The Observer, October 19, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 8
Case adopts Sudan divestment policy
To the Editor:
The members of Mobilize would like to commend the effort of Sally Staley, Chief Investment Officer from the Office of Investments, and the responsiveness of the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees of Case Western Reserve University, who on Oct. 3 adopted a policy which firmly defines our institution's position concerning the ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. The resolution states that the university "should notify the managers of its direct public investments to avoid future direct investments in Category I targeted companies, as identified by the Sudan Divestment Task Force and updated from time to time, until such time as the Sudanese government stops its military actions."
This resolution makes two important contributions to ending the genocide which has caused over 400,000 people to die and has displaced more than 2.5 million individuals. Primarily, the university will no longer be directly investing any of its endowment funds in companies which have been identified as fueling the genocide through their business relations with the Sudanese government. Secondarily, while the amount of money the university has had invested in these companies has represented a small fraction of its total investments, the resolution adds Case Western Reserve University's voice to over 50 other U.S. colleges and universities that have taken similar steps to end the genocide. The resolution says to our community, and the world, that we will not support companies that are implicated in perpetuating genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
Mobilize, a student-led group formed in the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, encourages members of our community to examine their individual investment portfolios to ensure they do not contain companies that are on the "worst offending" list. Individuals holding mutual funds can go to www.sudandivestment.org/screener.asp to determine whether their investments are free from offending companies.
This successful divestment project is proof that the undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, staff, alumni, and administration of Case Western Reserve University can work collaboratively towards shared goals, and shows to those outside of our local community that we are a caring, connected university.
Brian Wibby
Bethany Mikovitz-Wibby
Megan Havey
Members of Mobilize
