A UCLA student group visited a University of California regent’s office Friday to deliver thank-you letters for his support for divestment from fossil fuel companies.
About 15 students and alumni from Fossil Free UCLA, UC Berkeley and State University of New York campuses delivered letters to the office of Regent Richard Sherman, the next chair of the committee on investments for the UC Regents.
Fossil Free aims to encourage the UC to divest from fossil fuel companies because its members think the industry harms the environment and causes social harm, according to its website.
Fossil Free members from other UC campuses called for divestment earlier this month, including at UC Berkeley, where students sat in at the UC Office of Investment in Oakland and at UC Santa Cruz and UC Santa Barbara, where students led marches through campus.
Last September, the UC sold $200 million in investments for coal and oil sands to ensure environmental sustainability.
The students who visited Sherman’s office explained their support for divestment to workers at Sherman’s office, citing moral, ethical and financial reasons for the UC to pull out its investments from fossil fuel companies.
Ria Jain, a third-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student, said she thinks it is common sense for the UC to divest from fossil fuel companies.
“Why does the UC invest money in companies that profit off of the problems associated with fossil fuels?” Jain said. “As a University, the UC can do a lot better to work for progress (by divesting).”
Minh Tran, a co-founder of Fossil Free UCLA and fourth-year sociology student, said she thinks the UC should not invest in fossil fuel companies because their actions hurt low-income communities by contributing to climate change.
Tran added the student group looks forward to working with Sherman to ensure full divestment from fossil fuel companies at the UC.
Sherman was not in his office when students arrived, so they spoke to workers at the David Geffen Company, where Sherman is the CEO.