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A Short History

One of the newest groups on campus, SICD was officially formed in January 2000 in order to raise student awareness about the social responsibility of companies that recruit on campus. The group's activities unofficially began when Philip Morris, the largest tobacco company in the world, was actively recruiting Stanford students for high positions. When they heard about our efforts to raise awareness on campus about the harmful and often heartless practices of the tobacco industry, they ended up canceling their recruiting sessions and interviews. We also got extensive press coverage among the local media and on KCBS.

Realizing our power as Stanford students to intimidate multi-billion dollar companies, we decided to use our influence to make a more lasting impact. In January 2000, we laid the foundations for SICD by researching companies and their impact on human rights, labor, the environment, and politics. We created an on-line resource for students which profiles over 20 recruiting companies, and provides a means for students to research the social responsibility of a particular company. Now that we have laid the groundwork, we can better direct our efforts and are ready to make our presence felt on campus.

Upcoming Plans

Some potential activities for this year include:
  • Instituting a voluntary pledge for graduating seniors to sign stating that they will (1) take into account the social and environmental consequences of any potential job, and (2) try to improve those aspects wherever they work.
  • Organizing social responsibility awareness events on campus.
  • Sitting in on the information meetings of unethical companies recruiting on campus to ask important questions about their policies.

By no means is this list all inclusive. These plans will undoubtedly change and take shape throughout the year, depending on what our members decide.

Why we need YOU!

Since we are such a new organization, every member can make an invaluable contribution in continuing to lay the foundation for SICD. An exciting aspect of participating in such a young organization is that each individual's visions and hopes are invaluable in establishing SICD as a lasting presence on campus. If you are interested in helping or want to learn more, e-mail nedt@stanford.edu