt to fully voice the views of UIUC Beyond Coal and the students of
Urbana-Champaign. My name is Peter Whitney, I am a Junior here on
campus studying Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, and
co-president of the University of Illinois Beyond Coal campaign. I love
being a student the University of Illinois, I love working towards
University coal divestment, and I want nothing more than to see our
school continue to lead the world in education, outreach, and the
betterment of the minds and spirits of its students.
My goal today is not only to communicate our perspective on coal
divestment, but to also open a conversation with each member of the
Board of Trustees to better understand your perspective on the issue. We
at Beyond Coal are making a very real effort to accomplish our goal,
and we want to know exactly where the board stands on the issue.
According to University officials, we currently invest up to $34 million
dollars in the “Filthy 15” coal mining and utilities companies through
our endowment fund. You, as trustees, hold the power and obligation to
create a more socially responsible university system.
In the hopes of this power eventually being exercised, I will plainly
lay out exactly how we are asking for coal divestment and why we believe
it is a strategy that is in the best interest of the University.
We, Beyond Coal, are asking for the University of Illinois Board of Trustees to pass the following 4 part resolution:
1. Forego any future direct investments in the “Filthy 15” coal companies effective immediately.
2. Establish a committee on socially responsible investment (SRI) within
the board of trustees to monitor progress and address any future SRI
issues, as is proposed in the Illinois Climate Action Plan.
3. Divest all direct and indirect holdings from the “Filthy 15” coal mining and utilities companies by the year 2017.
4. Construct a plan for reinvestment of a percentage of divested funds into renewable energy utilities and/or research.
As an industry, coal it is no longer a fiscally responsible investment. I
am not here to provide a financial report, and I fully recognize that
there are obstacles in the way of divestment- otherwise the foundation
would have already removed stock from these volatile investments. No,
the act of divestment is and always has been much more than a simple
financial decision.
Divesting from coal represents a conscious decision to move past an
industry that simply can not operate without devastating the health and
livelihoods of those without proper means to protect themselves. Coal
extraction and use must, by definition, exploit those without a voice.
This means marginalized and impoverished peoples, endangered wildlife,
delicate natural systems, and the very future of life on earth as we
have come to know it. Fortunately, the opportunities that can come from
renewable energy investment will be able to support our future;
providing long-term careers, local empowerment, and a more just and
humane future for all people.
Divesting from coal represents a conscious decision to move past an
industry that simply can not operate without devastating the health and
livelihoods of those without proper means to protect themselves. Coal
extraction and use must, by definition, exploit those without a voice.
This means marginalized and impoverished peoples, endangered wildlife,
delicate natural systems, and the very future of life on earth as we
have come to know it. Fortunately, the opportunities that can come from
renewable energy investment will be able to support our future;
providing long-term careers, local empowerment, and a more just and
humane future for all people.
UIUC Beyond Coal has presented the case for coal divestment to the Board
of Trustees before, the dangers and injustices associated with coal
investments are no mystery. We have presented to the Board of trustees
three times over the past two years, and have been working to show you
that we are serious about reaching our goal. The UIUC student senate,
the voice of our student body, has already passed a divestment
resolution. We have collected over three thousand petition signatures,
held rallies, garnered media attention, passed out hundreds of orange
solidarity squares, and much more. We have done our best to bring
attention to the issue, and have seen the student body and media respond
by raising its awareness and support. We still, however, await a
response from the Board.
So now the question is, why have the trustees not responded? Why have
we not divested? What remains to be done? I believe UIUC Beyond Coal
does not know the answer to these question, and therein lies the
fundamental frustration of our campaign. And so, who better to ask, than
the Board of Trustees. The board represents a diverse group of
backgrounds that are united by a tremendous sense of altruism towards
the University of Illinois. You have the unique perspective of the
University of Illinois system, and we want to know what you need to
become convinced supporters of coal divestment. We have the perspective
of the students here at Illinois, and from the positive support we
receive from students across the campus we know that the students back
divestment. Illinois has the a unique opportunity to take the lead in
the nation-wide effort, to become the first public university to divest,
to send a global message that it truly values its students’ voices and
pursues a holistic sense of sustainability.
UIUC Beyond Coal has presented the case for coal divestment to the Board
of Trustees before, the dangers and injustices associated with coal
investments are no mystery. We have presented to the Board of trustees
three times over the past two years, and have been working to show you
that we are serious about reaching our goal. The UIUC student senate,
the voice of our student body, has already passed a divestment
resolution. We have collected over three thousand petition signatures,
held rallies, garnered media attention, passed out hundreds of orange
solidarity squares, and much more. We have done our best to bring
attention to the issue, and have seen the student body and media respond
by raising its awareness and support. We still, however, await a
response from the Board.
