Students decry UH ties to Darfur
By John Arterbury
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: News
Bauer College Associate Dean of Graduate Programs Latha Ramchand said the program, which graduated its first class in December 2006, has helped students advance in their positions.
"It's all management people that are poised to go to the next stage, so to speak," Ramchand said. "In the second group I know that at least a third of the class even got promoted before they graduated."
CNPC is another "highest offender" in Darfur according to the Sudan Divestment Task Force, which said the company has a 40 percent stake in Sudan's largest oil consortium, the Greater Nile Petroleum Operation Co.
The CNPC's expansion in Sudan was "accompanied" by the displacement and killing of people living in territory sought by the company, and afterward the CNPC employed Sudanese military personnel involved with the expulsion as guards for oil fields built in the depopulated area, according to an Amnesty International report.
The Bauer program, which has graduated more than 100 executives, should consider severing connections with CNPC and Sinopec, student leaders said.
"I would hope that Bauer would consider disassociating itself from these companies," said Esmeralda Salinas, president of Amnesty International at UH.
Ramchand said the college is open to investigating the roles of Sinopec and CNPC in Darfur, but educating the employees can make a difference, noting that students must take a business law and ethics course.
"Nothing opens up peoples' minds like education," she said. "We are training people to think like we do. Some of the things we talk about are not germane to the environment there. We believe that at the end of the day, that's really what's going to help these countries."
Student leaders also questioned the wisdom of accepting grants from such companies.
According to a fiscal year 2007 report from the Division of Research, CNPC granted $36,000 to geoscience adjunct professor Hua-Wei Zhou for geophysics research.
"I can understand the hesitation many regents and faculty members may feel when they hear the words 'ethics' and 'grants' in the same sentence," Siddiqi said. "Grants are central to our goal of attaining 'Tier 1' status, but that doesn't mean we should abandon our moral and social responsibilities to receive them."
Concerned students can help by raising awareness in their everyday lives, Pham said.
"They can send the University's president a letter or e-mail voicing their opinions," she said. "If we join together, we can make our University a better place."
"It's all management people that are poised to go to the next stage, so to speak," Ramchand said. "In the second group I know that at least a third of the class even got promoted before they graduated."
CNPC is another "highest offender" in Darfur according to the Sudan Divestment Task Force, which said the company has a 40 percent stake in Sudan's largest oil consortium, the Greater Nile Petroleum Operation Co.
The CNPC's expansion in Sudan was "accompanied" by the displacement and killing of people living in territory sought by the company, and afterward the CNPC employed Sudanese military personnel involved with the expulsion as guards for oil fields built in the depopulated area, according to an Amnesty International report.
The Bauer program, which has graduated more than 100 executives, should consider severing connections with CNPC and Sinopec, student leaders said.
"I would hope that Bauer would consider disassociating itself from these companies," said Esmeralda Salinas, president of Amnesty International at UH.
Ramchand said the college is open to investigating the roles of Sinopec and CNPC in Darfur, but educating the employees can make a difference, noting that students must take a business law and ethics course.
"Nothing opens up peoples' minds like education," she said. "We are training people to think like we do. Some of the things we talk about are not germane to the environment there. We believe that at the end of the day, that's really what's going to help these countries."
Student leaders also questioned the wisdom of accepting grants from such companies.
According to a fiscal year 2007 report from the Division of Research, CNPC granted $36,000 to geoscience adjunct professor Hua-Wei Zhou for geophysics research.
"I can understand the hesitation many regents and faculty members may feel when they hear the words 'ethics' and 'grants' in the same sentence," Siddiqi said. "Grants are central to our goal of attaining 'Tier 1' status, but that doesn't mean we should abandon our moral and social responsibilities to receive them."
Concerned students can help by raising awareness in their everyday lives, Pham said.
"They can send the University's president a letter or e-mail voicing their opinions," she said. "If we join together, we can make our University a better place."
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 6
David
posted 4/24/08 @ 7:11 AM CST
U of H may not be able to divest itself of all its holdings with countries or companies that may not have favorable relationship with areas of conflict. (Continued…)
Steven
posted 4/24/08 @ 8:36 AM CST
David,
"U of H may not be able to divest itself of all its holdings with countries or companies that may not have favorable relationship with areas of conflict. (Continued…)
Mohammad Ahmad
posted 4/24/08 @ 11:14 AM CST
The university needs to satisfy the demands of its "stockholders" - the students - first. They are not asking the University to become some sort of leftist investing body, but to at the very least, not fund companies actively profiting from human rights violations. (Continued…)
Ahmed S
posted 4/24/08 @ 8:34 PM CST
Genocide in Darfur?!
What exactly are you talking about John?
While the level of violence in Darfur is appalling it is by no means a 'genocide'. (Continued…)
Sameer Siddiqi
posted 4/24/08 @ 10:44 PM CST
Fantastic report, John.
David, I understand your concern. Many companies in which UH has investments are, in fact, involved in conflict areas. Naturally, it'd be unreasonable to divest from all such firms. (Continued…)
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