The Students for Environmental Concerns marched throughout Green Street and across the Main Quad on Friday to demand University divestment from the fossil fuel industry.
“We want clean air to breathe; we want a chance at a good future,” Trey McCallister, action co-coordinator of SECS, chanted with the growing crowd in front of the Alma Mater. “We will not rest until we divest.”
The march received mutual support from many local organizations, including the Graduate Employee Organization, Amnesty International, La Colectiva, Fossil Free Illinois and the Champaign-Urbana Muslim Action Committee.
Gathered in front of the Swanlund Administration Building, protestors expressed discontent with the University’s involvement within the fossil fuel industry, supported the University building workers’ strike and called for the freedom of Palestine.
“We are all here because we want decent human rights,” said Sana Saboowala, a representative of CUMAC, in support of the march. “That means free water, a healthy planet, fair wages and an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people.”
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The march is SECS’ first step toward an official meeting with the University System’s Board of Trustees, where they will discuss their demands for divestment. The demands are as follows:
- Divest 100 percent of all holdings within companies that benefit from fossil fuels.
- Ensure that our current fossil fuel-related corporate bonds mature.
- Codify in the University’s investment policy statement that they will not continue to invest or make any new investments in fossil fuels.
- Sell off all indirect assets in fossil fuels.
- Reach 0 percent fossil fuel exposure in the University’s investment portfolio.
SECS previously held meetings with Nicholas Jones, executive vice president of the University of Illinois System, Geri Melchiorre, chartered financial analyst and senior director of investments and Chief Financial Officer Paul Ellinger in April and May. The RSO also introduced a new bill to the Illinois General Assembly earlier this year, advocating for their demands.
“This is a huge step forward because getting them to even acknowledge this movement in the first place took years in the making,” said SECS President Rudy LaFave at the march.
Michael Gergeni, junior in LAS and general member of SECS, said getting the University to understand that divestment is “not just dropping everything and running” proves to be SECS’ biggest obstacle in pushing the conversation any further.
“This is a strategy of financial prudence more than it is political action,” Gergeni said. “(Divestment) is a financially defensive strategy that they need to do because the University of Illinois has a lot of budgetary issues already.”
According to an investigation by SECS, the University of Illinois had around $120 million invested in the fossil fuel industry in 2022. Divesting those funds won’t worsen the financial state of the University, at least according to an outside study they referenced.
The march ended back where it began, in front of the Alma Mater, with SECS leaders applauding marchers for their support.
“We are here today because we love the University, and our love for the University has driven us to … rally in front of the Alma Mater every semester; to continually demand that we do better,” Gergeni said. “It’s all a reflection of our love for the University.”