So now the question is, why have the trustees not responded? Why have
we not divested? What remains to be done? I believe UIUC Beyond Coal
does not know the answer to these question, and therein lies the
fundamental frustration of our campaign. And so, who better to ask, than
the Board of Trustees. The board represents a diverse group of
backgrounds that are united by a tremendous sense of altruism towards
the University of Illinois. You have the unique perspective of the
University of Illinois system, and we want to know what you need to
become convinced supporters of coal divestment. We have the perspective
of the students here at Illinois, and from the positive support we
receive from students across the campus we know that the students back
divestment. Illinois has the a unique opportunity to take the lead in
the nation-wide effort, to become the first public university to divest,
to send a global message that it truly values its students’ voices and
pursues a holistic sense of sustainability.
UIUC Beyond Coal has presented the case for coal divestment to the Board
of Trustees before, the dangers and injustices associated with coal
investments are no mystery. We have presented to the Board of trustees
three times over the past two years, and have been working to show you
that we are serious about reaching our goal. The UIUC student senate,
the voice of our student body, has already passed a divestment
resolution. We have collected over three thousand petition signatures,
held rallies, garnered media attention, passed out hundreds of orange
solidarity squares, and much more. We have done our best to bring
attention to the issue, and have seen the student body and media respond
by raising its awareness and support. We still, however, await a
response from the Board.
So now the question is, why have the trustees not responded? Why have
we not divested? What remains to be done? I believe UIUC Beyond Coal
does not know the answer to these question, and therein lies the
fundamental frustration of our campaign. And so, who better to ask, than
the Board of Trustees. The board represents a diverse group of
backgrounds that are united by a tremendous sense of altruism towards
the University of Illinois. You have the unique perspective of the
University of Illinois system, and we want to know what you need to
become convinced supporters of coal divestment. We have the perspective
of the students here at Illinois, and from the positive support we
receive from students across the campus we know that the students back
divestment. Illinois has the a unique opportunity to take the lead in
the nation-wide effort, to become the first public university to divest,
to send a global message that it truly values its students’ voices and
pursues a holistic sense of sustainability.
So now the question is, why have the trustees not responded? Why have
we not divested? What remains to be done? I believe UIUC Beyond Coal
does not know the answer to these question, and therein lies the
fundamental frustration of our campaign. And so, who better to ask, than
the Board of Trustees. The board represents a diverse group of
backgrounds that are united by a tremendous sense of altruism towards
the University of Illinois. You have the unique perspective of the
University of Illinois system, and we want to know what you need to
become convinced supporters of coal divestment. We have the perspective
of the students here at Illinois, and from the positive support we
receive from students across the campus we know that the students back
divestment. Illinois has the a unique opportunity to take the lead in
the nation-wide effort, to become the first public university to divest,
to send a global message that it truly values its students’ voices and
pursues a holistic sense of sustainability.
And so, in the hopes of creating a more direct dialogue between our
Beyond Coal organization and the University of Illinois Board of
Trustee’s, I want to ask all of you to remain at the Board table
immediately following the end of this public comment speech. Officers of
our Beyond Coal campaign will approach the board and collect your
preferred means of contact, possible dates for a meeting with our core
group, and any additional notes or comments you may have for our
campaign. Thank you for the opportunity to present today, and I look
forward to working together to achieve coal divestment at the University
of Illinois. "
Immediately, the tension at the board table was palpable. Heads shook
and whispers spread amongst the twelve trustees. Would students be
allowed to approach their governing body?
Upon the completion of the final public comment speaker, Board Chairman
Chris Kennedy spoke once more before calling the meeting to a close. He
stated that due to threat of physical intimidation and to set precedent
against lobbying, student campaigners would have to refrain from
approaching the trustees. He instructed the campaigners to contact the
board secretary to set up meetings. Though that course of action has
been taken before to no avail, it is the hope of the Beyond Coal
campaign that the Board of Trustees will finally agree to set meetings
with our group as we pursue the proper channels. We hope to resolve any
issues, gain allies within the board, and once and for all move the
University of Illinois beyond coal.
If
you happened to be on the Quad this Thursday, you may have noticed some
odd symbols marking the concrete walkways. No, these orange squares
weren't alien in origin, nor were they the result another Banksy
wannabe, they were symbols of the national fossil fuel divestment
movement. UIUC Beyond Coal chalked the squares in honor of the day's
meeting of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.
support
for the national movement, which has spread to 308 college campuses
after beginning with three, including UIUC, in the year 2010. Throughout
the day, Beyond Coalers new and seasoned offered up orange squares and
campaign info for any accepting quad-goer