Mission: Convince the Duke Administration and Board of Trustees to agree to make the Duke Endowment carbon-neutral and otherwise divest from investing in fossil fuel companies.

 

Realistic goal: Make enough noise to put the issue of divestment back on the radar for Duke students as well as prompt a response from the Duke Administration on this issue.

 

Roles:

  • Kevin: Background research, specifically regarding our main arguments; drafting our letter to the Administration; seeking out support from professors and alumni
  • Jake: Background research, specifically regarding how to articulate our demands with support from evidence and examples of other institutions that have already divested and how
  • Kendall: Background research; making art for the protest; helping develop any petitions
  • Sarah: Drafting our letter to the Administration; seeking out support from professors and alumni
  • Colin: Drafting our letter to the Administration; seeking out support from professors and alumni
  • Sophia: Drafting letters to various groups as well as the letter to the administration; email outreach and building popular support prior to the protest; making graphics for the protest
  • Emily: Working on alumni outreach; applying for the Hear at Duke podcast; helping develop any petitions
  • Matthew: Reaching out to other campus groups; helping develop petitions
  • Margaret: Reaching out to other campus groups; looking into putting a letter or article in the Chronicle; working on alumni outreach; generally coordinating individual teams

 

Overall tactics:

  • Rely on expertise, strategies, and methods of students at other schools that have successfully petitioned for divestment
  • Have a clear and concise message
  • Focus on the Board of Trustees and DUMAC staff since they will ultimately be making the decisions
  • Involve alumni and prospective students since the Administration cares a lot about their views/values

 

Deliverables (Final Products):

  • Compose a letter addressed to President Price and the Board of Trustees outlining our position and supported by research and examples based on other schools
  • Deliver one or more petitions to President Price and the Board of Trustees as evidence of support for divestment among students as well as possibly faculty, alumni, and other influential groups
    • Represent the perspectives of alumni and/or prospective students through either petitions, letters, or even interviews or a video that allows them to express their opinions in their own words
  • Stage a physical, in-person protest in support of divestment alongside other campus organizations [tentative date is Friday, March 23]

 

Next Steps:

  • Conduct background research on divestment and the Endowment
    • How does the Endowment work, who runs it, etc. (technical, factual background information)
    • What other schools have divested, and how?
      • What steps were taken to prompt that decision by the school?
      • How have the schools been able to divest – where did they shift their investments?
    • What alternatives can we offer the Duke Administration now?
  • Reach out to relevant campus organizations and other groups
    • What has Duke Divest done in the past, and why was that successful/unsuccessful?
    • Which organizations would want to help us either research and develop our demands/proposal or stage the protest?
    • Find ways to involve Duke alumni and/or prospective students
  • Produce petitions and work on getting signatures
    • Tabling or social media outreach
  • Begin to build popular support among students on social media and through other approaches
    • Share information, history, and research in easily shareable ways
    • Produce art, graphics, and even videos that catch people’s attention
    • Publicize petitions
    • Gain visibility by producing a letter/article to publish in the Chronicle
    • Attempt to get endorsements from:
      • DSG VP of Sustainability
      • Duke Climate Coalition
      • Duke Environmental Alliance
      • Nicholas School Faculty
      • Other organizations (according to our research)
  • Start drafting our letter to President Price and the Board of Trustees
  • Start planning our in-person protest
  • To be continued…