The Pointer UW-Stevens Point Student Newspaper
(The Pointer Photo/Annika Rice)
The Stevens Point-based UW Divestment Coalition hosted a banner drop outside of Champions Hall and the Debot Dining Center Friday, calling for the UW System to divest in fossil fuels.
The UW Divestment Coalition represents the 13 UW campuses. The coalition is partnered with environmental activist group 350 Stevens Point, an organization that includes UWSP students and community members.
350 Stevens Point hosts local trash clean ups, clothing swaps, and protests.
The coalition’s long-term goal is for all schools in the UW school system to divest from the fossil fuel industry.
They hope that when one UW school divests, there will be a chain reaction for other schools.
Other short-term goals include recruiting new members and gaining publicity traction on their new petition.
“People do not know that our universities invest in fossil fuels,” said Gabrielle Arnold, 350 Stevens Point President.
Petition signers for the coalition support and desire that all UW investments are made public, that the UW System freezes all new investments in fossil fuel companies such as Exxon Mobil and BP, and demand that the UW System divest from any current fossil fuel investments within the next three to five years.
There is now a specific question on the coalition’s petition asking signers to not donate to the UW System universities until the UW System has divested endowments from fossil fuels.
“It is hypocritical that the UW System is preaching sustainability when they are funding the climate crisis,” Arnold said.
The petition is open for anybody to sign, but the UW Divestment Coalition is specifically looking for students, staff and alumni to take part.
Molly McGuire, Vice President of 350 Stevens Point and co-founder of the UW Divestment Coalition, said that these organizations are “professional organizations and not just a group of hippie students that care about the environment.”
McGuire wants to make a systemic impact larger than just herself, which is why she co-founded the UW Divestment Coalition.
Arnold said, “When scrolling through social media, you feel so powerless reading about the climate crisis.”
Arnold hopes to make a difference in the climate crisis by working with 350 Stevens Point.
Other schools like Harvard University, the California University System, University of Michigan, and as of Sept. 24, the University of Minnesota have divested.
The petition for the UW School System to divest from fossil fuels can be found at uwdivestment.com.
Annika Rice
News Editor
arice101@uwsp.edu
