Earlham College, IN Socially Responsible Investment Policy

Type: Policy
Status: Adopted in June 2007
Source File: http://www.earlham.edu/policies/investing.html
Text:
Note: Footnotes have been removed from the entry below. To see the document with footnotes, refer to the source file.
Socially Responsible Investment Policy for Earlham College and the Earlham Foundation
Preamble
This policy states the investing principles for the Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion endowment as those principles apply to socially responsible investing. In brief, Earlham reaffirms the values and testimonies of the Religious Society of Friends by declining to invest in certain companies. In addition, Earlham hopes that this practical expression of values acting in conjunction with others of a similar mind may promote the common good as well as engage Earlham students for whom a fundamental part of an Earlham education is "the pursuit of truth, wherever that truth leads." However, it is imperative to be honest about the reason for struggling mightily with developing and implementing a policy on socially responsible investing. Such investing does not always offer clear-cut choices between good and evil, and there is little, if any, empirical evidence that such a policy will alter the course of action of the entities in which Earlham invests or does not invest.
Our Vision
As an educational institution, Earlham should consider the impact of its financial investments upon the broader society. Because Earlham College was founded by Quaker yearly meetings, which still appoint a majority of the members of the Board of Trustees, it is fitting that Earlham's investing principles and actions should reflect the values of the Religious Society of Friends.
These values include the belief that the life and dignity of every person should be respected. Growing out of this belief are the Quaker testimonies concerning peace, equality, integrity, simplicity and goodwill among people and nations.
Earlham hopes that, through the operation of its investment program and acting in concert with other like-minded investors, Earlham can give witness to the above values. Contributions toward these objectives can perhaps be accomplished either (1) by means of investing or not investing in the securities of particular corporations or government or (2) through action as a share- or bond-holder, again acting in concert with others, within the corporate structure. Admittedly, the majority of investments that Earlham and other buyers make in the equity and fixed income markets represent a transfer of funds between the buyer and the seller and have no direct impact — financial or otherwise — upon the corporation whose securities are being traded.
Management of an educational endowment must, of course, give high and sustained attention to the responsibility to produce maximum return in order to serve Earlham's educational mission. By delegation from the Earlham College Board of Trustees, the Earlham Foundation serves as the Investment Committee of the College Board to assist the Board in fulfilling its fiduciary responsibility to safeguard endowment assets, including quasi-endowment funds, and to achieve favorable returns on those investments to help defray current operating expenses and to assume the long-term financial health of the College and ESR through prudent investment practices and policies. The Earlham Board of Trustees is charged with the ultimate responsibility for the adoption and interpretation of socially responsible investment policies. The Earlham Foundation is expected to adhere to such policies in managing the endowment but must consider their impact, overall or with respect to specific investments, on its charge to be a prudent and financially responsible overseer of the investment of endowment funds in making investment decisions. Both the Board of Trustees and the Foundation look to the SRIAC for guidance in meeting these responsibilities. The Directors of the Earlham Foundation have the responsibility for selecting managers with whom investments are made and for determining actions taken as to each such investment. To assist the directors and investment managers in carrying out these responsibilities in light of the societal concerns mentioned above, the boards of Earlham College and the Foundation have established the Socially Responsible Investment Advisory Committee ("SRIAC").
Elaboration of our Vision
The long-term integrity of Earlham will be enhanced by an investment program that secures a maximum return while being attentive to Earlham values and interests. Investment management entails close and sustained attention to providing maximum return currently and for the future. At the same time, investment choices are not made in a vacuum without consideration of the impact that the investments may have, both positive and negative, for Earlham and its mission within the world. Investment choices must be made with an awareness of both considerations (i.e., maximum return and reflection of values/interests) in an effort to maximize the benefits of both for the long-term integrity of the institution.
There will be situations with heightened degrees of tension in balancing these considerations. By providing guidance through clear expressions of Earlham's mission and its values, this policy is intended to provide some insights to Earlham in how to balance that tension. There will be some situations that raise sufficient concerns to dictate that Earlham should not invest in a specific activity or company or investment option. In many instances, however, the decision will not be as clearly defined. This balancing of considerations may lead Earlham to allow an investment manager to proceed with an investment that conflicts to some degree with certain values because the conflict is perceived to be minimal or there is a credible ability to address Earlham's concerns as an investor. This balancing may also lead Earlham to proceed with an investment that produces a less-favorable return but provides a greater assurance of other positive benefits in support of Earlham's values.
Given the size of the investable assets, limited staff time, as well as the purpose of achieving increased return and decreased volatility, the Earlham Foundation and the Board of Trustees have determined it prudent to invest in some commingled vehicles and limited partnerships. Although the rules and guidelines of these vehicles do not normally allow for expressions of social concern, investment in these vehicles may provide increased financial support for Earlham's educational mission. Some funds and/or partnerships may operate under guidance consistent with the principles in this policy and those investment vehicles should be given significant consideration.
