I’ve just finished my Master’s in Energy from a leading Australian university. It’s all about renewables, climate change etc.
I did well.
Today I just got notice I’ve been offered a scholarship prize.
The problem.
It’s the ExxonMobil energy systems prize.
I was immediately thinking “lol. Fuck no. Get fucked” assuming it wasn’t very much.
Then I found out it’s $5000 Aussie dollars.
My wife and I aren’t earning right now because of the new baby and me starting a business. We have plenty of savings, but the money would be useful.
Mrs Rugby thinks I should take it.
I’m still pretty adamant to tell them to fuck off.
As well as ExxonMobil’s most famous fuckeries on climate change, they have a big program of funding universities to soften research and statements on climate change, and to influence students as well. This is clearly part of that.
A final option is trying to turn this into some free marketing for my business (in green energy stuff), if I only I can get some attention for telling them to fuck off.
If you feel strongly enough then pass. But you could take it and subvert whatever their goal is at least relative to what someone else might do. Or if you’re a pessimist, you might be less corrupted than the next guy. Most of us have to take money from the man at some point.
scholarship prize here means you get the money say thanks and run so if that’s it, there’s no real point to have some fake honor in no, I would never take your money. Also that’s 5k less money than exxon has to spend if you don’t like them. You didn’t think about that now did you. If it’s so strong against you’d feel sick about it then don’t.
Telling them to f off has to go viral to help the new business and that’s just too unlikely.
take the money and spend it on your family.
if not, take the money and donate it to a green cause and thank exxon for their donation.
if not, take the money and give it to me.
all 3 are acceptable options. not taking the money isn’t one.
If it were a highly immoral action then sure, but the maybe symbolically questionable problem of playing along with Exxon’s PR while taking their money doesn’t compare to your obligation to your wife and child and not just doing what is best for them, but not making this even a point of contention because it’s not worth it.
as long as you dont work for them and they dont get to tell you what to do with the money, i don’t see the moral issue here.
my wife is a P.I. and she will take any grant that is willing to give her money and not restrict her research. i’d def advice her to if she has any moral issues with taking money from monsanto or something.
eta - if they are making you run through hoops and like wear an exxon t-shirt while running on stage in an exxon company event i get it. doesn’t sound like the case though.
I got a small scholarship as an undergraduate. It turned out somewhat later there was an expectation to show up and parade at some function. I refused, mostly because I was extremely shy. I got a phone call from a person who got angry at my apparent lack of gratitude. Always a catch. But you can have chatgpt write a thank you letter, so take the money.
If Exxon didn’t exist would some other company just take their place?
As far as the thank you note, you could just say thanks for the money.
Alternatively you could say thanks for the money, I look forward to helping build a more sustainable planet.
