Columbia University Becomes First US College to Divest from Private Prison Industry

Columbia University's Board of Trustees made history on Monday by voting to support divestment from the private prison industry, a move that has significant implications for the country's higher education system. The decision comes after years of campaigning by student activists, including the Columbia Prison Divest (CPD) group, which has been pushing for the university to divest its endowment from private prison companies like G4S and the Corrections Corporations of America. The CPD's efforts, which began in February 2014, included hosting awareness weeks and rallies, including one outside of a class taught by University President Lee Bollinger.

Key Takeaways:

• Columbia University is the first college or university in the United States to divest from the private prison industry.
• The decision was made after the Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing (ACSRI) recommended prison divestment in April 2019.
• The university will divest its stocks from private prison companies like G4S and refrain from investing in private prison companies in the future.
• The Columbia Prison Divest (CPD) group campaigned for over five years, including hosting two awareness weeks and several rallies, to bring attention to the issue.
• CPD core organizer Dunni Oduyemi said that while the decision is a validation of their efforts, it is also a reminder of the power of student activism.
• The decision is a major step forward in the country's ongoing discussion of mass incarceration, but anti-carceral activism on campus is far from complete, according to Oduyemi.

Statistics:

• February 2014: CPD begins campaigning for the university to divest its endowment from G4S and the Corrections Corporations of America.
• April 2019: ACSRI recommends prison divestment.
• April 2019: CPD organizes a sit-in and teach-in for nearly five hours in Low Library to pressure Bollinger to bring prison divestment to the Board of Trustees.
• May 2019: Bollinger sends an email to the Columbia community in support of divestment from private prisons.
• As of June 2019: Columbia University is the first college or university in the United States to divest from the private prison industry.

Sources:

• Columbia University press release
• Spectator article by teo armus
• Columbia Prison Divest official statement
• Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing (ACSRI) recommendation
• CPD's social media posts documenting their campaigns and activism.