Tuesday, October 7, 2008 Volume 135, Issue 6 University ofDela-w-ar e c+ overaJJ Grade B Ad.rrU.rVstra tian B .CI.inZat-e Change &- Energy B Food &- RecydiIlg C GreeI1 Building B Student Involvement B 7Iansporfation D Endowment Jransparency A Investment Priorities F Shareholder Engagement -----------------------===::::========~~.~$ 2 October 7,2008 e ed JDSJ e 2 News 12 Editorial 13 Opinion 17 Mosaic 21 Fashion Forward 27 Classifieds 28 Sports 29 Under pReview THE REVIEWlRicky Berl Members of Alpha Epsilon Phi volunteered for Alex's Lemonade Stand by Perkins Student Center on Monday. Interested in writing? The Review is always looking for new staff reporters and guest columnists. Send us an e-mail at [email protected] for more information about getting involved. THE REVIEWMeianie Hardy THE REVIEW/Stevnen Gold At the "Get Political Fair" on Friday, students Despite efforts made by the university, recyclables such were able to register to vote on the Green. as these still end up in garbage cans. The Review is published once weekly every Tuesday o( the school year, except Editor In Chief Graphics Editor Managing Mosaic Editors during Winter and Summer SessiOl~s . Our main office is located at 250 Perkins Student Laura Dattaro Katie Smith Caitlin Birch, Larissa Cruz Center, Newark, DE 19716. If you have questions about advertising or news content, Executive Editor Web site Editor Features Editors Brian Anderson Quentin Coleman Sabina Ellahi, Amy Prazniak see the listings below. 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Andrea Ramsay , J1t October 7, 2008 3 UD earns,average grade in sustainability University's enviromental efforts given, a C-plu~ grade BY ELLEN CRAVEN whether a list of L.----.:;~~::;---;----;---------~~=1IJII~"71~~ StaffReport er endowment holdings Before teachers were able to give out midterm grades to stu­ and proxy voting dents the Sustainable Endowments Institute graded the univer­ records are made sity's'performance this year on the College Sustainability Report available to the pub­ Card. The university received a C-plus overall grade. lic. The shareholder The College Sustainability Report Card is an initiative coor­ engagement grade dinated by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, a project of the depends on whether Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. there is a way for CSRC communications fellow Ali Adler said the CSRC shareholders to incor­ was founded to illustrate campus practices and to create a tool porate their judg­ for students and administrators to be able to compare grades ments into decision­ from other schools and to note areas of potential improvement. making or make rec­ The CSRC reviews the 300 schools in the United States and ommendations to Canada with the largest reported endowments, including the uni­ trustees. versity, Adler said. The university She said to determine grades for the 2008 CSRC, a team received an A in gathered information from June through Au~st , from ~ubli~ly investment priorities accessible sources such as the school's Web site. The uruverslty because of its invest­ received an A under the category of investment priorities and Bs ments in renewable under the categories of administration, climate change and ener­ energy sources, gy, food and recycling, stud~nt in.volvement and tran~p~rtation. according to the . The CSRC gave the uruverslty a C for green buildmg, a D CSRC. However, the for endowment transparency and an F for shareholder engage­ overall grade was ment. lowered because the Adler said the CSRC incorporated the information into cus­ records are not avail­ tomized surveys and e-mailed them to university President able to the public. The Patrick Harker, Dining Services and the investment office so university's $1.15 bil­ they could expand upon or make corrections to the data. The sur­ lion endowment is vey responses, if returned, were reviewed ?y two or mo~e eva~­ among the top 12 of uators. The university was then awarded pomts based on Its poli- public instituitions in cies. the country. In each of the nine equally weighted categories, scores Mark Stalnecker, THE REVIEW/Steven Gold translated into a letter grade, she said. The school's GPA was cal­ chief investment offi­ The ·university's grade of C-plus on the 2008 College Sustainability Report Card does not include culated on a 4.0 scale and converted into a final sustainability cer at the tmiversity, recent efforts such as last year's senior gift and die treatiea or the Sustainability Task Force. grade of C-plus. Past reports are available on the CSRC's Web said the university site. investment office only grades for food and recycling and the top 37 percent of schools Adler said the endowment transparency grade is based on discloses endowment listings and shareholder records when it is with highest grades for investment priorities prudent to do so. Madsen said he thinks the university's grades for endow­ "We try to balance giving information to the people but r-------------~----------_, ment transparency and shareholder engagement are disappoint­ in some circumstances it's not appropriate," Stalnecker said. ing and something the task force would like to examine further. He said when companies have governance issues, the However, he said the university's investment practices may be A Closer Look shareholders vote on them. Voting records are seen only by out of the task force's control. ~ those who are authorized to see them, such as certain staff "If it's a structural issue, then we're not going to be able to and the actual board members. Such policies are set by the get very far," he said. "The task force is focused on student More than 20 percent of schools improved Board of Trustees. The investment office is not allowed to involvement. We have graduate and undergraduate students that their 2rade on the College Sustainability disclose when the managers are engaged in private affairs. are very engaged in sustainability issues and we are trying to har­ Report Card between 2007 and 2009. The "We think it's confidential information," Stalnecker ness that energy." Umversity of Delaware is included in this said. "We try to manage the endowment in a way that is Madsen said the task force will consider the 2009 CSRC number - its score went from a C-minus in proven and safe and also gets returns." grades in planning future sustainability initiatives, as university 2007 to a C-plus in 2009. John Madsen, co-chair of the university'S officials are concerned about how the university is viewed. Sustainability Task Force and an associate professor of geo­ "We need to do a better job of publicizing what we're doing Schools receivin~ A's in the food and reqcling logical sciences, said he was not surprised by the universi­ and need to educate the public about the task force and sustain­ cate~ory more tnan doubled between 20tJ7 ana ty's grade. Madsen said it is taking some time for Harker's ability issues," he said. 200~ The university received a B in the commitment to sustainability to work its way through the He also said he expects grades for administration, green category this year. university. He said that the C-plus grade does not include the building and student involvement to improve by 2010. efforts of the Sustainability Task Force, which was created According to the CSRC Web site, C-plus is the average The percentage of schools that make a list of in spring 2008. grade for all schools CSRC surveyed. Over 75 percent of other endowment investments available at least to Older CSRC report cards show the university has schools fall within the B and C range. the campus community, if not to the public, made progress in becoming more sustainable. This year, the Sophomore Alex Hallenbeck said he thinks the university is expanded from 23 to 3Tpercent since 2007. The university's grade for its adminIstration improved from a D making progress to become sustainable. number of schools making shareholder votin2 to aBo "I don't know what their standards are, but I feel like with records available rose from 15 to 30 percent: Madsen credits the change to Harker's arrival at the the no trays in the dining hall, our school is being pretty active The university received a D in the category this university. He said Harker places a great deal of value on in sustainable practices," Hallenbeck said. "It's a major step. You year. sustainability and that has motivated students and the task could argue whether it's effective or not, but it's stilf a major force to improve their policies.