Students representing the coal divestment movement will pursue the more feasible goal of delegating a task force to research complete coal divestment in front of the Board of Trustees today. This is a crucial step for a movement that UNC must get behind before it’s left in the dust of other top universities.
If approved, the team will investigate the feasibility of divestment from coal companies. The team will present its findings to the board in the spring.
A campuswide referendum held last spring shows 77 percent of students voted in support of divestment from stocks and mutual funds invested in coal.
The trustees denied the movement an opportunity to speak at its meeting last spring.
Advocates of the movement support divestment because of coal’s declining prominence in a natural gas-saturated energy market, in addition to the many environmental consequences of coal burning.
Admittedly, taking UNC’s money out of all coal-related investments is not a clear-cut process. UNC has only direct control over 7 percent of its endowment, while the rest is tied up in avenues such as large mutual funds, making divestment a more complicated process.
This small portion should not be overlooked. Even a divestment from coal could provide a strong message.
A movement that started with a small group of universities last spring — including UNC — has exploded into 308 schools, public and private, throughout the country.
This movement is an opportunity for UNC to continue its tradition of leadership.
