[gpva-ic] [VA-Climate] UMW students launch sit-in for divestment

[Audrey Clement]

Yea, but see if they show up at a meeting of the Fredericksburg local of the Green Party of Virginia, and they’ll tell you they support the Democrats who plan to drill of the coast of Virginia.

Audrey

From: Scott Burger 
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2015 3:12 PM
To: Tyla Matteson ; gpva-ic at vagreenparty.org 
Cc: vasierra-leadership at googlegroups.com ; GPVA Discuss 
Subject: Re: [gpva-ic] [VA-Climate] UMW students launch sit-in for divestment

Thanks. They are an inspiration. 

  On Mar 26, 2015, at 3:04 PM, Tyla Matteson <tmatteson1 at mindspring.com> wrote:

  Hi Scott,
      In reply, here is what I received today, on what folks can do to support this:
      --Tyla
  Also, since I am a Mary Washington alum, I plan to contact several classmates, etc.
  I am open to other ideas.  Perhaps some people can physically join the students tomorrow, if they are still continuing their sit-in.

  ----- Original Message -----  
  From: Charlie Spatz
  To: va-climate-movement at googlegroups.com
  Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2015 12:30 PM
  Subject: [VA-Climate] UMW students launch sit-in for divestment

  Hi all - This morning 18 students at the University of Mary Washington launched an indefinite sit-in outside their president's office to escalate their fossil fuel divestment campaign. 

  You can follow along on Facebook here.

  Follow @DivestUMW and #whoseside for live updates on Twitter.


  You can also sign their petition in solidarity here. 


  Last Wednesday, Divest UMW presented to the Board of Visitors, but had their appeals summarily ignored. The BOV didn't even vote on their proposal to form a subcommittee to evaluate divestment options. (See video of students confronting Rector Cuellar.) The sit-in is their response, calling on the president, who had backed their proposal, to keep standing with them in demanding action.

  Today's sit-in also follows the amazing VA Power Shift march for divestment on the UMW campus last month.

  Here's the students' press release:

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
  March 26, 2015


  Contact:
  Zakaria Kronemer, 301-919-2814 zakariakronemer at gmail.com
  Rabib Hasan, 571 - 529 -0272 rabibhasan123 at gmail.com
  Sarah Kinzer, 434 -390 -2690 sekinzer at gmail.com



  UMW Students engage in nonviolent civil disobedience to demand action for divestment
  As of Thursday, March 26, at 9:30 a.m. 18 students at the University of Mary Washington have engaged in a non-violent direct action sit-in at President Hurley’s office to show support for his recent backing of the creation of a subcommittee to research divestment.


  Rector Holly Cuellar’s decision not to allow a vote for the subcommittee on Wednesday, March 18, conveyed to the students that the BOV does not have the intention to actually hear the voices of DivestUMW, more than 1,000 UMW students, a third of faculty, and the President himself.


  Rabib Hasan, co-chair of DivestUMW, stated that “UMW BOV Rector Holly Cuellar’s decision shows the apparent disconnection between the BOV and the student body, and it has resulted in inadequate student representation in our university. They need to show us whose side they are on.”


  DivestUMW’s demands read as such: “To the University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors & Administration- Please respond to the overwhelming student demand for fossil fuel divestment immediately. Students are sitting in today to demand that you take decisive steps towards divestment. The global climate crisis is urgent; UMW should create a subcommittee for divestment and commit to creating a plan to divest from the coal industry by the end of the Spring 2016 semester.” 

  -- 

  Charlie Spatz 
  Virginia State Wide Organizer
  Chesapeake Climate Action Network
  804.767.8726 (o) 
  914-255-8298 (c)


  www.chesapeakeclimate.org
  facebook.com/ChesapeakeClimate
  twitter.com/CCAN_VA

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