Duke to consider conflict minerals in investments

The Board of Trustees has signed off on a student campaign to tie the issue of conflict minerals with the University's investment guidelines.

The Executive Committee of the Board approved a resolution Friday that will authorize DUMAC, the corporation that manages the Duke University Endowment, to use a proxy-voting guideline for investments. The rule stipulates that Duke support all shareholder resolutions asking companies to be more transparent with their policies regarding conflict minerals and approve any efforts to reduce social injury caused by conflict minerals.

Conflict minerals are resources mined in conditions of armed conflict and human rights violations, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"It is rewarding to see our students take such an active role on issues of socially responsible investment," President Richard Brodhead said in a press release. "I'm grateful for the excellent work that members of the Duke community did in addressing a difficult topic in such a thoughtful way."

The campaign has been spearheaded by junior Stefani Jones, chair of Coalition for Conflict-Free Duke board and senior Sanjay Kishore, another member of the CCFD board.

"With an issue as large and complex as this, it's easy to assume that student actions can't really have an impact,But when we as individuals gain the backing of our institutions and surrounding community, our collective voices have the power to affect real change,"

Friday's resolution stipulated that the President's Special Committee on Investment Responsibility would be appointed to review the policy after five years to determine its relevance at that time.