Coal Free IU remains persistent

Students of the on-campus organization Coal Free IU hand-delivered bundles of petitions consisting of over 5,000 signatures to the office of IU President Michael McRobbie Friday.

The stated objective of these petitions was to address the issue of coal as a source of heating and energy on the IU campus.

The petition makes a call to action in starting a transition to a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable energy source.

The student-led group, which formed in the fall of 2009, is sponsored by the
Sierra Club.

IU’s club is part of a nationwide effort to end the use of coal on college campuses.

Coal Free IU students personally delivered the petitions to the office of McRobbie.
The students were unable to meet with McRobbie himself because he was out of the office during the time of their arrival.

“We’re going to have students stopping by the office and/or making calls to the office everyday until we hear a response,” Sierra Club member Alexis Boxer said.

Boxer said that, after two and half years on the campaign, it is time for students to take their concerns to the highest possible office.

The group did, however, speak with McRobbie’s executive assistant, who assured them the president would indeed receive the petitions. The students behind the movement also penned a letter to McRobbie in hopes of representing a more personal side to the movement.

The group remains adamant and persistent in expressing to the president how much power and control he holds in this situation, Boxer said.

“We are working for a better level of transparency with University politics and policy,” Boxer said.

The students have also spoken with figures such as Thomas Morrison, vice president for capital planning and facilities, as well as Bill Brown of the Office of Sustainability.

“Coal Free IU has been working on campus for several years to engage the University about the on-campus coal plant, but more than that, we encourage students to actively participate in campus politics and policy, discuss the problems that plague our community and country and to strive for discussions and action regarding solutions to these problems,” Boxer said.

He said the group feels that the coal plant is a threat to public health and that is pollutes the community’s air and water.

The coal industry in Indiana holds major influence at the Statehouse, Boxer said.
Boxer said the organization is working to confront injustices and bring about change in a local and immediate way.

“We don’t imagine the coal plant will be shut down overnight,” Boxer said. “We aren’t asking that students learn in the dark. We are asking that the administration at IU takes a look at the bigger picture when making long-term decisions about energy policy.

“IU is at a crossroads, and we are championing a transition to clean energy that will put Hoosiers back to work, improve our environment and economy and make IU a true leader in the Big Ten and among its academic peers.”