| | Welcome to our April newsletter! There is a lot happening over here at UnKoch My Campus, so please take a moment to check out what we've been working on, review our updated Model Funding Policy, and find out what we're reading and watching. |
| ALERT: KOCH AND THE CLIMATE CRISIS |
| On the heels of Earth Day, we're releasing a new infographic that demonstrates the connection between the Koch network and the spread of legislation aimed at protecting fossil fuel companies from divestment attempts. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has received millions from Charles Koch, and has been extremely busy spending all that money, not only creating model climate related legislation that is being used in various states, but drafting ones that target anti-divestment campaigns as well. |
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| | Two of our student organizers, Katarina Sousa and Jake Lowe, have written an article for Power Shift Network's blog. Their piece tackles the Climate Change Counter Movement — “a loosely affiliated network of organizations dedicated to funding universities, think tanks, and other groups that they believe will contribute to the protection of the free market, no matter the ecological cost,” including the Charles Koch Foundation, DonorsTrust, and the DeVos Family. |
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| | | There's a new PBS Frontline three-part docuseries out now that you're not going to want to miss. 'The Power of Big Oil,' tackles the industry's attempts to stall action on climate crisis, including the significant role played by Koch Industries and the larger Koch network. "Frontline shows that key to that shift was a little known company in the 1990s, Koch Industries, which specialized in refining and distributing some of the heaviest and dirtiest oil. The firm was run by brothers Charles and David Koch. Charles also founded a libertarian think tank, the Cato Institute in Washington. The Kochs saw a threat to their business from the Clinton administration’s plan for a carbon tax. They mobilized Cato and a Koch-funded front group masquerading as a grass roots organization, Citizens for a Sound Economy, to oppose it. The Kochs drew in lobby organizations, such as the American Petroleum Institute and the Global Climate Coalition, a group of businesses that opposed climate science." |
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| | | | Through decades of funding university activity, the Koch network has developed an expertise in navigating university funding structures in order to maximize their influence through donations. The Koch Network has taken advantage of inadequate funding policies to influence programming, dictate research outcomes, and gain hiring power. Robust funding policies that protect academic freedom and guard against conflicts of interest are one of the most effective means of preventing the Koch-network from co-opting higher education. Inspired by the successful efforts of students and faculty at universities across the country, and rooted in our conviction to preserve our democracy through the prediction of higher education, we are pleased to release our updated higher ed model funding policies document. We begin by unpacking Koch’s strategy toward higher education, complete with relevant examples of how faculty have fought back. This document also includes four model policies, supplemented by helpful guidance for determining which model policy is the right fit at your university. |
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| | Join over 400 students and supporters who have already signed on to demand that George Mason University rename Buchanan Hall on their Virginia campus. It's no secret that Koch influence runs rampant at George Mason University. Charles Koch has donated over $119 million since 2005, resulting in dangerous campus think tanks and much more. But did you know that it was economist James Buchanan that helped bring Koch money and influence to Mason? In 2017, George Mason University re-named Mason Hall to Buchanan Hall, reflecting the tenure of right-wing economist James Buchanan, and the message sent was clear: the administration was choosing to honor Buchanan’s role in bringing the Koch network and their corporate agenda to Mason. As part of our efforts to remove Koch influence from Mason, we need to rename Buchanan Hall. |
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| | | Invite Our Experts to Come Speak We know that the Kochtopus has its tentacles in everything and we are here to provide the political education needed to move your campaign strategies as you join us to #UnKochEverything. Looking to have an UnKoch team member or partner to speak to your group about the Koch network? We're available for digital presentations and workshops. Contact us and let's set something up! |
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Get Support With Media and Press Writing an Op/Ed is a powerful media tool that can help get information out about your campaign or cause. Your voice and your story are important and deserve to be shared. Need help figuring out the right outlet to pitch? Have a draft written and want someone to review it before you submit? Want to write something but are unsure where to start? Get in touch and let us know what kind of support we can provide! |
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| | | | Essential Information C/O UnKoch My Campus (EIN 52-1299631)
P.O. Box 19405, | Washington, District of Columbia 20036
+1 210-343-1797 | [email protected] |
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