res 1.16

1. THE UNIVERSITY PARK UNDERGRADUATE ASSOCIATION
The Pennsylvania State University
16th Assembly
2021 - 2022 Session
Resolution #01-16
April 21th
, 2021
Be it decided by the Assembly of Student Representatives,
having been brought to the floor by a vote of two-thirds (2/3rds),
a
RESOLUTION
Supporting the Fossil Fuel Divestment Student Referendum Results and the
Penn State Climate Action Petition
Nature of the Situation:
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On March 24th
, 2021, the UPUA passed Policy #17-15: Creation of a Student Referendum on
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Divestment During the 2021-2022 Election.1
This Policy placed the following agree/disagree
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question on the ballot to be considered by all students who voted in the UPUA Elections:
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“Penn State should (1) commit to divestment from its long-term holdings in fossil fuel asset
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classes as quickly as possible; (2) release information about its current holdings in fossil fuels;
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and (3) publicly comment on the proposed divestiture.”
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The referendum question was accompanied by the following explanatory text:
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“Over the past five years, universities across the country have moved to divest from their long-
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term holdings in fossil fuel assets to demonstrate a stronger commitment to climate action. In
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March 2021, Rutgers University voted to divest after its student government hosted a referendum
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on the issue during its Fall 2020 elections. On March 17, 2021, The UPUA voted to support
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divestment with Resolution #56-15: “Calling on The Pennsylvania State University to
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Completely Divest from Fossil Fuel Holdings”. Furthermore, the Penn State Climate Action
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Petition is calling for divestment and has over 2,000 signatures from students in support of
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stronger commitments to sustainability by Penn State. A potential divestiture from fossil fuels by
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1 https://drive.google.com/file/d/10ZlmhuCAu2f1h6oDvHfk6Rd2iLdg7moY/view

2. an institution as large as Penn State would have far-reaching impacts, and the UPUA wants to
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ensure your student voice is heard on this important issue.”
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The UPUA Elections Commissioners counted 3307 total student votes. Of this, 2961 students
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agreed with the referendum question, while 288 students disagreed; 58 opted to skip the
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question.2
This demonstrated overwhelming student support-- about 90% of students who voted
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in the election agreed. In other words, approximately 7% of all University Park Undergraduate
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Students expressed collective support for a plan for Penn State to divest from its fossil fuel
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holdings.
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Fossil fuel divestment is not only a stronger approach to addressing climate action, but also a re-
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orientation of Penn State towards its ethical commitment to steward our planet’s resources, as
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prescribed by its Strategic Plan through 2026.3
Divestment is also one recommendation made by
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numerous climate action student groups.
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The Penn State Climate Action Petition is a University community petition asking Penn State to
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employ its vast resources to combat climate change and become a responsible leader in creating
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a more sustainable future.4
The following points are recommendations made by the Climate
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Action Petition that have been supported by over 2000 signatures:
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• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions as rapidly as possible, setting a specific date between
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2030 and 2040 for reaching net zero emissions.
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• Prioritize research efforts into carbon-capture technology, agricultural carbon
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sequestration, and carbon neutral fuels, and using our institutional partnerships to
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accelerate their deployment.
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• Divest from fossil fuels and invest in the green economy, especially energy efficiency,
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renewable energy sources, and zero-emissions transportation.
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• Reallocate a portion of the existing student fee towards sustainability initiatives.
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• Improve efforts to incorporate sustainability education into existing curriculum.
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• Create a Climate Action Commission made up of Penn State experts charged with the
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capacity to study, set policy, assess and publish progress on our climate commitments.
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On November 4, 2020, the 15th
Assembly of the UPUA passed Resolution #38-15: Support of
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the Demands made by the PSU Climate Action Petition.5
Resolution #38-15 expressed student
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body support for the recommendations above. This resolution also elaborated on the legislative
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charges of the Standing Committees in ways that aligned with the Petition’s advocacy and
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promoted the vision of a sustainable university; the Speaker and all five Chairs of the 15th
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2 https://twitter.com/UPUA_Elections/status/1377450952769339393
3 https://strategicplan.psu.edu/plan/thematic-priorities/stewarding-our-planets-resources/
4 https://psuclimateaction.weebly.com/sign-the-petition.html
5 https://drive.google.com/file/d/10ZlmhuCAu2f1h6oDvHfk6Rd2iLdg7moY/view

3. Assembly co-sponsored the Resolution, indicating a leadership commitment to addressing
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sustainability-related initiatives within their respective committees.
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Special thanks to Siddhi Deshpande, Abbie La Porta, Divya Jain, Juhi Tanniru, Kelly
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Matuszewski, and every student who has passionately advocated for climate action at Penn
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State.
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Recommended Course of Action:
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The University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), on behalf of the University Park
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Undergraduate Student Body, and in accordance with the results of the Student Referendum on
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the topic, hereby supports divestment from Penn State’s financial holdings in fossil fuels, which
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represent about 2% of Penn State’s total investments. We urge the University Leadership—
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namely, the Board of Trustees and the Office of the President—to publish a response regarding
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the proposed divestiture and to create a timeline by which Penn State will entirely divest from
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fossil fuels.
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The UPUA officially supports the entirety of the demands described by the Penn State Climate
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Action Petition and will thematically prioritize sustainability advocacy, projects, and goals
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within each of its Legislative Standing Committees during 16th
Assembly.
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The UPUA plans to collaborate with the other Penn State Student Governments (viz.: GPSA,
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WCSG, and CCSG) and the Association of Big Ten Students (ABTS) to create a comprehensive
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resolution in support of fossil fuel divestment in the near future.
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Respectfully submitted,
Noah Robertson
College of the Liberal Arts Representative
Steven Zhang
At-Large Representative
Hope Steger
At-Large Representative
Matthew DeAngelis
At-Large Representative
Sean Terrey
At-Large Representative
Rayna Alexander
At-Large Representative

4. Committee Vote: Y/N/A
Assembly Vote: Y/N/A
Speaker of the Assembly ________________________________________________
President of the Student Body ________________________________________________
The University Park Undergraduate Association