A nonbinding student referendum at Marquette University calls for the school to divest its endowment from fossil fuels and for greater transparency about the endowment s investments. Image: Milwaukee campus of Marquette University, pictured in summer 2019 (CNS/Courtesy of Marquette University)
Students voting in a referendum at Marquette University last week issued a resounding endorsement for the Jesuit school to divest its $693 million endowment from stocks in the fossil fuel industry, and now await a response from school officials.
In a nonbinding vote at the Milwaukee school on April 22, Earth Day, undergraduates overwhelmingly supported a five-year divestment plan, with 87% voting yes. Roughly 24% of the 7,000-plus undergraduate student body took part in the vote.