Bowdoin’s hypocrisy of divestment issue

Letter to the editor: Common good means divestment

To the Editors,
The student request for divestment from companies profiting from fossil fuels raises important questions that I hope the College will address. It is clear that the President, the Board of Trustees, the faculty, and many students and alumni want to deal with the problems that are caused by fossil fuels. Indeed, all should be commended for the actions that have been taken to teach about the problem and conserve energy.
However, while the students argue that it is morally inconsistent and politically useful to profit from investments in the companies harming the environment, President Mills argues that such investment is justified because maximizing the endowment’s profits yields money that is used for scholarships, courses and conservation measures. While the students question if divestment would really cost as much as feared, the administration questions if divestment would really be effective and points out that the Board of Trustees must invest the endowment as wisely as possible.

Letter to the editor: A job well done

To the Editors: Kudos to the entire staff for a superb first issue (September 13)! As a Bowdoin graduate, I appreciated the peek inside the College (the “Take Care” editorial, “Make the Global Local,” “Talk of the Quad,” and “The Class of 2017”). As a Brunswick resident, I liked the local angle (Eveningstar Cinema and Jen’s Place). Other articles covered nice territory, from a well-deserved rap on Congress to an effective mix of cultural commentary, student profiles and sport highlights. Finally, as a professional writer, I appreciated the uniformly high quality of writing. Keep up the great work! People do still read newspapers. At least this old Polar Bear does.Sincerely,David Treadwell ’68

Letter to the editor

Bowdoin’s hypocrisy of divestment issue

April 19, 2013

To the Editors,

Until Bowdoin’s endowment is entirely free of companies that profit from fossil fuels, the College should stop referring to itself as a “leader” in confronting climate change. President Mills should stop flaunting the College’s environmental bona fides when he gives speeches, because when it comes to this issue, Bowdoin is really more of a follower.

Make no mistake: I am proud of the fact that only 1.4 percent of the College’s endowment is still invested in fossil fuels. And I am proud of the financial aid, faculty salaries and campus facilities that Bowdoin can provide as a result of trucking with companies more interested in today’s profits than tomorrow’s common good. It’s the hypocrisy that I find unbecoming in my alma mater.

President Mills should not boast of Bowdoin’s “helping to lead the way” in the fight to confront climate change when there are many other institutions doing much more than we are. The College’s vague Environmental Mission Statement provides plenty of wiggle room with its call for more “study and deliberation” and its desire that all solutions also “advance economic development.”

Those are simply not the bold words of a leader. It’s time for Bowdoin to put its mouth where its money is—or put its money somewhere else.

Sincerely,
Taylor Mali ’87

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