Day of Action

As a day of action, we’re asking people to call in & write in to the UMN Board of Regents to demand they adhere to their socially responsible investments policy, listen to student voices, and divest.

You can contact the Board of Regents here: https://regents.umn.edu/board-office/contact
https://regents.umn.edu/about-board/meet-regents
Phone: 612-625-6300
Fax: 612-624-3318

You can contact the office of the president here:
upres@umn.edu

Our template for emails/calls:

Hello,

I am [an undergraduate student, graduate student, community member, etc] of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. I am calling/writing in support of the UMN Divest movement. Two weeks ago, the students of the University of Minnesota voted in favor of a referendum put forth by UMN Divest.

The referendum question stated: Should the students of the University of Minnesota demand the Board of Regents divest from companies that are 1) complicit in Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights, 2) maintaining and establishing private prisons and immigration detention centers, or 3) violating indigenous sovereignty?

Recently, the Socially Responsible Investments (SRI) policy was proposed to change to say “the University shall consider environmental, social, and governance responsibilities in its investments.” This change in policy, along with the growing number of students and community members demanding for divestment through the UMN Divest campaign, demonstrates the need for the Board of Regents to meet the demands of the students they serve. We demand the Board of Regents hold a public form to establish a divestment plan and discuss all of our concerns.

[for student/faculty members] When I accepted an offer from the University of Minnesota to become a part of this academic community, I did not co-sign for the University to be a partner in oppressing marginalized communities. You must recognize that in investing in corporations complicit in the human rights violations of Palestinians, the expansion of the prison industrial complex, and violations of Indigenous sovereignty, you are also investing in the ongoing oppression of many members of the University community, especially students marginalized along the lines of race, Indigeneity and class. As a member of the University of Minnesota community committed to anti-oppression work, I urge you to divest now. I refuse to let the blood on your hands stain my own.