If you agree with the demands listed below, make sure to join us April 25th for our Day of Action!
April 25, 2017
Appalachian State University Administration 438 Academy Street Boone, NC 28608
To Chancellor Sheri N. Everts and the Administration of Appalachian State University,
On January 23, Divest Appalachian held a march and rally to deliver a letter with demands to Chancellor Everts for fossil fuel divestment. We had a group of over 50 students, faculty, and community members join us in the BB Dougherty Administrative Building, where we offered our testimonies and stories to convey the urgency and necessity for fossil fuel divestment by the institution that many of us call home. Now it is April 25th--over three months from the delivery and over three months since Donald Trump was sworn in this country’s President--and we have received no response.
As we have waited for a response, President Trump has expedited fossil fuel infrastructure projects that are disastrous for our climate and our communities, authorized the Dakota Access and Keystone XL Pipelines, and issued the “Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence Economic Growth” which pushes forward an extremely regressive climate agenda. As we have waited, former CEO of ExxonMobil has been appointed as Secretary of State, and fossil fuel conflicts of interest in all levels of government arise nearly every day.
As Appalachian State University continues to tout an ideology of sustainability in student tours and its strategic plan, we have continued to educate our student body and community about Appalachian’s holdings in the fossil fuel industry. We have collected petition signatures and built public support to show up here, again, and deliver an amended letter and set of demands.
Divest Appalachian, formerly a campaign known as Fossil Free App State, began in Spring of 2013 under the assumption that we as students would find avenues for fossil fuel divestment through channels in the administration. Instead, we have been met with evasions and lengthy bureaucratic processes. Pursuing petitions, submitting resolutions through the Student Government Association and Association of Student Governments, and participating in the Sustainable Investments Committee have yielded no results. In the Spring of 2014, we met with administration here and received a hard “no” on divestment. In the Fall of 2015, we rebranded ourselves as a “reinvestment” campaign, because we were told the word would feel more positive to the administration.
With this short synopsis of our campaign’s history in mind, we want to acknowledge that many people in Appalachian State’s current administration are relatively new. Increasingly, we, along with other divestment campaigns in the UNC System, have heard from our Chancellors and administrations that they do not have the power to make the decision to divest, as our funds are commingled investments under the UNC Management Company. We want to be clear, however, that we will not accept the assertion that you--Chancellor Everts and other administrators whose responsibility is to uphold the values of Appalachian’s Strategic Plan and mission for sustainability--have no power to influence the urgent need for fossil fuel divestment. Thus, we are here today to give you the opportunity to lead with us and stand on the right side of history.
Destruction caused by the fossil fuel industry is evident in our home of Appalachia, as well as in the context of global climate change. Furthermore, we continue to witness the exploitation of the fossil fuel industry hit communities of color, women, children, elders, immigrants, indigenous people, low-income folks, developing countries, and coastal communities. People are displaced and dying everyday as a result of the climate crisis, and in the face of a Trump presidency that threatens the very future of life on this planet, there is no room for neutrality in leadership at this University on the issue of climate change.
As this country becomes even more locked into reliance on fossil fuels, it is apparent that our leaders have turned their backs on our generation. For our generation, and the generations after us, are the ones that will continue to bear the brunt of climate change. This is why we have used our time to mobilize students, faculty, staff, and community members here today. We urge you to use your power and influence to lead with us, and stand on the right side of history. Be a leader and hero by making the bold choice to divest. Whose side are you on, Chancellor Everts?
It is unconscionable for Appalachian State University and the rest of the UNC System institutions to profit off of an industry that exploits both people and the planet. Thus, we would like to call on Chancellor Sheri N. Everts, who has strong authority to influence institutional and statewide decisions, to respond to the following demands and actions by May 2, 2017:
1. That Chancellor Sheri N. Everts make a public statement that both condemns climate denial and comes
out in support of Appalachian State University’s full divestment from the fossil fuel industry.
2. That the administration of Appalachian State University uphold its commitment and mission to “prepare
students to lead purposeful lives as engaged global citizens that understand their responsibilities in creating a just and sustainable future for all” by having Chancellor Sheri N. Everts immediately call on Chairman of the Board of Governors, W. Louis Bissette Jr., to divest the UNCMC funds, which are commingled, from the Carbon Underground 200--i.e. the top 100 coal companies and the top 100 oil and gas companies in the world--and reinvest in solutions to the climate crisis. According to fossil free indexes, "The reserves of these companies total 474 gigatons (Gt) of potential CO2 emissions, almost five times more than can be burned for the world to have an 80% chance of limiting global temperature rise to 2°C (3.6° F)."
Please direct your response about whether you will comply with these demands to [email protected] by May 2, 2017.
Sincerely,
Divest Appalachian Student-led Campaign 287 Rivers St Boone, NC 28608
Members include Cassidy Quillen, Samantha Smyth, Olivia Holman, Morgan Ayers, Jacob Guden, Olivia Nelson, Brandon Williams, Audrie-Emma Bruce, and Juan Diego Aguilar.
