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The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

GU Fossil Free Storms Stage During World Bank President’s Speech

GU Fossil Free stormed the Gaston Hall stage today following a speech by World Bank Group President Dr. Jim Yong Kim on climate change.

During the transition from Kim’s speech to a question-and-answer session, three members of GU Fossil Free walked onto the stage and unfurled a large banner. In addition, three other members of the group stood in the question-and-answer session line to ask Kim about his thoughts on the divestment movement.

The large homemade banner read: “‘CORPORATE LEADERS SHOULD NOT WAIT TO ACT UNTIL MARKET SIGNALS ARE RIGHT & NATIONAL INVESTMENT POLICIES ARE IN PLACE.’ – Jim Yong Kim GEORGETOWN, DIVEST NOW GU Fossil Free.”

Vice President for Global Engagement Thomas Banchoff, who moderated the event, paused and looked at the sign with Kim, before inviting Kim to sit down for questions despite the interruption. Several Georgetown University Police Department officers approached GU Fossil Free on stage and escorted them down the steps after around five minutes. The officers took the names and Georgetown IDs of each GU Fossil Free member on stage, which included Patricia Cippolitti (SFS’15), Chloe Lazarus (COL’16) and Elaine Colligan (SFS’15).

Cipollitti said that GU Fossil Free did not intend to criticize Kim, but instead to use his speech as a platform to spread its message.

“We wanted to use this opportunity to let the audience know, at Georgetown and worldwide, that Georgetown has a campaign to divest from fossil fuels and Georgetown as an institution has a role to play in solving the very problem that Jim Kim was talking about,” Cipollitti said.

Cipollitti said she was pleased with the demonstration and GU Fossil Free’s discussion with Kim about divestment during the question-and-answer session.

“I think it went well,” Cipollitti said. “I’m happy that we were able to get our message across and I’m happy that three GU Fossil Free members were asking a question related to divestment as we were physically representing our campaign.”

GU Fossil Free members have worked with university administrators over the past months after they developed a proposal requesting that the university divest from the top 200 fossil fuel companies. The Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility voted against GU Fossil Free’s proposal in late January, and proposed an alternative solution, which includes targeted divestment and continued assessment of the university’s investments. The group also met with five members of the university’s board of directors in mid-February, and the board will discuss GU Fossil Free and CISR’s proposals at its meeting in May.

Requests for comment have been issued to Banchoff, a representative from the university board of directors and GUPD Chief Jay Gruber. A full story will appear in Friday’s print edition of The Hoya.

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  • H

    HoyaSaxaMar 22, 2015 at 12:23 pm

    All of you saying that this was unprofessional and disrespectful should seriously take a history lesson. You might be surprised to find yourselves on the same side as those opposed to Rosa Parks, pioneering black and female students who were the first members of their groups to enroll in universities, and even the members of the Continental Congress. That’s right, if there was a news story of Washington, Adams, Franklin and co. writing a letter to King George telling him they want autonomy for the colonies I suspect you’d call them disrespectful. Surely you aren’t un-American…

    Reply
    • S

      ScaevolaMar 22, 2015 at 7:41 pm

      As a history major, I have to say your grasp of the past is horribly lacking. Comparing this shameful action that embarrasses the university to Rosa Parks’ noble stand against injustice cheapens that noble stand, and is therefore an insult to Parks’ memory.

      What’s more troublesome is your ridiculous comparison to the Declaration of Independence. First of all, General Washington wasn’t even present for the resolving, drafting, and signing of the Declaration, he was off commanding the Continental Army. Second, you imply that this protest is analogous to the Declaration. In a way, you’re right – both groups of people here are “protesting” something. But that is where the comparison stops, and your inanity begins.

      Reply
    • A

      A StudentMar 22, 2015 at 8:12 pm

      The attempt to compare economically illiterate and misguided fools with Rosa Parks is the stupidest thing I have ever seen written on a Hoya article, even compared with the ramblings of the GU Fossil Free members above

      Reply
    • A

      asdfMar 23, 2015 at 12:28 pm

      Being opposed to this silly and impractical re-allocation of funds within an investment portfolio is not tantamount to opposing civil rights and supporting tyranny. It’s hyperbole like what you’ve just demonstrated that makes the rest of us laugh at movements such as divestment and organizations like GUFF.

      Reply
  • H

    HoyaAlumMar 19, 2015 at 11:06 am

    What naive and petulant children.

    Reply
  • H

    hoyalumMar 19, 2015 at 9:04 am

    If the Hoya really needed to report this, they should not have included the message of the disruptors. The story should have simply reported that the speech was disrupted by activists. By describing their messaging, the Hoya is complicit in the group’s agenda.

