Fossil Free Guelph organizes peaceful protest at Board of Governors meeting
Fossil Free Guelph attended the Board of Governors meeting in the form of a peaceful protest after a letter was posted online by the Central Student Association (CSA). This letter, addressed to Dr. Franco Vaccarino and the university’s Board of Governors, urged the university to divest from fossil fuel investments.
The Board of Governors met on Wed, Jan. 22 from 1:15 to 4:30 p.m. The protesters arrived shortly before and stood outside the meeting room holding signs. In capital letters, one sign asked the Board why they have chosen to not care. Another stated that the University of Guelph funds Indigenous genocide.
Just before the meeting began, protestors entered the room and passed out flyers that read “Why UoG Won’t Divest” to those present. CSA Vice President of External Affairs, Horeen Hassen, who was among the protestors, handed the CSA’s divestment letter to the Chair and left a copy for Dr. Vaccarino.
Since the meeting, there has been no direct contact from the Board of Governors to the CSA.
According to an Instagram poll conducted by the CSA, 84 per cent of students agree that the University of Guelph should divest.
Hassan says that the CSA will continue to put pressure on the university to divest. “The University of Guelph needs to stop capitalizing on the values and moral compasses of our students,” Hassan said. “Guelph will never be a “Green School” if it continues to invest in fossil fuels. It is time to Improve Life by divesting from fossil fuel companies.”
The Ontarion has reached out to The Office of the President and Vice-Chancellor Franco Vaccarino for a comment on the situation, and has not gotten a reply.
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