Stanford University First to Adopt Policy on Conflict Minerals

Student activism tends to drop off in the summertime as college campuses clear out. But students at Stanford University just claimed a major victory, convincing their school to be the first to adopt a policy combating the trade in conflict minerals from Congo.

The trade in minerals from eastern Congo is increasingly on the radar of student activists, members of Congress, tech companies, and concerned consumers, because the $180 million annual trade helps fund armed groups embroiled in a decade-long conflict that has left over 5 million people dead. Rampant sexual violence is a particularly tragic feature of the war in eastern Congo; hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been raped. The minerals fueling this conflict end up in electronics products such as cell phones, laptops, MP3 players, and digital cameras, connecting consumers even far removed from Congo to the conflict there.

After many months of advocacy from Stanford’s STAND group, the university’s Board of Trustees voted to adopt a policy of voting “yes” if a company Stanford invests in faces a shareholder resolution calling for that company to trace its mineral supply chain.

As rising junior and incoming STAND President Mia Newman noted, “The proxy voting guideline — a rather complex activism tool that doesn’t easily lend itself to sound bites or slogans — nevertheless represents a powerful statement by the university.”

Stanford will not introduce shareholder resolutions to companies in its investment portfolio, but if others introduce resolutions pertaining to conflict minerals, Stanford is now obligated to support them. It’s a small step, but right now there’s no way of knowing which companies are invested in Congo’s conflict mineral trade. Stanford’s move is precisely the type of initial action that will help push for a system to trace companies’ supply chains for these essential minerals — and in turn enable investors and consumers to choose to support companies that can certify their products as conflict-free.

With conflict minerals legislation pending in the House and Senate right now, commitments from top Obama administration officials to prioritize leading reform of the trade, and a growing grassroots movement dedicated to taking its call for conflict-free to the doorsteps of tech companies, there are plenty of initiatives in the works for student organizations to bolster. Stanford STAND says they’ve already gotten requests from other universities for advice on how to organize a successful campaign to lobby administrators and boards to take a stand on conflict minerals.

“The conflict minerals issue is rapidly gaining national attention, but Stanford’s statement needs support from other institutions to make real change,” said Newman. “We at Stanford STAND believe that the Board of Trustees’ decision reaffirms the compelling nature of the issue and hope it will spark further institutional, educational, and corporate efforts.”

Student groups at Georgetown, Eckerd, and Yale are just a handful who say they too are dedicated to making Congo’s conflict minerals the next big thing on campus this fall.

Photo credit: thehunter1184