The Tulane Undergraduate Assembly convened for their second session Jan. 31 to vote on campus resolutions in the Qatar Ballroom of the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life. Following dinner and a land acknowledgment, the group got started. 

Despite their plan to hold three legislative votes, the group was only able to vote on two resolutions. Discussions of the legislation went longer than expected, though, with minor disagreements.

The assembly began discussing a resolution to pressure Tulane University to divest from fossil fuels, resulting in a unanimous agreement. 

The second proposition, to acknowledge national election days as holidays on the academic calendar, passed with 92.9% of delegates supporting it, according to TUA minutes.

The undergraduate student delegates also discussed a plan to take legal action against the school if the divestment campaign fails. The informal consensus was that all these efforts are about raising awareness for the group.

Zoe Friese, Co-Chair of the Sustainability and Divestment Committee, said one of the main goals of TUA is “prioritizing equity and inclusion.” 

“The Tulane Undergraduate Assembly gives me a lot of hope for substantive changemaking on campus,” Friese said. “I’m thrilled that TUA unanimously embraced divestment from fossil fuels.”