The Georgetown student body voted to pass three referenda in the Feb. 5 GUSA election, the GUSA Election Commission tweeted at 12:10 am.
The first referendum, the GU Fossil Free (GUFF) Referendum, passed with 90.65 percent of the vote. The referendum encouraged Georgetown’s Endowment Fund to divest from fossil fuels and freeze all new direct investments in fossil fuel companies. Earlier in the day, the university administration announced that they would be divesting from fossil fuels, regardless of the results of the referendum.
The second referendum, the GU Blue Campus Referendum, proposed the implementation of several policies related to ocean sustainability, such as programs to reduce carbon emissions, transition current GUTS buses to zero-emission vehicles, create a mandatory online module for first-year students focusing on sustainability policies and plastic reduction, and create an ocean sustainability “What’s a Hoya?” session. The referendum passed with 93.72 percent of the vote.
The final referendum supported the establishment of a Student Empowerment Fund, which would allocate $50,000 from the Student Activities Fee to fund projects which “have defined, reasonable, and achievable goals and which invest in the future of the student body.” It passed with 68.18 percent of the vote.
The Election Commission announced that 2301 students voted in the Executive and Referenda elections. The winner of the Executive Election will be announced at a later point.