Appalachian State University Administration 438 Academy Street Boone, NC 28608
To Chancellor Sheri N. Everts and the Administration of Appalachian State University,
On January 23, Divest Appalachian held a march and rally to deliver a letter with demands to Chancellor Everts for fossil fuel divestment. We had a group of over 50 students, faculty, and community members join us in the BB Dougherty Administrative Building, where we offered our testimonies and stories to convey the urgency and necessity for fossil fuel divestment by the institution that many of us call home. Now it is April 25th--over three months from the delivery and over three months since Donald Trump was sworn in this country’s President--and we have received no response.
As we have waited for a response, President Trump has expedited fossil fuel infrastructure projects that are disastrous for our climate and our communities, authorized the Dakota Access and Keystone XL Pipelines, and issued the “Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence Economic Growth” which pushes forward an extremely regressive climate agenda. As we have waited, former CEO of ExxonMobil has been appointed as Secretary of State, and fossil fuel conflicts of interest in all levels of government arise nearly every day.
As Appalachian State University continues to tout an ideology of sustainability in student tours and its strategic plan, we have continued to educate our student body and community about Appalachian’s holdings in the fossil fuel industry. We have collected petition signatures and built public support to show up here, again, and deliver an amended letter and set of demands.
Divest Appalachian, formerly a campaign known as Fossil Free App State, began in Spring of 2013 under the assumption that we as students would find avenues for fossil fuel divestment through channels in the administration. Instead, we have been met with evasions and lengthy bureaucratic processes. Pursuing petitions, submitting resolutions through the Student Government Association and Association of Student Governments, and participating in the Sustainable Investments Committee have yielded no results. In the Spring of 2014, we met with administration here and received a hard “no” on divestment. In the Fall of 2015, we rebranded ourselves as a “reinvestment” campaign, because we were told the word would feel more positive to the administration.
With this short synopsis of our campaign’s history in mind, we want to acknowledge that many people in Appalachian State’s current administration are relatively new. Increasingly, we, along with other divestment campaigns in the UNC System, have heard from our Chancellors and administrations that they do not have the power to make the decision to divest, as our funds are commingled investments under the UNC Management Company. We want to be clear, however, that we will not accept the assertion that you--Chancellor Everts and other administrators whose responsibility is to uphold the values of Appalachian’s Strategic Plan and mission for sustainability--have no power to influence the urgent need for fossil fuel divestment. Thus, we are here today to give you the opportunity to lead with us and stand on the right side of history.
Destruction caused by the fossil fuel industry is evident in our home of Appalachia, as well as in the context of global climate change. Furthermore, we continue to witness the exploitation of the fossil fuel industry hit communities of color, women, children, elders, immigrants, indigenous people, low-income folks, developing countries, and coastal communities. People are displaced and dying everyday as a result of the climate crisis, and in the face of a Trump presidency that threatens the very future of life on this planet, there is no room for neutrality in leadership at this University on the issue of climate change.
As this country becomes even more locked into reliance on fossil fuels, it is apparent that our leaders have turned their backs on our generation. For our generation, and the generations after us, are the ones that will continue to bear the brunt of climate change. This is why we have used our time to mobilize students, faculty, staff, and community members here today. We urge you to use your power and influence to lead with us, and stand on the right side of history. Be a leader and hero by making the bold choice to divest. Whose side are you on, Chancellor Everts?
It is unconscionable for Appalachian State University and the rest of the UNC System institutions to profit off of an industry that exploits both people and the planet. Thus, we would like to call on Chancellor Sheri N. Everts, who has strong authority to influence institutional and statewide decisions, to respond to the following demands and actions by May 2, 2017:
1. That Chancellor Sheri N. Everts make a public statement that both condemns climate denial and comes
out in support of Appalachian State University’s full divestment from the fossil fuel industry.
2. That the administration of Appalachian State University uphold its commitment and mission to “prepare
students to lead purposeful lives as engaged global citizens that understand their responsibilities in creating a just and sustainable future for all” by having Chancellor Sheri N. Everts immediately call on Chairman of the Board of Governors, W. Louis Bissette Jr., to divest the UNCMC funds, which are commingled, from the Carbon Underground 200--i.e. the top 100 coal companies and the top 100 oil and gas companies in the world--and reinvest in solutions to the climate crisis. According to fossil free indexes, "The reserves of these companies total 474 gigatons (Gt) of potential CO2 emissions, almost five times more than can be burned for the world to have an 80% chance of limiting global temperature rise to 2°C (3.6° F)."
Please direct your response about whether you will comply with these demands to [email protected] by May 2, 2017.
Sincerely,
Divest Appalachian Student-led Campaign 287 Rivers St Boone, NC 28608
Members include Cassidy Quillen, Samantha Smyth, Olivia Holman, Morgan Ayers, Jacob Guden, Olivia Nelson, Brandon Williams, Audrie-Emma Bruce, and Juan Diego Aguilar.