A copy of what the VSU Foundation called the “
“well-intentioned request” by

Students Against Violating the Environment (S.A.V.E.).
I added the links and images.
-jsq

October 17, 2013

Dear VSU Foundation and Board of Trustees,

Recent years have brought climate change to the forefront of public
discussion.



A newly released report from the United Nations
indicates with 95% certainty that humans are the primary cause of
the issue. It is our concern that the continuation of our current
practices and our dependence on fossil fuels will only result in
continued environmental degradation and human struggle. Knowing the
impact that anthropogenic climate change has upon our environment,
our health, and our economy, we are asking Valdosta State University
to take a stand and join in the effort to address this issue, as
social responsibility is part and parcel to the role of public
institutions.

As a public institution, Valdosta State University has a
responsibility to shape the debate about climate change through its
voice, and fossil fuel divestment is another medium for that voice.
We are asking that VSU immediately freeze any new investments in the
fossil fuel industry and commit to a plan to divest all of its
holdings in fossil fuels within five years.


We have included
a list
of the 200 largest fossil fuel extraction companies from which we
are asking to divest. Subsequently, we request that the VSU
Foundation consider reinvesting those funds in renewable energy
options (e.g. venture capital) or other more socially responsible
companies.

Our campaign is part of an ongoing, international effort comprised
of over 300 colleges as well as cities, states, and religious
institutions. The belief of this movement is simple: fossil fuel
extraction industries are harming the global ecology and this
includes human suffering; to profit off of that suffering is wrong.
By removing investments, the goal of the movement is to challenge
the companies profiting at the expense of the environment to invest
in the transition to a renewable energy economy.

Historically, divestment has been used as a strategy to aid various
humanitarian causes. In the 1970’s, as a response to the horrific
and repressive apartheid system in South Africa, 155 American
universities successfully divested from companies conducting
business there. That effort has been recognized as a significant
contributing factor in the removal of the apartheid system. We are
now asking that VSU join in a similar effort to combat global
warming.

Furthermore, we believe that this initiative will assist in making
VSU a leader in sustainability in the region. With the recent


decline in enrollment, we believe that our campus could benefit from
the positive publicity it would gain by enacting a carbon-sensitive
investment portfolio. By committing to this plan, Valdosta State
would become the first university in Georgia to do so. This mark of
distinction is something VSU may pride itself in for years to come.
We believe that the shift to more socially responsible investments
would be a selling point to potential students, faculty, and staff.
This, alongside the recent addition of a new solar canopy, the Tree
Campus USA certification granted by the Arbor Day Foundation, and
the continued effort to comply with the

American College and University President’s Climate Commitment,
VSU could serve as a model for other schools in the region.

We hope that you will commit to this effort and display the kind of
responsibility that will benefit our university, community, region,
and world, as we work, collectively, to combat anthropogenic climate
change.

Sincerely,

Students Against Violating the Environment