Within the broader context outlined above, Earlham's socially responsible investment commitment draws on the testimonies of the Religious Society of Friends:
I. Based on Quaker Testimonies: Avoidance of some investments
A. Peace: Screens related to Instruments of War
Because Quakers believe that warmaking is contrary to the desired order for which Friends have historically worked and witnessed, certain war-related companies are defined as outside the range of those companies in which Earlham desires to invest and derive profit.
B. Screens related to Simplicity
Because Earlham believes that certain behaviors are contrary to the desired order for which Friends have historically worked and witnessed, certain industries are defined to be outside the range of those in which Earlham desires to invest and derive profit. For these reasons, Earlham does not normally invest in securities of companies involved with tobacco, alcohol, and/or gambling.
II. Criteria related to Improving Human Society
A. Criteria related to Integrity, Equality, Justice and Respect for Persons
Because Earlham believes that certain behaviors are contrary to the desired order for which Friends have historically worked and witnessed, the behavior of certain companies is deemed to be outside the range of those companies in which Earlham desires to invest and derive profit. For these reasons, Earlham seeks to minimize investing in the securities of companies whose overall behavior results in irresponsible use of the natural environment and/or denigrates the dignity of individuals.
B. Investments that recognize and support positive corporate and societal behavior
Earlham recognizes that it is sometimes possible to promote good behavior and positive social values towards the improvement of human society. Such opportunities should be considered when there is a likelihood of advancing institutional values without unduly sacrificing financial returns.
Investment Procedures and Manager Guidelines
With the following guidelines, this policy identifies some of the ways in which the Board of Directors of the Earlham Foundation and their investment managers may balance the potential tension between Earlham's vision for socially responsible investment and the goals for managing the endowment to benefit the undergraduate college and the seminary financially.
Earlham's procedures apply only to investments in which Earlham's assets are invested separately and over which Earlham can exercise control of the investment guidelines. With commingled funds and limited partnerships, Earlham cannot exercise control of the investment guidelines because the investment manager or general partner is required to treat all investors and partners under the same set of investment policies. When searching for managers offering commingled funds or limited partnerships, the Earlham Foundation will strive to include managers or partnerships whose commingled funds or partnerships are invested under socially responsible guidelines as similar as possible to Earlham's policy.
The following guidelines will be used by the SRIAC to provide our investment managers who oversee the separately managed investments with a list of excluded securities that may not be included in our investments. Our managers are then free to invest in all other companies. If an equity or fixed income manager has invested in a corporation involved in an activity of which we do not approve, then we try to persuade the corporation to change its behavior through action by the SRIAC. Based on this, our socially responsible investment commitment currently takes two different forms:
Guidelines governing Earlham's separately managed investments:
I. Based on Quaker Testimonies: Avoidance of some investments
A. Peace: Screens related to Instruments of War
Equity and fixed income managers cannot invest in the securities of companies, identified by the SRIAC, whose earnings or sales derive predominately from the production, distribution or sale of instruments of war and armaments. [Predominately is defined as greater than 31 percent.] Companies that are among the top 50 defense contractors shall be scrutinized with particular care. [We do not consider the sale of off-the-shelf consumer or business products or services to be instruments of war.]
B. Screens related to Simplicity
Equity and fixed income managers cannot invest in the securities of companies, identified by the SRIAC, whose earnings or sales derive primarily from the production, distribution or sale of tobacco, alcohol, or gambling. (Primarily is defined as greater than 40 percent.)
II. Criteria related to Improving Human Society
A. Criteria related to Integrity, Equality, Justice and Respect for Persons
Equity and fixed income managers cannot invest in the securities of companies, identified by the SRIAC, whose persistent and widespread behavior results in any of the following: [1] irresponsible use of the natural environment; [2] denigration of the dignity of individuals such as unfair labor practices and/or discrimination; [3] violations of local, state, and national regulations, laws, and statutes and/or [4] active involvement with governments in the violation of human rights. Identification of this behavior is delegated in the first instance to the Socially Responsible Investment Advisory Committee which is described below.
B. Investments that recognize and support positive corporate and societal behavior
Earlham recognizes that it is possible to promote positive social values and behavior that improve human society. Such opportunities should be considered whenever there is a likelihood of advancing institutional values without sacrificing adequate financial returns. Examples might be "community-development investment" whereby investments are made in Wayne County or "economically targeted investment" in which investments are made that promote social values. In addition, we anticipate that our investment managers will frequently invest in the securities of companies with records of desirable corporate behavior before that behavior is widely recognized.
