A Not So Inactive Swarthmore Alum

This blog post will be a bit of a deterant from my intention for this blog. I hope in publishing it I may further my argument that it is possible to care about the world and fashion. The two passions are not mutually exclusive. I was apart of a group called Mountain Justice at my college that took it upon themselves to do what they could as students to aid environmental activisim. We came to the conclusion that by targeting the institutions endowment, as a financial supporter of the extractive industry, we could bring about change in a very real way. The group has recently made headlines, and I cannot express how proud of them that I am. I have not been very diligent in my help from the outside, but when I received an envelope from the alumni office with a packet detailing the beauty of giving back, I sat down and wrote a letter I had been meaning to write for some time. I also want to welcome any person to use this letter in any manner that they see fit.

So here it is.

In the hopes that I can add something to the google search when people are looking up Swarthmore College.

Dear Swarthmore College Alumni Office,

        I would be happy to support this institution with whatever meager funds I had if I felt that it currently upheld the noble morals it tries to impart to its students.

If there is one important lesson I have learned from this institution-to be sure there are many- it is the political significance of a dollar bill. I am expressing my right as a citizen and voicing my opinion as a member of the alumni community.

        We can no longer stand in the Ivory tower and criticize the operation of other institutions without critically looking at our own. It is the definition of hypocrisy to hold others to the moral standards we ourselves do not abide to.

         Swarthmore Mountain Justice’s campaign has met with pessimistic response. Some of the items brought up were valid questions. However much of the discussion has been clouded by circuitous argument, or the revisiting of issues that have already been raised and answered. I am not advocating for blind support, nor am I writing on behalf of this group. I only intend to use their campaign, and my experience with the group as an important influence on how I understand the issue at hand.

        The problem is not disagreement, but an unwillingness to try out new options. When we are presented with a challenge are we not taught to create solutions that are then to be tested out? When has it ever been taught that we should sit back and wait for problems to sort out themselves? Since the 1970s- some cases go back even further- people have been trying to fight climate change and mankinds inclination to exploit their finite natural resources. Yet we still find ourselves in the position we are in, and our tactics have not changed much. Why do we continue to do the same things and expect different results? Because we are academics, and as long as our comfort is not at risk we continue to fight for the oppressed and voiceless from a distance. We take note of the erratic weather, but it does not disrupt our studies, we still have the ability to import bananas from South America and light the countless unused rooms on campus. We congratulate ourselves on using LED light bulbs but don’t get at the real root of the problem. A bandage may hide the effects of gangrene for a time, but it does not cure the body. It cannot.

        I cannot say that I believe that global warming will stop the moment Swarthmore College divests from these industries. The damage there is already done, now we are gambling with the amount of time we want left. The status quo, though, is not enough. The Green Movement cannot match the exponential speed at which climate change is occurring. As the largest consumers of these products, we have the privilege of being sheltered from the irreversible damage we are causing. I understand there is no need to persuade anyone of the reality of climate change. What is astounding is that with our collective understanding there is still a hesitation to do something productive about it.

        So I am taking a stand. It is the only move I have as far as Swarthmore is concerned, but I hope that it has the potential to encourage someone else to evaluate their position and the potential power therein. I understand that a dollar has the potential to speak louder than any human with a megaphone. So I am lobbying for our survival.

        I know that this office does not control this decision, but in whatever small way it will be affected by it. This school instilled in me the importance of feedback. So here it is. As there was no form inside of the envelope I decided to give my two cents. Figuratively obviously.

        

        Until Swarthmore divests from the industries that make a profit off of destroying this planet, I cannot invest in Swarthmore.

Call me crazy, but making a gamble against the survival of this planet seems like a poor investment.

sincerely,

Ryane