Announcements
University of California Regents agree to Sudan divestment plan - 3/17/06
The University's governing board approved a plan for Sudan divestment at their March 16th meeting at UCLA. The specifics of the divestment plan can be viewed here. Click here for the University of California's press release, here for the UC Sudan Divestment Taskforce's press release, and here for California Assemblyman Paul Koretz's press release. Front page stories on the decision were written by the San Francisco Chronicle and by the Sacramento Bee.
An LA Times editorial on Sudan divestment written after the UC decision is available here.
California Assemblyman Paul Koretz expected to address UC Regents on Sudan divestment during today's divestment vote at UCLA - 3/16/06
Assemblyman Koretz is co-author of recently introduced legislation calling for Sudan divestment for California's state pension funds, the California Public Employee Retirment System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS). Read the UCSDT press release here.
Last minute endorsements and letters of support stream in - 3/15/06
Letter of support arrives from UC Regent and California Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante. Endorsements include US Congressmen Dana Rohrabacher and George Miller. California Assemblymen Alberto Torrico, Pedro Nava, Joe Baca Jr, and Karen Bass also endorse.
Taskforce releases a report entitled Arguments for the Efficacy of Targeted Divestment from Sudan - 3/15/06
The report was written in response to the most common non-financial criticisms against Sudan divestment.
Online petition now has over 6,500 UC affiliate signatures - 3/14/06
University of California Regents will vote on divestment strategy on March 16th at UCLA - 3/12/06
The official university study group charged with development of a Sudan investment strategy will present its recommendations to the Board of Regents at their meeting on March 16th at UCLA's campus. This represents only the third time in UC history that the Regents have voted on divestment.
Up to a thousand students from across the UC system are expected to be present. For details on the vote and associated press conference by the UCSDT, please refer to the following media alert. A profile piece by the Sacramento Bee on the history of the the UC divestment movement leading up to the March 16th vote can be viewed here.
An LA Times op/ed on the issue can be viewed here while a San Diego Union-Tribune op/ed can be viewed here. The San Francisco Chronicle's Editorial Board position on the issue can be viewed here, and the Contra Costa Times Editorial Board's position can be viewed here. The SF Chronicle's preview of the vote can be seen here.
Online petition now has over 6,300 UC affiliate signatures - 3/11/06
Taskforce Co-Chair Jason Miller is interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle on the UC divestment movement - 3/5/06
The interview can be downloaded here. The accompanying article about grassroots activism on Darfur across the country can be viewed here.
Online petition now has over 6,100 UC affiliate signatures - 2/28/06
UCSDT releases a PowerPoint tutorial on what targeted Sudan divestment means and the ease/difficulty of divesting from certain types of investments - 2/27/06
Amherst, Yale, and Brown issue important Sudan investment decisions while Harvard may be indirectly contradicting its PetroChina divestment decision - 2/27/06
Amherst's decision can be viewed here and here. View Amherst's list of 19 offending companies here. Yale's decision can be viewed at the following website. Brown's decision can be read in the following news release. Meanwhile, despite Harvard's decision to divest from PetroChina in early 2005, the University has since increased its holdings in another major Chinese oil firm doing business in Sudan (Sinopec). More details in the following Harvard Crimson article and opinion in the following Boston Globe op/ed.
Taskforce releases an updated one-page information sheet on the UC and nationwide divestment campaigns - 2/27/06
Online petition now has over 5,900 UC affiliate signatures - 2/15/06
Board of Directors of the UCLA Alumni Association endorse UCSDT goals of a timely, positive vote on divestment by the Regents at their March UCLA meeting - 2/14/06
The resolution, which can be viewed here, calls for timely research by the official university study group charged with development of a Sudan divestment strategy and a timely vote on that proposal by the Regents at their March meeting at UCLA. The UCLA Alumni Association will also distribute the approved resolution to other UC campus alumni associations as well as include news of the resolution's passage in an upcoming alumni newsletter. The Taskforce hopes that this triggers an uptick in online petition signatures (click here) by alumni.
Response to Assistant Secretary of State Frazer's comments on February 3, 2006, regarding genocide in Darfur - 2/13/06
On February 3, 2006, Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer insinuated during a press conference that genocide is no longer occurring in Darfur. Her off-the-cuff remarks stand in direct contradiction to several thoroughly researched and recently published reports. The UC Sudan Divestment Taskforce offers the following four-page document summarizing counter-arguments to Assistant Secretary Frazer's comments.
Speaker pro Tempore of the California Assembly Leland Yee endorses targeted, substantive divestment from Sudan by the UC - 2/10/06
The Speaker pro Tempore is the number two position in California's Assembly.
Amherst issues important Sudan investment decision while a recent article notes that Harvard may be indirectly contradicting its PetroChina divestment decision - 2/10/06
After careful research, Amherst College's Board of Trustees voted to ban direct investments in 19 companies, although the College currently does not have direct holdings in any of those companies. Amherst also encouraged their asset managers to divest from the 19 identified companies. See the news story here and here. View the list of identified companies here. Meanwhile, despite Harvard's decision to divest from PetroChina in early 2005, the University has since increased its holdings in another major Chinese oil firm doing business in Sudan (Sinopec). More details in the following Harvard Crimson article and opinion in the following Boston Globe article.