    Reply
  • S

    SFS17Mar 19, 2015 at 12:10 am

    This is absolutely ridiculous. They should face serious disciplinary consequences. Any other student would for doing exactly what they have done. Such a misguided group.

    Reply
    • C

      COL17Mar 19, 2015 at 3:32 pm

      Misguided because they recognize and want to change the fact that the university is investing in something that is not only causing immeasurable and irreversible damage to our earth, but also that has created a perpetual culture of injustice across the globe? Please check your ignorance before you decide to inflict your pretentious opinions on the rest of us.

      Reply
  • A

    A StudentMar 18, 2015 at 8:50 pm

    Can we just start arresting them whenever they do something idiotic like this?

    Reply
  • D

    D.P.Mar 18, 2015 at 8:30 pm

    This is just very poorly thought out. Stealing Dr. Kim’s spotlight in a formal event where he is an honored guest of the university does not get your message across, it simply makes GU Fossil Free seems unprofessional, desperate and irresponsible. Please just don’t do this again.

    Reply
    • C

      C2012Mar 18, 2015 at 9:24 pm

      “Unprofessional” – a campus activist group against fossil fuels storming the spotlight of a World Bank leader… I think you just wanted to say unprofessional…admit it, thats your world-view dichotomy…if you admit it you’ll still get a job after you graduate it’ll be ok.

      Reply
  • S

    SFS 16Mar 18, 2015 at 8:00 pm

    Someday these girls are going to look back on their participation in this and realize how ridiculous it all is. Embarrassing the University in front of distinguished guests and disrupting other students’ enjoyment of an accomplished speaker is just the latest in a series of misguided efforts to get a single mid-sized university to make a minuscule symbolic gesture that won’t impact any of these “evil” energy companies in the slightest but will undoubtedly diminish the ability of our already-insufficient endowment to serve students.

    Reply
    • C

      C2012Mar 18, 2015 at 9:29 pm

      You’re sounding a little crazy. We don’t get our endowment from the World Bank or its supporters. We get our endowment from WEALTHY ARABS GET IT RIGHT. Also we don’t get our endowment period because we pay for underprivileged student to attend our school. Your lack* of endowment should be something you’re proud of (sans dirty Middle East money). Secondly, if you actually are a 2016 student, you have so much nice crap. So much nice crap Gtown shelled out for that no one else has had so you shut your mouth and go to your campus bar. You are entitled.

      Thirdly, this form of activism IS FOR YOU HUMBLE STUDENT. So you think twice about fossil fuels and do your own damn research instead of playing a recording of your dad’s dad from Connecticut every time you speak. Stop being serious! Support these kids. Fact of the matter is NONE OF YOU will look back on anything but the positive times you spent in school, so enjoy it rather than thinking you’re in school to “enjoy” a bunch of talking heads.

      Reply
      • S

        ScaevolaMar 18, 2015 at 11:53 pm

        …that was unintelligible.

        Reply
    • 2

      2016Mar 19, 2015 at 3:04 pm

      Okay they didn’t do it disruptively or embarrass the university. they didn’t say anything; they just stood up and left when asked. They didn’t criticize Kim; they had a quote OF HIS on the banner. And they didn’t keep other students from enjoying the presentation. Don’t exaggerate.

      Reply
  • S

    ScaevolaMar 18, 2015 at 7:24 pm

    Absolutely disgraceful. There is a time and place for free speech, but interrupting the president of the World Bank in an attempt to draw yet more attention to a “movement” that frankly makes no fiscal sense is not one of them. This move on the part of Fossil Free does nothing to advance their aims, and embarrasses the university.

    Reply
    • C

      C2012Mar 18, 2015 at 9:22 pm

      “Fiscal sense” – buzz word!

      The World Bank is disgraceful. Take a night off your homework and actually read a book.

      Reply
    • C

      COL 2016Mar 19, 2015 at 3:01 pm

      The fossil free movement, first of all, IS a movement, whether or not you put quotations around it. Secondly, studies are beginning to show that there is nothing fiscally irresponsible about divesting from fossil fuels.

      Reply
    • G

      Go GUFFMar 19, 2015 at 3:33 pm

      “There is a time and a place for free speech”

      Reply
      • L

        Leeroy JenkinsMar 19, 2015 at 7:39 pm

        I think you might find it instructive to Google “time, place, and manner restrictions.” Free speech isn’t an absolute right, least of all at private university.

        Reply
        • L

          Leeroy JenkinsMar 19, 2015 at 7:41 pm

          *at a private university

          Reply