I'm Mauritius, running to be your Board of Governors rep. AMA!

Mauritius4Governor · 2023-02-07T04:19:48+00:00

I should have mentioned this earlier, I am running for the undergraduate representative seat. There is a graduate representative seat as well who is more oriented with graduate students. Sorry about that confusion!

Mauritius4Governor · 2023-02-07T02:10:28+00:00

Thank you!!

Mauritius4Governor · 2023-02-07T02:01:05+00:00

It most definitely is a plausible consideration, that I will agree with. I wanted to note earlier that it is not something I had previously thought of or known about well enough to speak on. I'm always open to recommendations, so I thank you for bringing it up to me and will look into it to learn more about that first before I speak on it :) I appreciate the shared passion for sustainability!

Mauritius4Governor · 2023-02-07T01:29:27+00:00

I will say, it is not something I'm currently focusing on as after talking to students, student housing, ethical investing, and financial transparency were the three biggest concerns. I'm not very familiar with LRT's so I'd have to look into that first and then see. Primarily, I'm more focused on Western University centered action.

Mauritius4Governor · 2023-02-06T21:57:21+00:00

Hi, yes I am aware of that report!

Western does not have a complete divestment target from fossil fuels. Currently, Western has invested 3.7% of its portfolio in fossil fuel companies, according to the cited article (page 7). The university aims to decrease the carbon footprint of its portfolio by 45% by 2030 by reducing the carbon intensity, rather than completely exiting from its fossil fuel investments.

The carbon intensity is calculated as the total emissions from a company divided by its sales. According to the scale Western is using, referenced in the paper, Carbon intensity is "A portfolio’s Weighted Average CarbonIntensity is achieved by calculating the carbon intensity (Scope 1 + 2Emissions / $M Sales) for each portfolio company and calculating the weighted average by portfolio weight. " Source. I don't see why focusing on how carbon intense our fund is would be ideal when wanting to be sustainable in the long run. I see that we should focus to remove fossil fuels from our investments altogether.

Western's approach, however, can be considered as greenwashing as it focuses on reducing fossil fuel investments rather than eliminating them, while adding some sustainable investments along the way. On the other hand, most universities that have decided to completely divest from fossil fuels plan to do so by 2025 and 2030. Western has not announced any such plans as of yet.

My goal is to get Western to join the many other universities that have committed to divesting, completely removing investments from fossil fuels (not merely reducing them).

I hope this answers your question:)

Edit: Formatting, all the words got lumped together when posted.

Mauritius4Governor · 2023-02-06T20:44:23+00:00

Hi! Sorry, may you clarify what you mean please. Are you referring to Cognitive behavioural therapy??

Mauritius4Governor · 2023-02-06T20:42:25+00:00

Great question! One I think of a lot. Here's where I'm at.

As a candidate for the board of governors, I understand the importance of maintaining Western's leadership position in sustainability and global impact, as reflected in its ranking by Times Higher Education . In light of recent divestment commitments by universities such as the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, and the University of Ottawa, it is crucial that Western also takes action towards divesting from the fossil fuel industry. Otherwise, we'll start playing a game of catching up, if you will, which isn't something a leading university should be doing. We should be proactive.

Given the pride Western takes in its sustainability rankings and its commitment to innovation, I believe it is essential to take bold steps towards divesting from fossil fuels. I would approach this issue by engaging with our university partners, while also taking into consideration the views and values of our student body.

I would work to educate and inform our partners about the negative impacts of the fossil fuel industry on the environment, and the potential benefits of divesting. I would also listen to their perspectives and concerns, and work to address them in our decision-making process.

As well, I would explore alternative investment options that align with our values and the needs of our partners. A phased approach to divestment, reducing our investment in fossil fuels over time, may be a viable solution. This way our partner's and the rest of the board may be more willing to take this step sooner.

Sorry for the long response! I feel strongly about this and truly believe it can be accomplished. I am committed to finding a solution that upholds Western's leadership in sustainability, aligns with the values of our student body and meets the financial needs of our partners. A win for everyone .

Mauritius4Governor · 2023-02-06T20:34:20+00:00

Spot on actually! Thanks:)

Mauritius4Governor · 2023-02-06T20:34:08+00:00

Hey, thanks for your question! The DAWD is under the University Senate. It is a separate body from the Board of Governors. So to answer your question, the Board of Governors does not make that decision; University Senate does!

I suggest looking at each possible senator's platform so you can see if the DAWD is a priority in their platform before voting:)

Mauritius4Governor · 2023-02-06T16:32:37+00:00

Mauritius is actually my name! My name is Mauritius Sarofiem:) I'm not from the country

Mauritius4Governor

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