UPDATE via Fossil Fuel Penn’s Facebook: a meeting with senior members of the administration has been scheduled.

After last week’s election results, city and organization actions proved more vital than ever.

University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann has previously denied student group Fossil Free Penn’s requests to meet with her, so 25 University of Students students who occupied College Hall last Thursday with three demands:

1. A meeting with President Gutmann
2. Transparency regarding the divestment process that took place over the last year
3. The release of the shareholder voting plan Penn trustees decided to create in place of divesting

Fossil Free Penn has campaigned for two years, which resulted in 87.8% of students voting for and passing a referendum in favor of fossil fuel divestment in February 2015. This past April, 116 faculty members signed a letter in support for divestmentUniversity of Pennsylvania. Regardless, the Board of Trustee decided not to divest its $10.7 billion endowment from Fossil Fuels in September.

Similar efforts by students happened at Swarthmore College, which also resulted in the college trustees refusing to acknowledge student demands and chose NOT to divest from fossil fuels.

According to college freshman Nomi Martin-Brouillette,

“We are sitting in because we refuse to allow our administration to negotiate in bad faith with our campaign to divest our endowment from fossil fuel companies. These corporations are are disproportionately harming indigenous, poor, and communities of color such as the Standing Rock Sioux through climate change and energy extraction.”

Photo: Twitter

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Julie Hancher is the co-founder and Executive Director of Green Philly, an independent media organization making sustainability accessible, affordable and actionable. Since launching Green Philly in 2008, she has grown it from a passion project into a leading voice for local climate storytelling, pairing impactful journalism with community events and experiences. Julie is a frequent speaker on climate, media innovation and the future of local journalism, and is the creator of SustainPHL and EcoFair. Outside of Green Philly, you can find her hiking, biking, traveling, or exploring Philadelphia. View all posts by Julie Hancher