Additionally, they request that she publicly state that she supports recent fossil fuel divestment efforts on the UCSB and SBCC campuses, and that she encourage other local institutions to divest as well.
See the letter, delivered to her office on May 15, 2013, below:
May 15, 2013
Dear Mayor Helene Schneider,
We are a group of UCSB faculty in support of the fossil fuel divestment campaigns sweeping universities, cities, churches and other institutions right now. There have been resolutions passed by both the UCSB and SBCC student senates to have their campuses divest from the fossil fuel industry and there is a campaign now among faculty at UCSB to call on our faculty Legislature to do the same.
Some of us have been in contact with organizers from the group 350 Santa Barbara who say they have been in communication with you about fossil fuel divestment. It is our understanding that you told them the city of Santa Barbara divested long ago. We think it would make a strong statement to publicly state that the city has already divested and will not invest in any fossil fuel companies in the future, and that you support these recent campus divestment initiatives, and that you hope other local institutions will consider divesting as well. It is in the interest of the economy, the public’s health and general welfare, and our globally shared environment that we support these divestment initiatives wherever they may continue cropping up.
Great changes start with small steps. Please join us in taking those steps now. The whole world is waiting.
Sincerely,
John Foran, Sociology
Harold Marcuse, History
Paul Spickard, Asian-American Studies
David Lopez-Carr, Geography
Greg Mohr, Environmental Studies
Casey Walsh, Anthropology
David Cleveland, Environmental Studies
Aashish Mehta, Global & Int St
Celia Alario, Environmental Studies
Chris Newfield, English
Stephanie LeMenager, English
Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi, Sociology
Leila Rupp, Feminist Studies
Richard Appelbaum, Global & Int St
Nancy Gallagher, History
ann-elise Lewallen, East Asian Languages
Maria Charles, Sociology
Bruce Bimber, Political Science
Barbara Harthorn, Feminist Studies
Catherine Nesci, French
Bodo Bookhagen, Geography
Mary Hancock, Anthropology
Diane Fujino, Asian-American Studies
Grace Chang, Feminist Studies
Kum-Kum Bhavnani, Sociology
Elisabeth Weber, German
Ruth Hellier-Tinoco, Music
Aranye Fradenburg, English
Lisa Parks, Film and Media Studies
Marc McGinnes, Environmental Studies
Raymond Clemençon, Global & Int St
Catherine Gautier, Geography
Veronica Castillo-Munoz, History
Rita Raley, English
Sharon Farmer, History
Jeffrey Hoelle, Anthropology
Aranye Fradenburg, English
Stephanie LeMenager, English
Patricia Clancy, Linguistics
Claudio Fogu, Italian
Eileen Boris, Feminist Studies
Howard Winant, Sociology
Celia Alario, Environmental Studies
Arturo Keller, BREN School
Ralph Armbruster-Sandoval, Chicana Studies
Julie Carlson, English
Mayfair Yang, Religious Studies
Tim Cooley, Music
Roberto Strongman, Black Studies