A Vote Against Genocide

April 7, 2008

Sadly, as we mark the beginning of the sixth year of the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, we are faced with the problem of ordinary investors having their hard-earned savings invested by mutual fund managers in companies that fund genocide.

Thanks to a recent ruling by the Securities and Exchange Commission, hundreds of thousands of Fidelity shareholders now have the unique opportunity to cast a vote for genocide-free investing.

Most investors are quite upset to learn that their money, with no knowledge on their part, is supporting the murderous regime in Khartoum, which has recently resumed its "scorched earth" policy in Darfur, Sudan. Hundreds of thousands of people are being killed or displaced from their homes.

A shareholder proposal submitted by Investors Against Genocide, a Boson-based nonprofit organization, asks Fidelity to institute oversight procedures to screen out investments in companies that, in the judgment of the board, substantially contribute to genocide. Not surprisingly, Fidelity is advising its shareholders to vote against this proposal.

This shareholder proposal won 28 percent and 27 percent of the votes for the two Fidelity mutual funds that voted on March 19. This strong initial result is a very positive indication of the depth of shareholder concern regarding making mutual funds genocide-free. At upcoming Fidelity shareholder meetings scheduled for April 16 and May 14 and 19, Fidelity mutual funds will have a proxy ballot question on genocide-free investing.

All BU faculty, staff and students who are Fidelity shareholders can vote their shares by returning their proxy or attending the shareholder meeting. If they have already discarded their proxy materials (as many do), or have already voted and wish to change their vote, they can do so right up until the meeting.

Few of us are in a position to set foreign policy, and fewer yet are individually positioned to stop a genocide. Yet, each of us is responsible for doing that which we are able. Each of us can and must speak out. We can and must recognize genocide as the horror that it is and as a grave affront to humanity. Each of us can and must take responsibility for how we invest our family savings. For details about this important vote and more information on genocide-free investing, please click here.

- Jirair Ratevosian, SPH'07

Good Artists Tend to Be Bad Students

December 19, 2007

I'm writing in reference to your Dec. 11th article about guest lecturer Peter Schjeldahl. I'm a Junior in CFA and it was frustrating to read the title of the article: "Good Artists Tend To Be Bad Students." While I understand that the intent was probably to be a bit shocking and cause curiosity in readers, I feel it was misleading. It feeds into the stereotype that artists are bad students/not interested in school. Some of the students that I've met in CFA, however, are some of the most dedicated students I've seen on campus.

If you listened to the whole lecture, Mr. Schjeldahl talked about a range of topics and had some very interesting things to say. One suggestion for an alternate title could have been "I Don't Believe in Beauty." It seems unexpected from an art critic, yet holds relevance to his lecture.

I'd ask that you please think about how you phrase your titles in the future and what audiences you affect.

—Emily Manning-Mingle

Silber Calls "Starchitects" on the Carpet

December 4, 2007

You don't have to go far or expensive to find things that are designed to look good at the expense of function. I'm seeing and using bus shelters that look great but let in more cold breezes and rain than the older more basic design. What good is a good-looking shelter if it doesn't shelter.

— Ron L.