Divest is Best

It began with a casual discussion of university economics. It ended with a newfound distrust in humanity.

Well, maybe not entirely newfound. I suppose my sophomore slump culminated into misanthropic lethargy prior to last Wednesday. But in any case, when discussion in my ethical philosophy class turned to the moral foundations for university investments, I was shocked to discover that most of my peers had no qualms with the University of Michigan investing in Lucifer’s own Monsanto Corporation or BP. Even more concerning? Most saw no reason for the university to be “ethical” when it comes to investing. “The University is a business.” “Divestment would be too much of a political statement.” “Is class over yet?”

Let me back up a bit. Last winter, MSA drafted a resolution calling for the university to reconsider its millions invested in companies like British Petroleum, Northrop Grumman, Monsanto, and HanesBrand, which were known for creating unsafe work conditions, utilizing child labor, and playing a significant role in the degradation of the environment. Nine months, one strong petition, and a healthy chunk of tears on the Michigan Daily’s editorial page later, and the University still hasn’t made any moves suggesting that they’ve seriously considered divesting.

The question here isn’t whether or not these companies are acting unethically. There are hundreds of news articles, reports, and research conclusions that go into depth about the injustices fueled by these big businesses (Don’t believe me? Just try typing in ‘Monsanto’ in Google’s search bar – the next word they’ll fill in for you is ‘evil’). The University knows what it’s investing in. And they know what these companies are doing. And as we continue to espouse our commitment to social justice as a university, we still give millions to these companies that go exactly against what we allegedly stand for.

I know, I know. We need money to survive. As painfully neoliberal as it is, the University is a business. We need to make a revenue in order to keep funding all those world renowned classes I keep falling asleep in. But if the forces above are going to continue to send funds to corporations that don’t even pretend to act justly, we really should remove the clause in our vision statement that promise the university’s commitment to “ethical and responsible stewardship of financial, physical and environmental resources.” And while divestment could be seen as a political move, which may make some uncomfortable as far as the scope of a public university goes, isn’t investing in them in the first place a political move? Certainly if the university knows what these companies are doing, then our investment – which we can consider partial ownership – surely has some political ramifications.

It’s time we put our money where our mouth is. Or at least take it out of the devil’s pocket.

(Photo by Giovanni Orlando under a Creative Commons license)