Eighth "official" TIAA-CREF (TC) Coalition Update --mainly for TC participants with an interest in social responsibility by TC

Dear TIAA-CREF Campaigners, We are sad to report that TIAA-CREF has chosen the easy, anti-shareholder path and moved the next annual meeting, in June, to Charlotte, NC. After feeling heat from shareholders at the 2001 meeting, they moved the 2002 meeting to Charlotte (claiming they wanted to celebrate their new regional office and give other shareholders a chance to attend--though only about 20 shareholders/shareholder reps did so. Even their trustees did not attend!) With the meeting back in NYC for 2003, hundreds attended, with a demo outside, and attention from NYC media (Wall Street Journal, NY Times, among others). So, TC is moving the meeting back to North Carolina for 2004--wonder why! We may be mounting a mini-campaign (calls, media attempts, etc.) to try to reverse this or at least bring them some adverse publicity for this blatant attempt to suppress shareholders and their representatives. We will keep you informed. We have had several successful small demos at local offices (3-6 people). And we recently held a small one at their headquarters in NYC that drew attention in several ways. We are still looking for folks (or your friends) in the general vicinity of these remaining cities for such involvement: Tampa, Dallas, Charlottesville, Minneapolis, Phoenix, and Columbus. Someone is interested in doing something at the Seattle office, but he is trying to locate a willing individual to also get involved. We also have a number of folks who are contacting TC trustees (usually by telephone) to help us move forward with the efforts of one of our coalition groups. The campaign seeks for TC to establish a new and improved socially responsible fund that specifically invests in many positive ventures—like low-income area community development.. However, are there folks in Cleveland, Toledo, or Portland (OR) (and maybe elsewhere) who might reach out to TIAA-CREF trustees there? We are trying to get these in by early April in the run up to a meeting with TC officers that we have long worked for. In that meeting we will discuss the proposed new fund.. In the coming months, we will be reaching out to new groups to join our coalition of organizations working to make TIAA-CREF more socially responsible. If you have any suggestions (or better yet, connections) concerning such possibilities, let us know. You could suggest content areas or specific advocacy groups. Most relevant would be organizations that, in some aspect of their work, focus on corporate responsibility, especially on influencing particular corporations. Finally, for those of you associated with the American Psychological Association, there is an effort underway to get the association to become more socially responsible in its investing. If you are interested in this, let us know. We can put you in contact with folks who have done some preliminary work and need some assistance to move forward. THANKS, Neil