Student: THE REASON WHY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE UNM  FOUNDATION TO DIVEST FROM FOSSIL FUEL IS BECAUSE WE  UNDERSTAND THAT FOSSIL FUELS AND THE CLIMATE CRISIS ARE  PROGRESSIVELY RUINING OUR LIVES, OUR PLANET, OUR  BEAUTIFUL WORLD.

WHEN UNM IS ACTIVELY INVESTING  IN THESE COMPANIES, THEY ARE KIND OF, IN A WAY, KILLING US  AND IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO DIVEST BECAUSE IF WE WANT TO  HAVE A FUTURE THEN WE CAN'T BE INVESTING IN FOSSIL FUELS.

AS AN INSTITUTION, UNIVERSITY, IS HELPING US GET DEGREES,  HELPING US GET JOBS, EXPERIENCE, MENTORSHIP AND IT  SEEMS KIND OF HYPOCRITICAL FOR THEM TO BE PUSHING US TO  GRADUATE AND TO FIND ALL THESE WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES OUT IN  THE WORLD WHILE THEY ARE ACTIVELY DESTROYING IT FOR US.

Noriega: MOST OF THE UNIVERSITIES HERE IN THE  UNITED STATES INVEST IN FOSSIL FUELS, HARVARD, ACTUALLY,  ACCOMPLISHED DIVEST FROM FOSSIL FUELS.

WE TOOK THAT AS INSPIRATION  AND WE ARE SAYING IF THEY CAN DO IT, WE CAN DO IT, TOO.

SO  THAT IS OUR GOAL.

Alcott: CLIMATE CHANGE IS  VERY IMPORTANT TO ME.

I THINK AS AN INDIGENOUS  PERSON I HAVE WITNESSED LIKE HOW THE LAND AND MY PEOPLE AND  MY CULTURE AND MY LANGUAGE ARE KIND OF TIED TOGETHER WITH IT.

SO, WHEN MY TRIBAL PEOPLE AND MY COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES  ADVERSE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IT IS MORE DIRECT AND  MORE INTIMATE AND MORE PERSONAL AT THIS POINT LIKE IT  IMPACTS CULTURE AND LANGUAGE AND JUST LIKE THOSE TIED  TOGETHER.

Noriega: I KNOW WE CAN'T  CONVINCE EVERYONE TO CARE ABOUT THE WORLD OR AT LEAST,  LIKE, ADVOCATE LIKE US, BUT, I JUST WANTED THEM TO UNDERSTAND  WHAT WE ARE FIGHTING FOR AND IF THEY HAVE A GOOD LIFE, LIKE  THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY AND WORK AND EXPERIENCE  DIFFERENT THINGS, THEY SHOULD AT LEAST CARE THAT OUR FUTURE  IS THE SAME.

Jenkins-Nieto: IT WAS AFTER  WE WERE TALKING AND SHE SAID  IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN HELP YOU WITH AND SO WE WERE KIND  OF ASKING HER ABOUT DIVESTMENT AND CLIMATE ACTION IN GENERAL  AND SHE SAID THAT DIVESTMENT ACTION WASN'T ON THEIR  PRIORITY LIST, WHICH I AM NOT SURPRISED ABOUT, BUT THAT THEY  WERE WORKING ON SOME KIND OF ACTION PLAN, SUSTAINABILITY,  BROADLY.

IT MIGHT NOT JUST BE  ENVIRONMENTAL STUFF SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, BUT SHE  SAID THEY ARE HOPING TO HAVE IT READY BY FEBRUARY.

Alcott: WE HAVE CONTINUOUSLY ASKED UNM, WE  HAVE HAD RALLIES AND PROTESTS AND DELIVERED A LETTER,  ATTENDED MEETINGS AND WRITTEN RESOLUTIONS AND SO BEING  CONSTANTLY IGNORED AND PUSHED TO THE BOTTOM OF AGENDAS, THAT  IS WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY AND WHY WE FILED THE COMPLAINT IN  GENERAL BECAUSE WE CAN NO LONGER WAIT AND SIT AROUND AND  JUST CONTINUE TO BE IGNORED SO  I THINK THAT IS THE MESSAGE OF TODAY IS THAT WE ARE GOING TO  KEEP COMING AND KEEP PROTESTING AND RALLYING.