Students with the Brown Divest Coal Campaign called upon President Christina Paxson to divest the University from its alleged coal and fossil fuel investments at a rally outside University Hall Thursday.
About 145 students attended the rally, said Divest Coal coordinator Rebecca Rast '13.5. Students stomped and chanted such slogans as "Brown take action! Stop extraction!" and "What's our goal? Divest coal!" They also waved cardboard signs that read "Stop burning our future" and "dive$t coal." A few even braved the cold in white T-shirts with the rectangular black Divest Coal logo.
Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Beppie Huidekoper previously told The Herald she was unsure whether the University actually had any investments in the 15 companies.
The goal of the rally was "to demonstrate to President Paxson the depth of student support" for the University's divestment from the 15 highest-polluting coal companies in the nation, said Emily Kirkland '13. "Paxson has been very receptive when we met with her in the past," she added.
"We're here to show that there is deep student support for divesting from coal and that (Paxson) can make the right choice and make Brown a leader in the fight against climate change," said Jordan Schulz '16.
To formally call for divestment, Paxson would have to refer to the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies, which would make a recommendation to her and to the Corporation as to whether the University should divest.
The rally came three days after environmentalist Bill McKibben P'16 encouraged the Divest Coal Campaign to keep fighting in a speech on campus Monday night.
Schulz built off McKibben's momentum in her welcoming address at the rally. "At the event we saw a picture of kids from Haiti holding signs that said, 'Your actions affect me.' We're here today to tell President Paxson that our actions affect not only children in Haiti, but people young and old, in every part of the world, including Providence," she said.
Students signed a card that read, "You can do it, President Paxson. Divest from coal," in addition to the Brown Divest Coal Campaign's petition, which had over 1,900 signatures at the start of the rally, Kirkland said. Students also tied blue ribbons representing clean water and air to a University Hall banister.
The rally was a "resounding success," said Kristy Choi '15, who led many of the chants. "Our goal for this event was visibility. ... We were definitely seen and heard," she said, adding that this event marked the first physical gathering for the campaign.
"The energy in this space was unreal," Choi added. "Just to hear people shout our message in unison was inspiring. I'm excited. Victory is so close."
