Photo by: August Smith
The main mission of Divest DU is to get the University of Denver to stop investing in the fossil fuel industry, which many view as untenable as a future major source of energy.
Founded at the University of Denver, Divest DU is an on campus student-run organization at the University of Denver self-described as a “student activist organization aiming to push the university to become fossil free,” according to their website mission statement.
The statement continues, “Divest DU organizes campaigns to both divest from fossil fuels and re-invest in renewable energy. Students aim to hold the University of Denver accountable to its mission of “a private university dedicated to the public good” through the lens of climate justice.”
“DU has invested a lot of money in fossil fuels, and we hope to change that by actively protesting against it,” stated Ally Corradimo, the vice president of Divest DU.
“We have a responsibility to guide our University towards divesting from fossil fuels,” continued Corradimo.
Made up of 4 officers and around 78 overall members according to their website, Divest DU still manages to run many on campus events supporting their cause, such as on campus protests and calls to action to the University.
The most recent protest occurred on June 3, and was held at Carnegie Green on campus at the University of Denver. Students from another on campus action group called Students Against Investment in Fossil Fuels (SAIFF) also joined the protest.
One student attending the protest stated that “DU has a lot of infrastructure related to being sustainable, and often pushes that message, but has all this money tied up in fossil fuels? It just doesn’t make sense to me.”
The organization has also performed acts of protest in other ways besides gathering:
In 2020, students from the group hung a large white banner above the Josef Korbel school of International Relations, and called out the University for investing $22.6 million dollars invested into fossil fuel related holdings.
Another member of Divest DU, Martine Gelb, stated that “I am very upset that DU is choosing to invest in a climate disaster instead of protecting the future of its students.”
The group is targeting the Board of Trustees at the University of Denver, and has been for quite a few years now, but the group is just now garnering a larger quantity of support.
“We started getting really active in 2020,” continued Gelb. “People really began to care more about the cause, climate change, and the planet overall.”
Many students feel the same way as Gelb, and it shows. Divest DU sports an instagram page with 610 followers, a good following for an on campus student group. The Facebook page for the group also has 832 likes and 854 followers, a healthy group in size.
However, only 690 people have officially signed the change.org petition for Divest DU, which is a smaller number than is reflected in their online following presence.
When asked about this discrepancy, Vice President Corradimo stated “It is a lot easier just to have people say they will support a cause than to actually see them do something about it,”
“We have tried to offer more student friendly ways to support, especially this past year. Our most recent event was an on campus pot luck party to celebrate the achievements of the year,” continued Corradimo.
Other events held by Divest DU this year included an open mic night and a food and game night, all hosted on campus and in support of the cause.
“I think it is nice that they are trying to get more students involved, but I am skeptical as to how easy it will be to get support during the summer months,” stated Becket Mohns, a student at the University interviewed for his thoughts about Divest DU.
“I can see support falling off as students return home and could forget about it,” he continued.
The group leaders, however, maintain their confidence that Divest DU will continue to fight for DU to make the decision to stop investing in fossil fuels.
“Hopefully the younger classes will be able to take on the torch we are passing and keep protesting for Divest DU in new and meaningful ways,” stated Vice President Corradimo.
MFJS Reporter Spring 2022 