On Thursday undergraduate students voted on a referendum, put on by MUSG, to gauge support for fossil fuel divestment . For Marquette, fossil fuel divestment would entail selling off their investments in fossil fuel companies that are part of the university’s $700 million endowment fund.
An endowment fund is a group of investments and financial assets owned by the university.
Voters were asked, “Do you support Marquette University’s financial divestment from companies directly involved in fossil fuel extraction & distribution as outlined in the attached document?”
Of the 1553 voters, 87% supported the move to divest. 1704 of the eligible 7196 undergraduate students voted. This amounts to an overall turnout rate of 23.7%. The turnout rate for March 2021 MUSG election was 24.3%.
The results of the referendum does not mean that the university plans to divest. It just shows that the majority of students that voted support the move to divest from fossil fuel companies.
This story was written by Megan Woolard. She can be reached at [email protected]
