The University of Wisconsin’s Faculty Senate did not approve a resolution calling for faculty support on divestment in fossil fuel companies at their Monday’s meeting, voting to further study the issue before making a final decision. 

UW family science professor Bruce Barrett, who proposed the resolution, urged the faculty to call upon the UW Foundation to freeze any new investments in fossil fuel companies and divest in five years.

Faculty senators voted to bring the resolution back for a possible better strategy, according to University Committee Chair Mark Cook.

“It was decided that it was probably really too complex to really discuss it in here,” Cook said in an interview with The Badger Herald. “It’s not to get away from the topic, the topic is very important, but to bring in a diverse group to decide on a strategy… whether divestment is the better strategy.”

Barrett, who gave a speech in front of the Faculty Senate arguing for the urgency of the resolution, said he felt compelled to bring it forward out of concerns for the planet and the future generations.

However, he said he was not surprised the resolution did not pass.

“I suspected that it would not pass on first consideration,” Barrett said. “While the climate change facts may be widely available, the UW has not considered fossil fuel divestment before.”

Jo Ellen Fair, Faculty Senate Executive Committee member and journalism professor, confirmed although the resolution has been circulated among faculty individually, it is the first time the Faculty Senate has seen the proposal.

The resolution sent to the Faculty Senate outlined 12 reasons why the UW faculty has “professional and moral obligation to act.”

According to Barrett, the consensus scientists reached on the effect of fossil fuel emission is rarely seen. 

Although the Faculty Senate did not vote to pass the resolution, opinions are divided among committee members, Cook said.

“There are some people who believe that there are even better, stronger strategies to push it,” Cook said. “This is a very important to the faculty and the senate… we need to get very strong faculty support, whatever decision we make there need to be a strong consensus. ”

Cook added a committee would study the issue this summer and give a report some time in the fall.

Barrett said the investment in fossil fuel companies contradicts UW’s mission statement and it is the duty of the faculty to act upon it, but the creation of a committee specifically for the issue is the first step.

“I can understand that my colleagues would like to think and talk about the various ramifications and feel that the commitment to create an ad hoc committee to study the issue is a step in the right direction,” Barrett said.

At the meeting, the School of Music also reinforced its decision not to become part of the newly-proposed College of Arts at this time. But according to UW voice professor James Doing, the majority of the faculty agree with the University Committee the status quo of the college needs to be improved. He said he welcomes ideas for innovation.

Speaking as an individual faculty member, Doing said he is concerned about the loss of unique identity.

“We have a tight-knit faculty and I don’t want to see us split up between various departments if a majority of us were to force the issue,” Doing said.

He said his colleagues heard from friends who currently work within a College of the Arts that forming a college does not actually increase collaboration between disciplines.

In addition, the Campus Transportation Committee announced starting next year, UW faculty members will be charged $24 annually to obtain an unlimited ride pass with Madison Metro.

“This does not impact students, as they receive a bus pass as part of their seg fees, and it also does not impact the campus bus,” Patrick Kass, director of the Campus Transportation Committee, said.

Kass said the employee bus pass program is a $1.8 million-a-year program that is subsidized by parking revenues. Beginning in September of last year, annual rates of parking fees increased by $45, according to the Campus Transportation Committee’s annual report.