University of California to vote on divestment from Sudan

– Contact: Baylee DeCastro
(310) 650-3448/ [email protected]

Mar 14, 2006 — The UC regents are convening at UCLA this Thursday (March 16th) to take their final vote on UC Sudan divestiture, representing only the third time that the University has considered divestment. “As one of the largest public universities in the world, the UC has the historic opportunity to be a major catalyst for the rapidly growing Sudan divestment movement that now encompasses dozens of states and universities,” notes Adam Sterling, Co-chair of the UC Sudan Divestment Taskforce.

In January of this year, the Regents took an important step toward divestment from Sudan by establishing a study group to create a more detailed plan for divestment. This was a major victory for students who have campaigned for almost a year for UC Sudan divestment. The study group included a diverse array of university interests, including students, faculty, the Office of the President, the Treasurer’s Office, the General Counsel, and the Regents’ investment advisors. The study group completed its work this past week and will be presenting a recommendation Sudan investment plan to the Regents for a vote at the March 16th meeting.

One thousand students from numerous UC campuses are expected to rally at UCLA in support of divestment. Speaking on the necessity for UC divestment from Sudan, Jason Miller, UCSF student and the other Co-chair of the UC Sudan Divestment Taskforce, notes that, “Genocide in Darfur is occurring because the government in power has consistently used these tactics in the past without incurring punishment. It’s time for the UC to help break this impunity through divestment.”

Outside of the regents meeting, which will be held at Covel Commons on the UCLA campus, there will be a press table and conference room featuring many experts on the subject available for interviews. Expected participants include Mark Brecke, documentary photographer and filmmaker who recently returned from Sudan, Stephanie Nyombayire, sophmore at Swarthmore College and a native of Rwanda, Jason Miller and Adam Sterling, Co-chairs of the UC Sudan Divestment Taskforce, Renee Firestone, Holocaust survivor and lecturer, Danny Glover, distinguished actor of the stage and screen,and Edward A. Alpers, the Chair of UCLA History Department and faculty representative of the official UC Sudan Divestment Study Group.

Notable endorsers of UC Sudan divestment include CA State Treasurer Phil Angelides and Attorney General Bill Lockyer, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and 22 other Congresspersons, CA Assembly President Pro Tempore Leland Yee and 28 other members of the California Legislature, the actor Don Cheadle and other community notables, and a diverse array of religious leaders. Treasurer Angelides states, “I strongly believe that investments in companies with business ties to the Sudanese government present both a moral and financial risk to shareholders. I urge the Regents to work to ensure that the University’s investments are not in any way tied to Sudan genocide.” A full list of endorsements is available at www.ucdivestsudan.com.

An informational panel on the Darfur conflict as well as divestment will be held the evening of March 15th, the day prior to the vote, on the UCLA campus (Ackerman Union, Room 2414).

REGENTS MEETING SCHEDULE

Thursday, March 16, 2006 —
Covel Commons, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)

– 9:00am (Regent Meeting, Open Session and Press Table)
– 12:00 pm-1:00 pm (Student March for UC Sudan Divestment)
– 2:00 pm-4:00 pm (Regent Meeting, Open Sesssion and Divestment Vote)

FOR MEDIA CREDENTIALS AND PARKING INFORMATION, CONTACT BAYLEE DECASTRO AT (310) 650-3448.