Online petition now has over 5,700 UC affiliate signatures - 2/10/06
Taskforce receives major support for substantive divestment from over 1/3 of California's Congressional delegation and 14 Republican members of the California Assembly - 1/21/06
Dear Colleague letter created by Representatives Barbara Lee and Linda Sanchez can be viewed here. List of signatories can be viewed here. Letter authored by California Assemblyman Tim Leslie and signed by 13 other Republican Assemblypersons can be viewed here. Assemblyman Leslie's press release for the letter can be viewed here.
Response to criticism on effectiveness of targeted divestment from Sudan - 1/21/06
UCSDT Co-Chairs Jason Miller and Adam Sterling respond to a recent editorial in several UC campus newspapers calling into question the validity of the label "genocide" to describe atrocities in Darfur and the effectiveness of divestment as a tool to affect change. Read the original editorial and Taskforce response here.
Taskforce releases an updated one-page information sheet on the UC and nationwide divestment campaigns - 1/20/06
Online petition now has over 5,600 UC affiliate signatures - 1/20/06
UC Board of Regents delay vote on divestment but agree to definitive plan - 1/19/06
Inadequate research provided by the UC Office of the President precluded a vote on divestment by the Board of Regents at their January meeting. Nevertheless, the Regents did approve a plan
to send letters of concern to the University's fund managers, form a task force (with UCSDT representation) to investigate divestment from direct and indirect holdings in offending companies, and present this plan for divestment to the Regents at their March meeting in Los Angeles.
Importantly, the UC has committed to investigating divestment from both direct and indirect holdings in target companies, a significant step beyond the divestment decisions of Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth. Read the Taskforce press release here.
Read the University's press release here. San Francisco Chronicle article here. San Francisco Chronicle Op/Ed columnist Debra Saunder's opinion here.
LA Times article here.
More state endorsements for divestment come from Assemblywoman Carol Liu, Chair of the Committee on Higher Education, and State Senator Liz Figueroa, Chair of the Committee on Business and Professions - 1/17/06
To read State Senator Figueroa's letter to the Regents, click here.
Online petition now has over 5,000 UC affiliate signatures - 1/17/06
Online petition now has over 4,700 UC affiliate signatures - 1/16/06
California State Treasurer Phil Angelides endorses UC Sudan divestment - 1/14/06
To read Treasurer Angelides' statement to the Board, click here.
Online petition now has over 4,400 UC affiliate signatures - 1/13/06
Endorsements for UC divestment from Sudan come from US Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey and State Senator Jackie Speier, Chair of the Banking, Finance, and Insurance Committee and member of the Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education - 1/13/06
To read Senator Speier's statement to the Board, click here.
UC Board of Regents to vote on divestment options at January 19th meeting in San Diego - 1/12/06
UC Senior Vice President of Business & Finance, Joe Mullinix, will present options for Sudan divestment to the UC Board of Regents on January 19, 2006, followed by a vote on those options by the Regents. This vote marks an historic response from the UC, who have only formally considered divestment twice in its history, and follows a growing nationwide movement of sucessful and ongoing divestment campaigns. Read the press release here. Read a concise info sheet on the UC and nationwide Sudan divestment campaigns here. Read the op-ed circulated across University of California's various campus newspapers here. Read a San Francisco Chronicle article on the Taskforce's campaign and the upcoming Regents meeting here.
California Attorney General Bill Lockyer adds to the list of important state officials endorsing University of California divestment - 1/12/06
Read Mr. Lockyer's letter to UC Regent Chairman Parsky here.
Online petition now has over 4,000 UC affiliate signatures - 1/12/06
UCSDT gains important endorsement from US Congressman Mike Honda, representing California's South Bay area - 1/11/06
Taskforce receives endorsement from Princeton University Professor Cornel West, a leader in the African-American community and one of the most prominent intellectuals in the American public - 1/11/06
"Gentle Genocide" animation by independent San Francisco-based cartoonist Mark Fiore offers perspective on the current status of Darfur - 1/06/06
Online petition now has over 3,600 UC affiliate signatures - 1/4/06
Diverse array of religious endorsements for divestment continue - 12/29/05
Endorsements come from the Justice and Peace Commission of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church of Los Angeles, Professor Glen Stassen from Fuller Theological Seminary, Rabbi Denise Eger from Congregation Kol Ami, Sister Patricia Krommer, Co-Director of Pax Christi-Los Angeles, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor-in-Chief of Tikkun Magazine, Reverend Dr. George Regas, Rector Emeritus of All Saints Episcopal Church, Reverend Dr. Al Pennybacker, Executive Director of the Clergy and Laity Network, Reverend Alexia Salvatierra, Executive Director of the Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), Reverend Dr. Ignacio Castuera, Pastor of St. John's United Methodist Church of Watts, author and Reverend Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou, and Father John Reid of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch.
