On Nov. 7, Democrats came out victorious as Brian Zidek and Kevin Madden won two seats Dear President Smith, Since the founding of Swarthmore in 1864, the college has educated students in I have never been more acutely aware of the color of my skin, the home country
Divestment is becoming an increasingly salient issue both at Swarthmore and at colleges and universities around Sunrise lead a successful effort to elect opponents of the Mariner East II pipeline, currently under On Saturday, Oct. 7, Swarthmore students and administrators attended a Safe Climate PA conference in Harrisburg.
In 2010, Swarthmore Mountain Justice, an organization against mountaintop removal coal mining, launched the first fossil fuel divestment campaign in the world. These students were inspired by the international campaign to divest from South African Apartheid during the ’80s.
In a voice as carefree as the breeze blowing by us in Kohlberg Courtyard, September Sky Porras ’20 mentions, “I come from a very leftist family.” Now this isn’t a shock, especially considering the sort of students that Swarthmore tends to attract, but it’s nonetheless necessary to place Porras politically, and to understand the circumstances that created the activist sitting in front of me.
CONGRATS to New York City for being the first major American city to divest from fossil fuels and for suing five major corporations that are recklessly threatening our lives.
Thank you to everyone who attended our Day of Dedication today and built our #ClimateLegacy! We had over 70 people come and many letters and objects sealed!
If you weren’t able to make it or if you want to know what’s coming next, sign up for our ‘Next Steps’ call on Monday at 8 —-> bit.ly/sunrisenov20
BREAKING: President Smith has again declined the opportunity to endorse divestment as part of a multi-faceted approach to stop climate change and ensure an equitable and just future for all of us. Join us today to show that, while President Smith and the Board of Managers have refused to stand with the will of a majority of faculty and students, we will forge on. We will build our movement beyond campus to fight against corrupt politicians that line the pockets of fossil fuel executives, and in doing so elect real leaders that will ensure a livable and prosperous future for all of us.
We know that in a future where we transition to renewable energy to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs, divesting from fossil fuels and reinvesting in renewable energy is the right decision, both financially and morally. This afternoon, we will memorialize President Smith’s disappointing decision to bet on the profitability of the fossil fuel industry over the wellbeing of the students of Swarthmore. We will be burying objects that represent what we love and have to lose to climate change. We will build our movement so that, when the time capsule is opened in 2067, we know we will have done everything in our power to preserve a livable planet for our communities.
Stand with us against corrupt politicians and dirty investments as we gather at 3pm outside of City Hall. Join us in showing President Smith the power and passion of true Swarthmore climate leaders: fight when she will not.
One might think this is a risky approach for an under-resourced college. But since verifying in 2011 that the college is divested from fossil fuels, our average five-year investment returns have performed better (6.4%) than the average return of the more than 800 colleges tracked by both NACUBO Commonfund Study (5.4%) and Bloomberg Endowment Index (4.5%).
