UPDATE: On January 31st, just four days after over 100 USC students gathered in Hahn plaza to demand financial transparency, The Daily Trojan has confirmed that USC has at least $277 Million invested in Fossil Fuels.

When President Carol Folt was announced as the 12th President of The University of Southern California, she promised that sustainability would be one of her top priorities. We, the USC student body, are demanding that she make good on that promise by divesting USC's $5.54 billion endowment from the fossil fuel industry.

Despite knowing the consequences of climate collapse for decades, the fossil fuel industry has continued to actively discredit scientific research, lobby against common-sense climate policy, and mortgage the future of our planet for short term profit.

As a premier academic and research university that claims to value truth, respect for others, and integrity, it is unacceptable that we continue to support an industry that consistently undercuts our collective values.

President Folt has agreed to meet with representatives from the Environmental Student Assembly and Environmental Core to discuss divestment in coming weeks. This petition exists to show President Folt and the administration that the USC student body cares about sustainability, the environment, and USC staying true to its values.

With your help, we can make USC the largest university to ever divest from fossil fuels and begin a new era of responsibility, integrity, and sustainability on campus.