By Dan FletcherThe Daily Northwestern
The sing-song chant of the protesters rang out as they marched from The Rock to University’s President Henry Bienen’s office.
“Hey Bienen, we’ve got pride. Divest us from this genocide.”
But Bienen had nothing to say back to the more than 75 protesters who participated – at least not yet.
The group, led by the Northwestern University Darfur Action Coalition, will have to wait for an answer on whether NU will continue to remove all university investments in companies doing business in the Sudan.
Nevertheless, Weinberg sophomore and NUDAC Coordinator Alyssa Huff said she was happy with the show of support, which included hand delivering more than 1,800 signed postcards to Bienen’s office asking for further action.
“It’s a great show of support,” Huff said. “It’s inspiring that we can get this many people out here who care about the genocide.”
Since 2003, more than 200,000 people have been killed in the Darfur region of the Sudan. U.S. companies have been banned from doing business with the Sudanese government, but companies in China and elsewhere still have interests in the region.
Huff said NUDAC was told by NU Chief Investment Officer William McLean that the university likely still has investments in four companies doing business with the Sudanese government.
However, Bienen said the issue isn’t simple.
“Almost all our holdings in the Sudan are indirect,” he said. “We don’t own shares. We own funds, index funds, whatever.”
A distinction needs to be made between companies as well, Bienen said.
“There’s a difference between a company that sells toothpaste in Sudan and one that sells weapons,” he said. “There’s things in between too, of course.”
Bienen said the university received a letter from U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., commending the university for action it has already taken.
In 2005, the university instructed the firms that invest money on its behalf to sell any holdings in four companies identified as supporting the Sudanese government.
NU recognizes the need to continue the effort, Bienen said.
“I’ve directed the investment office to continue looking,” Bienen said. “(NUDAC) can inundate me with postcards all they want.”
Huff said while she appreciates the administration’s efforts so far, more still needs to be done to solve the problem. She defended the wording of the postcards and flyers NUDAC has distributed around campus, which state that tuition dollars should not be used to support a genocide.
“The point of the flyers is to say that unless we divest, NU’s reputation as an institution is that we are funding genocide,” she said.
Huff said NUDAC’s best-case scenario is that the financial committee of NU’s Board of Trustees calls for further divestment during its meeting today.
Protesters said they were pleased with the event, which shut down Sheridan Road for two minutes while protesters crossed the street en masse.
“It’s a great success after all the work we put into it,” said Communication freshman and NUDAC member Lauren C. Virnoche, a Daily staffer. “It’s a great turnout. We’re certainly happy with everyone who showed up.”
Medill senior Nathan Edwards said he thought it was necessary to be at the rally in order to make his views known.
“It’s important to show that people matter more than profit,” he said.
Reach Dan Fletcher at [email protected].
