Lafayette Condemns Genocide in Darfur

In accordance with a resolution adopted by Lafayette’s Board of Trustees, the College issued the following statement today condemning the genocide in Sudan:

Lafayette College expresses its outrage at the continuing, mounting evidence that the government of Sudan is committing and/or condoning genocide against the people of its Darfur region. On July 23, 2004, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives unanimously adopted a joint resolution declaring the atrocities in Darfur to be genocide. A January 2005 report by the United Nations recognized that elements of genocide are evident in the gross violations of human rights perpetrated by Sudanese government forces and the militias under their control. On June 2, 2005, President Bush reiterated that the U.S. government believes genocide is taking place in Darfur.

In January 2006, Lafayette established a joint adhoc committee of trustees, faculty, administrators, and students to review the situation in Darfur and consider what actions might be appropriate in response to the human atrocities being committed daily in the Darfur region of Sudan. This committee will ultimately make recommendations to the Board of Trustees concerning how the college should respond programmatically and institutionally in the future to issues of grave social and moral concern to the Lafayette community.

The first issue addressed by the adhoc committee was the investment of the College’s endowment. The College does not hold investments directly; rather, it invests through external investment managers who are responsible for investment selection. For that reason, the College’s Investment Committee sent letters on October 4, 2006, to Lafayette’s external investment managers educating them about the situation in the Sudan, informing them of the College’s outrage at the genocide occurring there, and advising them of the College’s request that its external investment managers not invest Lafayette funds with multinational companies that the College has determined have direct business ties to the Sudanese government and whose actions are believed to further the continuing genocide.

At its October 21, 2006, meeting, the Board of Trustees:

• Ratified the action taken by the Investment Committee in communicating with the College’s investment managers about the atrocities in Darfur;

• Resolved that Lafayette communicate to faculty, students, prospective students, alumni, staff, and other College constituencies a statement condemning the genocide in Sudan. The statement also will be placed on the Lafayette web site and in printed alumni communications;

• Resolved that Lafayette develop an educational program and potentially other responses to heighten awareness among the College’s constituencies regarding the abhorrent violations of human rights committed by the Sudanese government within the Darfur region.

• Charged the adhoc committee with recommending to the Board of Trustees an ongoing institutional process that can be followed in the future should issues of grave moral and social concern arise that would warrant an institutional response.