University of Portland remove sponsorship for tobacco CEO Susan Ivey

To:  President of the University of Portland

President, Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C, of the University of Portland:
Dear President, Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C, this is a humble petition to ask you to quickly remove and renounce the University of Portland a Catholic school as a co-sponsor for Susan Ivey the CEO of RJ Reynolds Tobacco, to speak at the July 24th “Power Breakfast” in Portland. (See: http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/calendar/ )

Legal tobacco is predicted to painfully abort one billion adult addicts this century. Millions of these deaths will come from developing countries with the possibility of no medical treatment.

Remind you that Ivey’s RJ Reynolds Tobacco contributed $4.8 million to defeat Measure 50 in Oregon last year, while more than 80 groups, representing millions of Oregonians, supported Measure 50 — including teachers, nurses, pediatricians and child and health advocates. (See http://www.healthykids-oregon.org/ and http://blog.oregonlive.com/politics/vote_2007/ )

“In September 2007, Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) of North Carolina, President Baldemar Velásquez asked to meet with Susan Ivey, the CEO of Reynolds American Inc., to discuss the conditions of field workers producing its products. Listed below:
• racism
• long hours of stoop labor in the fields
• harassment in their work
• abject poverty
• staggering debt
• exposure to lethal nicotine and pesticides
• poor health
• miserable housing in labor camps
• denial of basic labor and human rights protections
Reynolds replied that it saw no reason to meet with FLOC. A group of clergy has appealed to Ms. Ivey to reconsider.” (http://www.floc.com/RJR%20Campaign.htm )

Your swift action will help deflate the tradition of prestige, power, and propaganda of the legal and lethal tobacco hirelings who will always passionately place wealth over health.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The University of Portland remove sponsorship for tobacco CEO Susan Ivey Petition to President of the University of Portland was created by and written by Mike Sawyer (TLC@TobaccoLiberationComing.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.