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Dores Divest protested the event as a result of the university’s continued investment in fossil fuels. Student activists handed out brochures created by sophomore and Dores Divest member Will Coburn titled, “CHANCELLOR, THIS IS WHY YOUR STUDENTS WON’T CELEBRATE YOU.

National Coverage Washington Post Guardian Reuters Grist Politico CommonDreams EcoWatch Bizjournals Energy News Network Local News Vanderbilt Hustler The Nashville Scene Complaints claim failure to divest violates the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act For years, students around the country have argued that their universities’ fossil fuel investments are immoral.

Above: Chancellor Daniel Diermeier advises fossil fuel executives from his Kirkland Hall office during a keynote panel titled “Managing Perceptions” at the 2020 International Pipeline Conference. Conference registrants and/or sponsors included Enbridge, ExxonMobil, and Marathon Petroleum.

On Dec. 1, former Vice President Al Gore—who was once enrolled in Vanderbilt’s Divinity School and later enrolled in the Law School—explicitly endorsed Vanderbilt’s divestment from fossil fuels. He was invited on campus to speak at the Unity and American Democracy class about the connections between the climate crisis and issues in democracy.