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LOYOLAN
February 26, 2020
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IE 98 I ISSUE 21
Student activists push for fossil fuel divestment
TIMELINE OF DIVESTMENT ACTIVISM
ON CAMPUS
Information compiled by Sofia Hathorn, news editor
Qf||Q Divestment activism starts on campus
with the club Fossil Fuel LMU
AAiy LMU signs to the United Nations supported
аЛ9ям
Principles for Responsible Investing
Ацт
EcoStudents present to LMU’s
Responsible Investing Committee (RIAC)
SPRING DIAr
2019 ceases meeting
JANUARY Divest LMU coalition is created
2020 and has its first meeting
MARCH 4 ,
2020 Planned divestment demonstration
Graphic: Kate Leahy | Loyolan
Students are fighting against
the use of tuition dollars in
investment of fossil fuels.
Sofia Hathorn
News Editor
Students have revived a long fight
against the Universe investing
in fossil fuel companies. In the
beginning of the spring semester, the
environmental club Eco Students and
ASLMU formed a coalition called Divest
LMU. The coalition aims to work with
administration to develop a plan to
divest from association with fossil fuels
and encourage responsible investing,
according to their Facebook page.
There has been a wave of divestment
activism on campuses across the nation.
On Feb. 6., George town University
announced the divestment of their
endowment in fossil fuels within the next
10 3'ears. This came after an eight-year
ca mpaign fro m t he s t uden t - led group GU
Fossil Free, according to Georgetown's
paper The Ho}'a. Georgetown was the
second Jesuit university to pledge to
divest, after Seattle University, according
to the National Catholic Reporter.
The entire University of California
system also decided to divest from
fossil fuels in September of 2019.
Students and climate activists have
been pushing for divestment from
fossil fuels companies because of its
environmental impact. Burning fossil
fuels emits carbon and other greenhouse
gases into the atmosphere, which
contributes to the warming of the global
temperature, according to the UN.
Divest LMU also focuses on the social
justice side of the issue, as oil waste
affects indigenous communities and
fossil fuel production sites are often built
on indigenous lands, such as the Dakota
Access Pipeline, according to NPR.
The money that is invested comes
from the University's endowment,
which is made up of grants, student
tuition and gifts, according to LMU.
It is unknown what percentage of the
endowment is invested in fossil fuels.
A portion of the University's
money that is invested in fossil
fuels is in commingled funds.
Commingled funds are assets from
multiple accounts that have been
combined into one. This makes
divestment more difficult for the
University, as it cannot pull out
the money from fossil fuel involved
companies only, according to
ASLMU President Ken Cavanaugh.
See Divestment | Page 3
Lingdao program suspended due to coronavirus
The fellows program
sent student leaders to
China every year.
Haley La Ha
Asst. News Editor
@LALoyolan
Since 2017, the Lingdao
Fellows Program has aimed
to cultivate global leaders
through a week-long
immersive study experience in
Beijing, China in the summer
and a global leadership course
during the school year. This
year, however, the program is
being suspended due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
Every year, 10 students
are selected to participate in
the program. The group is
compiled of elected student
leaders: the ASLMU President,
the Editor-in-chief of the
Lo}'olan, the InterFraternity
Council President, the
Collegiate Panhellenic Council
President, two
со-
chairs on the
Service Organization Council,
two representatives for the
Communication and Fine
Arts Student Council, the
Residence Hall Association
(RHA) President and an
intercultural facilitator
from the Intercultural
Facilitator Program.
“We selected student
leaders as the program
participants because of the
impact they would have
on their student groups by
apptying and sharing what
they learned abroad,'' said
Jennifer Belichesky', the
associate dean of students
and member of the Lingdao
Fellows Program Team.
In partnership with the
Beijing Center, a Jesuit study
abroadcenter,thecohortwould
attend lectures about China's
politics, histor}', culture and
languages. The students
would also visit historical sites
such as Tiananmen Square,
Forbidden City, Olympic Park
and the Mutianyu Great Wall.
In the fall semester following
the trip, the students enroll
in the EDLA 498: Engaging
in Global Leadership course
to further discuss and reflect
on their experiences in
China. The course focuses on
developing global world views
and intercultural leadership.
At the end of the course each
student, either individually or
with a partner, creates a final
project to share howr they plan
to use wiiat they learned in
the program to contribute to
a more inclusive and engaged
campus. The Lingdao Fellows
are then given the chance to
showcase their final projects in
the Lingdao Symposium.
“Our final projects in the
program were designed for us
to incorporate our experiences
into a tangible piece of w'ork
that could be taken on in
our respective organizations
on campus. These efforts
are meant to promote the
inclusivity of the international
community and to provide
spaces for cross-cultural
exchange at LMU,'' said K}die
Francisco, the RHA President
wrho participated in the
Lingdao Fellow's Program this
past year.
Due to the rapid spread of
the coronavirus, the program
has been suspended for the
next year. The faculty involved
initially investigated going to
another location, but there
w'as much uncertainty with
w'here the virus w'ould spread,
according to Belichesky.
See Lingdao I Page 3
via Jacob Cornblatt
The student leaders in the Lingdao fellows program pose during
their time in China in 2019. The program was suspended for this
year due do health concerns about the coronavirus.
