Endowment battle brews at Boston College

Students fight for disclosure of school's investments
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Globe Correspondent
April 3, 2005

On the heels of another banner year for Boston College's investment team, not everyone on campus is jubilant that the school has earned $380 million since 2003. Students concerned with nondiscrimination policies, the environment, and other issues are pushing to know whether the $1.35 billion endowment is invested in keeping with the school's values and Jesuit mission. But to date, the administration has offered them no satisfaction. In a posture that sets Boston College apart from many of its peer institutions, the administration has been consistently cold to a series of student initiatives for ethical investing. Requests to see the investment portfolio have met the same response as a 2004 proposal to establish an advisory committee on responsible investing: a firm 'no.' Student activists are planning this spring to hold teach-ins, launch a letter writing campaign, and create satirical works of public art, all aimed at getting finance officers to share their list of companies with the college community. Until that happens, student activists say, parties with a stake in the institution will wonder what there is to hide.

Full Story: http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/04/03/endowment_battle_brews_at_bc/