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Students and alumni urge WSU Board to research fossil‑fuel divestment, cite ESG options
Summary
Two speakers from Fossil Free WSU asked the Board of Regents to form a research team to evaluate divesting the WSU consolidated endowment from fossil fuels and said they plan to file a complaint with the state attorney general over potential UPFIMA violations.
Two members of the WSU community urged regents on Jan. 24 to investigate whether the Washington State University Foundation's endowment investments align with the university's sustainability commitments and state law.
"I urge you, members of the board, to create a team to look into the issue of divesting the consolidated endowment from fossil fuels," William Ingalls, a WSU graduate and member of Fossil Free WSU, told regents during the public comment period. Ingalls repeated a request he had made at a prior meeting and said his group planned a "highly publicized and widely endorsed complaint letter to state Attorney General Brown" alleging potential violation of provisions of the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA).
Gil Rezin, a third‑year computer science student and Fossil Free WSU member, told regents that WSU's sustainability commitments are undermined if the foundation continues to invest in fossil fuels. He referenced the WSU Executive Committee on Sustainability's prior recommendations and said the foundation's 2021 adoption of environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment approaches suggested divestment was possible.
Regents did not take action during the meeting on divestment and the public comment period concluded with no board deliberation on the request. The speakers' filings and any follow‑up by the board or foundation would be public records should the groups submit formal complaints.
