The Board of Trustees’ refusal to hear the Sierra Student Coalition’s presentation on coal divestment at its Wednesday budget, finance and audit committee meeting sends the troublesome message that the board is indifferent to issues students believe are important.
In recent months, students have shown significant support for the campaign to divest UNC’s endowment from the unsustainable coal industry. A February referendum to do so gained 77 percent of the student vote, and the endorsement of this newspaper.
However, the board’s budget, finance and audit committee decided to fill its two-hour-long meeting with other issues members clearly deemed more important, such as an update on the development of 123 W. Franklin St.
There was a total of seven items on the agenda for the Wednesday meeting, only two of which required action.
By not hearing the coal presentation, the board has neglected an issue that is obviously important to the student body. It has sent the message that its members are not concerned with the interests of students.
The referendum passed with about 15 and 22 percentage points more than Will Leimenstoll and Christy Lambden received, respectively, in their election victories.
These numbers led one to believe that the board does not give much respect to these student body presidents, who received considerably less student support than the disregarded presentation.
The board sent a message to the students when it decided not to hear the Student Sierra Coalition’s presentation: It’s not really interested in what students think.
If the board is interested in changing this perception, it should re-evaluate what it believes deserves time at its meetings.
