About DivestUVA
DivestUVA is a coalition of students that is six years old fighting for climate justice through the divestment of fossil fuels.
(DivestUVA is not affiliated with UVA)
ABOUT DIVESTUVA
DivestUVA is a coalition of concerned students and student organizations. Core organizations include YDSA Ecosocialists, Student Council Sustainability, the Environmental Justice Collective, the University Democrats, the Outdoors Club, and the alumni group Wahoos for Sustainability. DivestUVA’s mission is to demand and achieve full disclosure and divestment from fossil fuels through advocacy to administrators as well as the education and empowerment of students, alumni, and faculty.
DivestUVA’s current actions include circulating a petition, linked here, as well as conducting a public outreach and education campaign. DivestUVA members hosted a political education event on October 21st in Nau Hall room 101 featuring a panel discussion with professors and presentations from student leaders. DivestUVA members also can be found at the South Lawn tabling and engaging directly with students to have important conversations about how we want our endowment invested. DivestUVA members wrote and published an opinion article in the Cavalier Daily, found here. Additionally, DivestUVA members also engage in direct lobbying with faculty, administration, and UVIMCO board members, and met directly with the Advising Committee for Investor Responsibility (ACIR) in November to ask that they recommend UVIMCO fully and swiftly divest from fossil fuels.
History
In 2015, the first students began divestment advocacy efforts under the name the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition (VSEC). VSEC used private pressure, targeting University administrators and managers from the University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO), as well as public pressure in the form of rallies and other demonstrations. Student organizers in VSEC coalesced with members of Student Council Sustainability to form DivestUVA. In 2016, DivestUVA organized multiple protests, including outside of a Board of Visitors meeting and a bike-a-thon. The movement also engaged in public education and outreach over social media.
Despite the roadblocks of graduating members, the dissolution of VSEC, and the pandemic, DivestUVA remains a strong coalition. In 2020, DivestUVA members contacted UVA President Jim Ryan and gained positive feedback and his personal support for the movement. DivestUVA concurrently distributed a petition which gathered over 600 signatures, demonstrating widespread student backing. DivestUVA members also met directly with UVIMCO Chief Operating Officer (COO), which resulted in the creation of UVIMCO’s Advising Committee for Investor Responsibility (ACIR) in spring of 2021.