Students for Renewable Energy meet with WWU Foundation

Associated Students President Carly Roberts presented on AS divestment efforts to the WWU Foundation board May 16. The presentation included a student-produced video and 75-plus handwritten letters from students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members.

Roberts asked the WWU Foundation Board to commit to an immediate freeze of new investments in fossil-fuel companies and a five-year divestment plan for any existing investments in 200 specific companies. The AS has asked for a decision by the end of 2014.

After the presentation, the Foundation board wanted to hear more, and directly from the students, and an hour-long listening session was held on campus Tuesday, June 3. Five Foundation board members, including Board President Dan Guy and Executive Director Stephanie Bowers, met with a number of Foundation staff, six SRE students and Roberts to discuss details of WWU Foundation’s portfolio manager, Commonfund, and the possibility of a fossil-free portfolio.

SRE began the meeting with brief campaign updates and presented the newly released faculty and staff sign-on letter in support of divestment, which included 100-plus signatories collected in the previous week. The meeting closed with the commitment to continue discussion on divestment at the summer Foundation board retreat later in June.