| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.54 |
| Liaison | Kevin Miller |
| Submission Date | March 6, 2020 |
Goshen College
PA-9: Committee on Investor Responsibility
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.00 / 2.00 |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Does the institution have a formally established and active committee on investor responsibility (CIR) or equivalent body?:
Yes
The charter or mission statement of the CIR or other body which reflects social and environmental concerns or a brief description of how the CIR is tasked to address social and environmental concerns:
Mennonite Education Agency Investment Fund LLC: Provides a perpetual source of support (within the parameters of socially responsible investing) to the endowed and scholarship programs of Mennonite Church USA institutions including Goshen College and invests using the following principles:
The natural environment is a finite resource, the inheritance of future generations and a gift from God. We expect companies to respect the limits of our natural resources and to work toward environmental sustainability. Companies should "reduce, reuse, and recycle," pursue cleaner and more efficient production methods and bear a deep concern for the welfare of animals, minimizing animal testing, wherever possible. We value a company's involvement in the environmental technology and services arena. We expect companies to engage in honest, transparent environmental reporting, to support respected environmental principles and to publicly promote the value of the environment.
The natural environment is a finite resource, the inheritance of future generations and a gift from God. We expect companies to respect the limits of our natural resources and to work toward environmental sustainability. Companies should "reduce, reuse, and recycle," pursue cleaner and more efficient production methods and bear a deep concern for the welfare of animals, minimizing animal testing, wherever possible. We value a company's involvement in the environmental technology and services arena. We expect companies to engage in honest, transparent environmental reporting, to support respected environmental principles and to publicly promote the value of the environment.
Does the CIR include academic staff representation?:
No
Does the CIR include non-academic staff representation?:
No
Does the CIR include student representation?:
No
Members of the CIR, including affiliations and role:
Bart Miller, John Liechty, Barry Bartel, Linwood Rush (ex-officio), Aaron Ziulkowski, Susan Taylor, Chad Horning, Katie Villegas, Christine Jantz, JB Miller
None
Examples of CIR actions during the previous three years:
Everence Shareholder Advocacy Progress Report Dec 31, 2019
ConocoPhillips - Nov. 2019 Dialogue with ConocoPhillips on climate change. Discussion included updates on ConocoPhillips’ climate change actions and topics such as corporate climate lobbying and scenario reporting for alignment with the Paris Agreement.
Noble Energy - Oct. 2019 Dialogue with Noble Energy on climate change. Particular focus was on the company’s recently published climate report. Additional topics included emission reduction targets and methane regulation.
AES - Nov. 2019 Climate change dialogue with AES covering climate risk reporting, emissions reduction targets, coal plant closures, and Just Transition
Banks and extractive companies - Oct. 2019 Joined investor letter urging extractive companies and banks not to conduct or finance any new or expanded commercial activities on previously protected public lands to address risks of public backlash, lawsuits, and stranded assets. The Trump Administration has rolled back many existing public land protections.
Target - Nov. 2019 Dialogue with the company on how it integrates human rights standards into its loan portfolio, particularly concerning the UN Guiding Principles. More conversations will follow.
Microsoft - Nov. 2019 Joined investor letter highlighting Microsoft’s involvement in surveillance of the civilian population under military occupation in the West Bank. The letter expressed investors’ concern over facial recognition artificial intelligence technology that may violate the company’s own ethical principles and public commitments.
Alphabet - Nov. 2019 Participated in investor letter to Alphabet requesting a meeting regarding the company’s implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The investor goal is to promote respect for human rights, particularly in relation to data privacy, freedom of expression, and artificial intelligence.
ConocoPhillips - Nov. 2019 Dialogue with ConocoPhillips on climate change. Discussion included updates on ConocoPhillips’ climate change actions and topics such as corporate climate lobbying and scenario reporting for alignment with the Paris Agreement.
Noble Energy - Oct. 2019 Dialogue with Noble Energy on climate change. Particular focus was on the company’s recently published climate report. Additional topics included emission reduction targets and methane regulation.
AES - Nov. 2019 Climate change dialogue with AES covering climate risk reporting, emissions reduction targets, coal plant closures, and Just Transition
Banks and extractive companies - Oct. 2019 Joined investor letter urging extractive companies and banks not to conduct or finance any new or expanded commercial activities on previously protected public lands to address risks of public backlash, lawsuits, and stranded assets. The Trump Administration has rolled back many existing public land protections.
Target - Nov. 2019 Dialogue with the company on how it integrates human rights standards into its loan portfolio, particularly concerning the UN Guiding Principles. More conversations will follow.
Microsoft - Nov. 2019 Joined investor letter highlighting Microsoft’s involvement in surveillance of the civilian population under military occupation in the West Bank. The letter expressed investors’ concern over facial recognition artificial intelligence technology that may violate the company’s own ethical principles and public commitments.
Alphabet - Nov. 2019 Participated in investor letter to Alphabet requesting a meeting regarding the company’s implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The investor goal is to promote respect for human rights, particularly in relation to data privacy, freedom of expression, and artificial intelligence.
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Goshen College participates in the Mennonite Education Agency Investment Fund (MEA), which is a pooled endowment fund of Mennonite higher education schools and seminaries. The endowment fund is fully screened and managed within the parameters of socially responsible investing guidelines developed by Everence Financial Services, a leader in the SRI investing world. MEA, and thus Goshen College, has adopted Everence's ethical criteria for investment. Therefore, some answers and documents listed here describing our investment policies may come directly from the Everence website, but also reflect our views and policies on investment.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.