The Fossil Free University of Wisconsin Coalition presented a divestment resolution encouraging the UW Foundation to stop the usage of fossil fuels at a Associated Students of Madison Student Council meeting Wednesday.
The Fossil Free UW Coalition is composed of registered student organizations. The groups’ main mission is to divest from fossil fuel companies on the UW-Madison campus.
There are 380 colleges and universities that have created coalitions. According to coalition representative Teresa Arrate, Madison and Dane County, as well as many other cities and counties, have supported the divestment of fossil fuels.
Coalition representative Kaja Rebane also added that divestment is a strategic campaign where it begins by stimulating public conversation.
“We have a chance to make a difference,” Rebane said.
Student council representatives had mixed feelings on this resolution.
“The best tactic is to take our money out of [large fossil fuel companies’] money,” Student Services Finance Committee Chair David Vines said.
Other representatives felt that divestment was not the best way to solve climate change.
“I think there is no debate that climate change is a huge issue … I personally do not believe that divestment is the way to do this, but I think the best way would be some kind of form of targeting investing,” representative Steven Hughes.
Shared Governance Chair Sarah Neibart suggested that a shared governance committee needed to be created along with the divestment resolution to help further discussion on this issue.
The representatives agreed and this amendment, as well as the original divestment resolution, passed 18-6 with two abstentions.
Vines, and SSFC representatives Justin Bloesch and Brett Ducharme also presented the proposed eligibility criteria for the General Student Services Fund.
Ducharme explained that the criteria’s goal is to focus more on the core programming aspect instead of direct services.
“The new eligibility criteria does a fantastic job of allowing this type of access to General Student Services Fund while also making sure that the fund is … less vulnerable to rapid inflation and more secure,” Vines said.
