The Observer, October 12, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 7
Case adopts divestment policy; anti-genocide events to be held
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This weekend on campus, the student anti-genocide coalition on campus, STAND, is sponsoring two events with an aim to increase awareness and understanding of the genocide in Darfur and what students can do to become involved in the peace process.
The first event, called a "Die-In," will be held today at noon in Nord. It will include STAND members and volunteers feigning death to draw attention to the reality of genocide. Information, awareness ribbons, and a letter-writing campaign will also be available. On Sunday at 3:30 p.m. students will again come together in a rally on the KSL Oval. Students will enjoy music from an on-campus band and hear from a speaker who has worked with the Lost Boys of Sudan. Also at the event will be information and Sudanese food for attendees to enjoy.
STAND began with a few members on campus during the spring and was formally named a campus organization this semester.
The group has worked heavily with Mobilize, a social action student group put together by social work students at MSASS, to pursue a divestment campaign on campus as the groups' focus for the semester. This entails working with the university to divest its investments from companies that contribute to the ongoing genocide by engaging in business with the Sudanese government. These companies are not active in humanitarian efforts in the region.
Over the course of the summer, Mobilize worked collaboratively with Case undergraduates, faculty, STAND, the Office of Investments, and the Board of Trustees to create an investment policy which directs the university to divest its holdings from offending companies as identified by the Sudan Divestment Taskforce.
On Oct. 3, the Case Western Reserve University Board of Trustees approved a resolution to divest its direct holdings from and to avoid future investments in these companies until the genocide has ended.
Students involved in the effort were pleased with the attention this topic was given by the administration and the speed with which the resolution was passed. Case joins 55 other colleges and universities nationwide who have adopted divestment policies.
"I think it had a lot to do with student activism and it speaks a lot to what we can do, not only on campus, but on a broader scale. Next stop: all of Ohio," said student Akshai Singh.
STAND and Mobilize have been working together this semester to raise awareness about the genocide and promote student involvement in persuading political leaders to put pressure on the Sudanese government to end the genocide, and on China, to encourage its divestment.
STAND has held video nights and info sessions about the genocide in Darfur, but this weekend's events are its first major projects. However, STAND's presence on the campus is growing and on Oct. 26, it will be co-sponsoring "Dinner with the Democrats and Speaker John Prendergast" with several campus groups. John Prendergast is a renowned activist who has served as an adviser in the White House and U.S. State Department and as a senior adviser for the International Crisis Group, and recently wrote Not on Our Watch: the Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond with actor Don Cheadle.
"It's impressive how active undergraduate students are in organizing events to bring awareness about the Darfur crisis. These activities will hopefully be a good first step in getting the government involved," said graduate student Brandon Evans.
These events correspond with major movements across the globe led by many international organizations. The Save Darfur Organization recently began its Dream for Darfur Olympic Torch Relay. This torch relay is not affiliated with the 2008 Olympics, but began in Chad and will visit key cities across the globe, generating media pressure on the Chinese government to decrease its financial interests in the Sudanese government, which is using the money provided by such groups as PetroChina to fund its campaign of terror against Darfuri civilians.
The crisis in Darfur began in 2003, when political tension between the Sudanese government and African Darfuri Rebels in the Justice and Equality Movement and Sudanese Liberation Movement sparked into violent guerrilla warfare. As the warfare continued, the humanitarian crisis worsened. This week, renewed fighting has claimed dozens of lives and threatened tentative peace talks between the Sudanese government in Khartoum and the only rebel group that had so far agreed to negotiations. For months, there have been reports of violence spreading into refugee camps in Chad.
Student members of STAND involved in this week's events are concerned by these recent events, but are determined to do all they can to promote peace in Darfur.
"Even though we're an ocean apart, we can still spread the word to others. The only way to get the government effectively involved is for the citizens to care and be educated," said STAND president Sarah Tolbert.
