To the President of Virginia Tech,

The students of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to call on you to direct the Virginia Tech Foundation to divest our endowment from all financial investments in coal, oil, and natural gas companies. We find these investments to be at odds with the goals expressed in the University’s mission statement, such as “advancing social and community development, fostering economic competitiveness, and improving the quality of life.” Our University’s land grant ethos directs us to “develop new knowledge and applying it to critical needs of the times.” The biggest issue facing our generation is climate change. We want Virginia Tech to truly Invent the Future and lead the charge to confront this threat head-on rather than support and profit from companies perpetuating this disaster. Therefore, we demand that the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University fulfill the following:

1. Freeze new investments in the fossil fuel industry.

2. Divest and implement screens to ensure their portfolios are fossil free within the next 5 years.

3. Reinvest 5% of their endowment into community and energy solutions like credit unions and revolving loan funds.

The Students of Virginia Tech