November 7, 2014
Williams students petition against fossil fuel
The Williams Endowment Initiative, an organization made up of both students and alumni, is circulating a petition urging the College’s Board of Trustees to divest the endowment’s holding in fossil fuel corporations. Thus far, the petition has received almost 500 signatures, according The Williams Record. It requests that “the Investment Office avoid further investment in the 200 largest fossil fuel corporations and divest the endowment of its current direct and indirect holdings in these organizations within the next five years. The petition also calls for the reallocation of these funds to green, environmentally friendly corporations.”
“I think that Williams equips students with the skills and passion to go out and make positive change in the world, and I think that divestment gives Williams the opportunity to make positive change as an institution. Fossil fuels are harmful to the environment, and I think that Williams should be proactive in supporting the environment and green energy by divesting,” said Garrett Welson ’15, liaison to the Endownment Initiative of Divest Williams.Divest Williams is a student group that also aims to divest the endowment from fossil fuel companies. “My personal interest in divestment came out of concern about climate change more broadly; I had this realization earlier this year that as long as the CEO of Exxon Mobil could just walk into the halls of Congress with his head held high, nothing was going to change – the fossil fuel industry was going to maintain its grip on every aspect of our politics and economy,” said Miles Horton ’15, co-leader of Divest Williams. “Really the only way to change that would be for institutions like Williams, that have some degree of credibility and moral authority, to stand up and say ‘We want no part in this, and no one else should either–we really can do better.’ We do so much good stuff, environmentally, on campus already, but divestment represents our only chance to be part of the movement that resonates beyond the boundaries of our valley.”
Tufts senior receives scholarship from Astronaut Scholarship Foundation
Tufts student Summer Morrill ’15 was awarded a $10,000 scholarship from The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.
The Astronaut Scholarship is a tuition grant that was started by the Mercury 7 astronauts, a group of astronauts who aim to fund college students interested science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), according to the Tufts Daily. Morrill explained that originally she thought she was going to have to graduate early, but the scholarship will give her the opportunity to finish off her senior year at Tufts.
Astronaut Kathryn Thornton awarded Morrill the scholarship. “I think the most meaningful part for me was hearing her story,” Morrill said. “[Thornton] is the second woman ever to be admitted into the space program, which just blows my mind. She never intended to go into the space program, which is kind of how I feel about research. I didn’t think I was going to go into it, but applying to so many labs and scholarships has given me so many different opportunities.”
No comments yet.
Comment Guidelines
Please log in to post a comment