Online petition now has over 3,500 UC affiliate signatures - 12/27/05
Several new endorsements for UC divestment roll in from the religious community - 12/26/05
Reverend Louis Chase of Hamilton United Methodist Church (Los Angeles), Anthony Manousos, Editor of Western Quaker Friends Bulletin, Los Angeles Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak, the organization Interfaith Communities United for Peace and Justice, and the Los Angeles branch of the organization Fellowship of Reconciliation form a diverse array of religious leaders backing UC divestment.
UC Sudan Divestment Taskforce releases document on Options and Resources for Sudan Divestment - 12/24/05
On December 24, the UC Sudan Divestment Taskforce presented Joe Mullinix, UC Senior Vice President of Business and Finance, with an analysis on options and resources for Sudan divestment. Senior Vice President Mullinix has been charged with developing a Sudan divestment strategy to present to the UC Board of Regents at the January 18-19, 2006, meeting in San Diego. While the Taskforce developed this document to give the UC administration the broadest possible set of tools and options for Sudan divestment, the Taskforce hopes that the document will have use for other state and university divestment campaigns. Our report includes an analysis and list of contacts for most of the active Sudan divestment campaigns across the country. The report is available here.
Online petition now has over 3,300 UC affiliate signatures - 12/19/05
Taskforce receives new religious endorsements for UC divestment- 12/19/05
Reverend Ed Bacon of Pasadena-based All Saints Church, Rabbi John Rosove of Temple Israel, and Temple Judea of Los Angeles.
Taskforce releases an updated one-page basic info sheet to assist with obtaining endorsements - 12/16/05
Taskforce receives numerous new endorsements - 12/15/05
UC Congressman Brad Sherman, the Jewish World Watch Coalition, Rabbi Joel Rembaum from Temple Beth Am , Rabbi Steven Jacobs from Kol Tikvah , and Rabbi Ken Chasen from Leo Baeck Temple
Online petition now has over 3,100 UC affiliate signatures - 12/11/05
UCSDT receives in house endorsements from the student government of UC-Berkeley and the Coalition of University Employees (CUE) Union, Local 6 - 12/10/05
Online petition now has over 3,000 UC affiliate signatures - 12/6/05
Endorsements for UC divestment from Sudan continue to roll in - 12/01/05
New endorsements from Congressman Henry Waxman, Congressman Howard Berman, California Assemblywoman and Assistant Speaker pro Tempore Sally J. Lieber, and California Assemblywoman and Chair of the Rules Committee Cindy Montanez; endorsements also come from the Feminist Majority Foundation and from Rabbi Stephen Pearce on behalf of Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco.
UCSDT releases a 6 minute video on the Darfur genocide and UC divestment from Sudan - 12/1/05
Online petition now has over 2,800 UC affiliate signatures - 12/1/05
UCSDT announces more endorsements - 11/22/05
International Crisis Group's Colin Thomas-Jensen and Rabbi Harold Schulweis, founder of Jewish World Watch Project and Rabbi at Valley Beth Shalom, Los Angeles
Rabbi David Wolpe, "one of the fifty most influential Jews in America" and Rabbi of one of the largest conservative congregations in America, Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, endorses Taskforce campaign - 11/22/05
Taskforce releases one-page basic info page to assist with obtaining endorsements - 11/22/05
Taskforce releases position paper on development of divestment strategy by UC Office of the President - 11/20/05
UCSDT gains new endorsements for UC divestment from Sudan - 11/18/05
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Congressman Adam Schiff, actor Don Cheadle, and John Prendergast, Senior Advisor for the International Crisis Group join a variety of UC-wide organizations in supporting UCSDT's efforts.
UC approves request to develop a Sudan divestment strategy - 11/17/05
In a major victory for the UC Sudan Divestment Taskforce, the UC's Committee on Invesments and full Board of Regents unanimously approved a request for the UC Office of the President to develop a Sudan divestment strategy. The plan will be presented to the Board of Regents at their January 2006 meeting in San Diego for an up or down vote. Over the next two months, the UCSDT will work closely with the President's Office to develop a prudent, comprehensive divestment plan. LA Times article on the decision available here; Daily Bruin article available here. UCSDT press release here. Regents press release here.
Dartmouth Board of Trustees officially divests; Dartmouth joins Stanford and Harvard as the first universities to divest from Sudan - 11/14/2005
UC to consider divestment at Nov 14th Committee on Investments meeting held jointly at UCLA, UCSD, and the UCOP at Oakland - 11/13/2005
Nov. 14th 10:30 AM UCLA press conference to be held before meeting. Student rally to be held at noon. For more details contact Michael Garner or ucsudandt@gmail.com. You can review the Committee on Investments agenda here.
UCSDT obtains new endorsements - 11/13/2005
Support for proposal comes from University of California Student Association, University of California- Los Angeles student government, University of California-Santa Barbara student government, and the UC Technical Workers Union.
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