• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
      Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
    • CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
      CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
    • WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
      WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification
      Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification
    • It’s time to put traditional grading to the test
      It’s time to put traditional grading to the test
    • What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?
      What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • No image
      Pentimento’s Open Mic is Like an Old Patchwork Quilt–Worn, Yet Cozy
    • No image
      Kanye’s Antisemitism Steps on his Shoe Brand
    • Lousy Realities: Luca Guadagnino (2015)
      Lousy Realities: Luca Guadagnino (2015)
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Sports and Wellness
    • Student-Athlete of October
      Student-Athlete of October
    • Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
      Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
    • The Case for Body Neutrality
      The Case for Body Neutrality
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Top 10 Girlbosses who aren’t alumnae, but I would totally believe you if you told me they were
      Top 10 Girlbosses who aren’t alumnae, but I would totally believe you if you told me they were
    • Wendy Wellesley’s Thanksgiving Menu
      Wendy Wellesley’s Thanksgiving Menu
    • The Snooze Awards for the Best Tanners of 2022
      The Snooze Awards for the Best Tanners of 2022
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Renée Remsberg News, News and FeaturesNovember 14, 2019

Looking to a (re)new Wellesley

Photo of a flier supporting climate divestment
Student-led group advocates for ethical fossil fuel divestment

The student organization Renew Wellesley is currently working on a proposal that advocates for Wellesley to “ethically and responsibly” divest its endowment from the fossil fuel industry. They also urge the school to invest in industries that do not pose harm to the student body or marginalized groups such as private prisons or pharmaceuticals. The demand comes on the heels of other colleges and universities, such as Smith College and the University of California system, that have recently announced plans for divestment. 

According to Claire Hayhow ‘21, a member of Renew Wellesley, the group does have concerns about the financial impacts of investment in fossil fuels. However, the majority of their qualms are in regard to the morality of the decision. Hayhow points to the ways that the investment perpetuates climate change, which has a disproportionate effect on vulnerable low-income communities.  

“The College cannot claim to prepare its students for roles in global leadership while continuing to fund and be funded by an industry that strips us of our futures,” Hayhow explained. “In investing in fossil fuels, the College legitimizes the continuing destruction of these communities homes, lives and land caused by climate change.”

Similar concerns are shared by the 496 signatures that petition has garnered by 8 p.m. on Nov. 12 since its launch a week earlier via a Google form, along with intensive on-campus flyering. Efforts to collect more are ongoing. In addition to student signatures, members of the group with access to the petition report that it has signatures from faculty and as well as some members of staff. 

The group intends to submit the proposal to the Subcommittee on Investment Responsibility with the deadline of encouraging the Subcommittee to recommend a plan to divest both directly and indirectly from fossil fuels by the end of this academic year and to disclose a plan to do so. Because it is ultimately the Board of Trustees that must make the decision to divest, Renew’s goal is for the subcommittee to report the findings to the general Investment Committee, which, as a subcommittee of the Board of Trustees, will report their findings to the whole group. 

 Renew Wellesley was founded in the spring of 2018, when students disrupted a meeting of the Board of Trustees to ask that the school transition from an outmoded cogeneration plant to a more sustainable form of energy. Wellesley College now sources its power from the Town of Wellesley’s electric grid. In addition, the students requested that the Board of Trustees clarify how quickly the school intended to move towards renewable energy, as 2018 was declared to be Wellesley’s “year of sustainability.” According to Hayhow, the purpose of the organization is “to use direct action to mobilize students on issues of environmental justice that can addressed on the campus level.” The group is also working to make Wellesley 100 percent renewable by 2025, rather than the school’s previous goal of 100 percent renewables by 2020. 

“On a personal level, I believe that continuing to profit off of an industry that spends billions of dollars not only manufacturing lies about climate change, but actively destroying communities that are already at risk, is far beyond morally reprehensible for a liberal arts institution of Wellesley’s caliber,” Katie Christoph ‘21 said. “We are better than this.” 

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleSenate Report 11/13/19
Next articleCommittees host town hall on new Google Groups policy

You may also like

Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”

CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure

WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top