Several UW students are taking a stand against genocide in Sudan — and the role Seattle may play in the conflict.

Members from S.T.A.N.D. UW (Students Taking Action Now Darfur) marched from Westlake Park in downtown Seattle to City Hall, where they hand-delivered letters to the Seattle City Council members.

The letters asked the city of Seattle to adopt a targeted divestment model that would stop the city’s retirement fund from investing in third party companies that contribute to the genocide in Sudan.

The students decided to pressure the Seattle City Council members after the UW divested their funds in 2006.

Senior Ben Weintraub has been a member of S.T.A.N.D. UW since it was founded in the spring of 2005, and was heavily involved in the push for the UW to divest.

“It was tough at first because many officials were reluctant to push divestment as a tactic,” Weintraub said.

Divestment is the practice of selling off shares of companies that do business with the Sudanese government. The U.S. government has authorized the practice, and 23 states have already adopted some form of the targeted divestment model, putting even more pressure on Washington state officials to act.

Without a targeted model to follow, divestment can have serious economic impacts that can sometimes further harm the civilians of the country.

After almost a year of seeking alternatives, the UW fully divested in June of 2006.

The goal of the targeted divestment model is to maximize the impact on the Sudanese government while minimizing potential harm to both innocent Sudanese civilians and investment returns.

“That’s why it’s important to realize that what we’re pushing for is a targeted divestment model that won’t hurt the Sudanese people,” sophomore Joshua Newson said. “We are asking the Seattle City Council to divest from companies that explicitly fund the genocide.”

Sudan’s major economic resource is oil, and as much as 70 percent of Sudan’s oil profits are used to fund the Sudanese military, which directly supports the genocide, according to the Save Darfur Coalition.

Council members Nick Licata and Jean Godden have already given their support to the targeted divestment model.

“Licata was our original supporter,” said senior Rachel Mathisen, a member of the group. “We’re really hoping that after today, the seven other council members will get on board as well.”

A Feb. 13 response letter from councilmember Sally J. Clark states that the Retirement Board is reviewing the potential risks and returns as it relates to the divestment model.

“Seattle’s investments should appropriately support economic stability and the betterment of people while earning the best return for retirees,” she wrote.

The members of the group plan to continue to push the issue until the city of Seattle takes definite action.

“We can’t just let the issue go away. It’s important that we keep putting pressure on city officials,” Weintraub said. “If we hadn’t pushed so hard for UW to divest, I’m not sure they would have done so on their own either.”

[Reach reporter Casey Smith at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]