AMHERST — A protest demanding the University of Massachusetts pull out of its direct investments in fossil fuel companies entered its second week Tuesday as organizers called on President Martin T. Meehan to appear on campus Thursday and announce his commitment to full divestment.
That followed a weeklong sit-in last week at the Whitmore Administration Building which included 34 arrests.
Divest UMass, the student-run group organizing the protest, released a statement Tuesday evening which said, “We are inviting President Marty Meehan to come to the UMass Amherst campus … to demonstrate his commitment to the tens of thousands of students, faculty, alumni, and community members that are calling for full divestment.”
According to the statement, Divest UMass hopes to “recognize the president’s leadership in making UMass the first public university to commit to full divestment and taking historic action on climate change.”
The divestment group held a “sit-out” on the grass beside Whitmore beginning at noon Tuesday. The group set up tents and encouraged students to call their state and federal legislators to ask them to endorse divestment and support the group’s efforts at UMass.
The “sit-out” comes after a week of protest and negotiation with university officials that began April 11. Divest UMass held a five-day sit-in during the daytime on the third floor of Whitmore, demanding the university divest from the top 200 publicly traded fossil fuel companies, as determined by Carbon Tracker, a financial think tank that focuses on climate change.
In a statement issued last week, Meehan and board of trustees Chairman Victor Woolridge said they “agree to advocate for the divestment and prohibition of direct investments by the University’s endowment in fossil fuel companies.” The statement continued, saying the officials “agree to place the subject on the agenda for consideration” at the board of trustees meeting June 15.
Although the statement effectively halted arrests and prompted all 150 protesters to peacefully vacate Whitmore on Thursday evening, Divest UMass organizers say the university response does not satisfy their demands.
The group is calling on Meehan and Woolridge to publicly commit to bring the issue of divestment to a vote at the June 15 trustees meeting.
In response to the latest request by protesters, UMass spokesman Robert Connolly wrote in an email Tuesday night: “President Meehan has been clear about his support for divesting the University’s direct investments in fossil fuels — a step that would put UMass at the forefront among American colleges and universities and build on last year’s coal-related divestment.”
Divest UMass spokeswoman Varshini Prakash said Meehan already is scheduled to be on the UMass Amherst campus Thursday evening to see a play. Connolly confirmed that Meehan would be on campus Thursday afternoon until Friday morning on business unrelated to Divest UMass.
Although the sit-in ended, Divest UMass will continue its fight for fossil fuel divestment until organizers feel their demands have been met, said spokesman Filipe Carvalho.
“We feel the sit-in has served its purpose and created a lot of visibility for us. We don’t have to be in Whitmore to make our voices heard,” Carvalho said Tuesday.
Looking ahead, Prakash said the “sit-out” protest will continue for the rest of the week beginning at 11 a.m. each day with phone banking and information sessions led by Divest UMass organizers outside Whitmore. So far, she estimated protesters have made 30 phone calls to the president’s office and to state and federal legislators.
Tuesday evening, Divest UMass announced that Green-Rainbow Party presidential candidate Jill Stein will come to campus for a rally Wednesday. The visit comes a week after Stein endorsed protesters’ efforts via Twitter on April 13.
The rally will be held outside Whitmore at 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to Prakash. Later in the evening, Stein will attend a panel with Divest UMass organizers and striking Verizon workers hosted by the UMass Amherst International Socialist Organization in the Campus Center at 6:30 p.m.
Hampshire College also dealt with divestment issues Tuesday when the college canceled afternoon classes.
The Campus Engagement Collective, a student group on campus, released a statement on the Hampshire Howler website Sunday calling for full divestment from fossil fuel and private prison companies. The group also demanded improvements in student life and more budget transparency.
According to a statement released by the college Tuesday, Hampshire’s investment policy, which was adopted in December 2011, “requires the college to favor investments that do right by the environment, employees, and supply chains, and are governed with transparency and fairness.”
“At present, Hampshire’s exposure to fossil fuel investment is de minimis — less than 1 percent in what most would consider fossil fuel stocks,” the statement said.
Hampshire canceled classes Tuesday afternoon to hold a discussion open only to the college community.