Student’s Direct Action leads to Wesleyan University President’s Endorsement of Prison Divestment
Middletown CT — 37 Wesleyan students sat in on President Michael Roth’s office yesterday and today demanding divestment from fossil fuels, the Israeli occupation and the prison industrial complex. This morning, they left with Roth’s endorsement of prison divestment and commitment to further dialogue on divestment from fossil fuels and the Israeli occupation.
President Roth agreed to investigate the current status of the university’s investments in private prisons, to publicly state his endorsement of prison divestment, and proceed to support divestment of any holdings Wesleyan may have.
Students arrived in the president’s office at noon on Thursday, marking the anniversary of President Roth’s participation in a sit-in for divestment from South African Apartheid as a Wesleyan student in 1978. Following a meeting with the President, the Coalition released a list of demands providing the conditions that would have to be met for the sit-in to end. They stayed until 10:45 pm when they left in order to lessen the burden on campus safety officers, returning at 7:30 this morning.
At 8:00am, the Coalition for Divestment and Transparency met with President Roth in his office again to negotiate the terms of the Coalition’s demands regarding divestment from private prisons. It was at this point that President Roth conceded to the demands stated above.
“Such investments have no place in our portfolio,” Roth said, referring to private prisons.
The process of divestment requires approval and implementation by the Investment Committee, and approval by the Board of Trustees. Irregardless of Board action, President Roth’s public endorsement serves as a symbolic refutation of the unjust nature of the prison industrial complex.
“Wesleyan doesn’t want to participate in making profits from prisons,” Roth said in the meeting. “I see this as part of our overall effort to combat the dehumanizing dimensions of the American prison complex.”
The Coalition for Divestment and Transparency are celebrating these commitments from President Roth as a success from the action, as most of the demands issued were met. However, they maintain that there is still substantial work to be done. They intend to continue negotiating with the President regarding prison divestment, as well as divestment from fossil fuels and the Israeli occupation.
“This result shows that student power is real power and that you can be morally conscious and effective,” said Wesleyan sophomore Yael Horowitz.