Socially Responsible Investment Advisory Committee
The Socially Responsible Investment Advisory Committee is a committee of both the Earlham Board of Trustees and the Earlham Foundation Board of Directors. The SRIAC is charged with the responsibility for proxy voting on corporate governance and social responsibility issues, for monitoring securities held by investment managers in separately managed accounts, for maintaining a list of excluded companies, for engaging corporations in order to change corporate behavior and improve society, and for engaging its constituent communities in education and consultation.
The SRIAC has nine members. The nominations for membership should take into account the desire both for continuity and for diversity on the SRIAC.
:3 Trustees/Directors appointed by the Earlham Board of Trustees and the Earlham Foundation Board of Directors with at least one representative from each body.
:3 Earlham Students (one of whom is an ESR student)
:3 Earlham Faculty (one of whom is the Vice President for Financial Affairs)
One of the Trustee/Director representatives shall be selected by the committee as its clerk. A non-participating recording clerk will attend all meetings and prepare draft minutes of the meetings. All decisions of the SRIAC are made by the members by consensus in accordance with the usual Earlham meeting procedures. Copies of the approved SRIAC meeting minutes will be sent to the Earlham Foundation Board of Directors and to the Earlham Board of Trustees. Similarly, once approved, copies of the meeting minutes of the Earlham Foundation will be sent to the SRIAC. The minutes of the SRIAC will be posted on the Earlham Web site for Earlham community access.
1. Proxy voting. The Socially Responsible Investment Advisory Committee monitors the voting of corporate proxies, which Earlham generally votes directly. The SRIAC meets as a full committee in February to decide general guidelines for voting on anticipated proxy issues and to determine the delegation, if any, to a subcommittee. The actions will be in a manner consistent with the long-term interests, objectives, and philosophy of the Earlham Investment Policy Statement. If proxy voting is waived by the SRIAC to investment manager by joint action of the SRIAC and Earlham Foundation, then each manager shall keep detailed records of said voting of proxies and related actions and will comply with all regulatory obligations related hereto.
2. Monitoring separately managed investments. The Earlham Board of Trustees and the Earlham Foundation have delegated the identification of excluded companies and the monitoring of the separately invested equity and fixed income portfolios with respect to the criteria related to the Peace, the Simplicity, and the Integrity, Equality, Justice and Respect for Persons Testimonies to the Socially Responsible Investment Advisory Committee. If a company appears to be an inappropriate investment based upon the foregoing criteria (or if the SRIAC feels that a previously excluded company should be eligible for investments), then the SRIAC will add that company to (or delete the company from) the list of excluded companies and notify the Earlham Foundation. If the Earlham Foundation concurs in that judgment, then it will notify their investment managers. If either an investment manager or the Earlham Foundation disagrees with that judgment, then they will notify the SRIAC in writing, stating the reasons for the disagreement. The final arbiter of disagreements between the SRIAC and the Earlham Foundation will be the Earlham Board of Trustees.
3. Shareholder advocacy. In cases in which there are concerns about issues of corporate social responsibility, then the SRIAC, acting on its own behalf or in concert with other socially responsible investors, may engage corporations to change that behavior. The SRIAC may participate with organizations such as the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) or Friends Fiduciary Corporation. The SRIAC shall notify the Earlham Board of Trustees and the Earlham Foundation of its intent to act with a specific company on a given issue. Either the Earlham Board of Trustees or the Earlham Foundation may refuse to approve such action. The refusal and the rationale shall be provided in writing to the other two bodies. If efforts to reconcile differences of opinion among the three bodies are not successful, the Trustees will again be the final arbiter.
4. Community Education and Consultation. The SRIAC should engage the faculty, staff and students of Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion so that individual members of the Earlham community can become more knowledgeable about the Earlham endowment and so that individuals can address members of the SRIAC with their concerns about policy matters and/or individual companies. Community members may wish to contact either individual committee members or the SRIAC as a body to communicate concerns about the implementation of this policy. Minutes of the meetings of the SRIAC will be posted publicly on the Earlham Web site in Community Documents along with copies of current policy statements. This policy of Earlham College and the Earlham Foundation concerning socially responsible investments will be posted on the Earlham Web site.
Policy Review
This policy should be reviewed through a process approved by the Earlham Board of Trustees and the Earlham Foundation Board of Directors every four years. This policy was reviewed and approved in June 2007.
This policy may be amended by joint agreement among the Socially Responsible Investment Advisory Committee, the Earlham Board of Trustees, and the Earlham Foundation Board of Directors or by sole action of the Earlham College Board of Trustees. The amendment process may be initiated by any of the three bodies.
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