In response to a student-led initiative spearheaded by Hannah Long (MSW '07), the University of Denver Board of Trustees approved a plan to divest its financial interests in foreign companies doing business with the government of Sudan.
According to the Washington, D.C.-based Sudan Divestment Task Force (a project of the Genocide Intervention Network), Sudanese troops and government-sponsored militias since 2003 have perpetrated an ongoing genocide against the black African population in Sudan's Darfur region. In the fall of 2006, Long asked friend Scott Wisor, the task force's local national field organizer, how DU students could help. In response, Long and junior John McMahon, assembled a diverse group of supporters across the campus.
Making their case
More than 500 students signed a petition supporting divestment. The Graduate Student Association Council (GSAC) and Student Bar Association offered their support, and the All Undergraduate Student Association Senate passed a resolution urging divestment.
"The students clearly knew their stuff. They were passionate, knew what they wanted and demonstrated the leadership to effect change," says Craig Woody, vice chancellor for business and financial affairs.
Woody reviewed not only the DU students' research, but also the work of the task force, which he says made a compelling case. As of January 2007, the task force reported, more than 400,000 people had been slaughtered and 2.5 million more driven from their homes. Meanwhile, bolstered by foreign investments, the Sudanese economy blossomed.
Targeted divestment
But rather than divest entirely from Sudan, which could have unintended consequences on the country's most vulnerable populations, the task force calls for divestment from targeted companies--those deemed the most egregious offenders.
DU joins dozens of colleges and universities as well as states and municipalities that have divested from Sudan. The University continues to monitor task force reports to ensure its compliance with the policy adopted by the Board of Trustees.
Although they might not have realized their impact at the time, Long, McMahon and the other students involved had garnered respect from the University's highest echelon. In a letter to GSAC, Chancellor Robert Coombe wrote, "I am very proud of you and the many other DU students who pushed the divestment initiative forward."
