There were chalking, chants, and a chase last Friday in front of North College, as approximately 50 students turned out to demand that the University divest from weapons producers General Dynamics and Raytheon. Students For Ending the War in Iraq (SEWI) sponsored the protest.
“Basically we wanted to increase the campaign’s visibility and let the administration know that this is an urgent concern of ours that needed attention now, as opposed to a year from now,” said SEWI member Joanna Arnow ’08. “Students care enough about this to spend an hour and forty minutes shouting about it. It really sent a strong message.”
Students first met at 3:00 p.m. on the steps of North College to make signs and chant for divestment and peace. Although initial turnout was small, the group grew as students came out of classes at 4:00 p.m., and also when protestors journeyed to Foss Hill to encourage participation from the students taking a break in the sun.
The group marched through the lower and upper floors of North and South College twice, drawing attention from staff and, according to some SEWI members, signs of support.
“People were curious,” said Associate Dean of Student Academic Resources Sarah Lazare. “Curiosity is support.”
“I thought they’d kick us out because we were really loud with all the echoing in the hallways,” said SEWI member Hannah Dreier ’08. “But a lot of the secretaries were really positive. Some of them came out and stood in the doorframes and smiled and waved at us.”
While marching to South College, the protestors had an encounter with Vice President and Secretary of the University Peter Patton.
“I was chased by them, actually,” Patton said. “I was informed by a third party that they were coming to occupy my office. I was heading towards Olin and they started coming towards me with a megaphone.”
“He was almost running away from us,” Dreier said. “Well, he was speed walking.”
Before the arrival of Director of Public Safety Dave Meyer at approximately 4:00 p.m., protestors also engaged in chalking slogans such as ‘Divest Now’ and ‘No Blood Money’ across the walls and steps of North College, as well as the pavement.
“It’s hard to hold a group of people responsible when it was only several individuals who were chalking,” Meyer said. “I just happened to be in the area and saw them out there, so I approached some of the organizers, made sure they knew the regulations. Public Safety wasn’t out there in full force.”
“It’s possible they damaged the brownstone,” Patton said of the North College chalking.
After 4:00 p.m., the protestors re-gathered at the steps in front of North College to speak on the need for divestment, and to continue chants such as “Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation.” David Amdur, program coordinator of the American Friends Service Committee, who coordinated with SEWI in bringing last week’s “Eyes Wide Open” art exhibit to the lawn in front of Olin, spoke on why immediate withdrawal from Iraq is necessary.
Middletown Mercy High School senior Liz Gionfriddo also spoke, a few hours before she was due to attend her senior prom, on losing her cousin in the Iraq war. Brian Brotman ’07 spoke on the history of divestment at Wesleyan, particularly the campaign against apartheid in the late ’70s and early 80’s.
“I spoke about historical memory, and how it’s amazing some people are writing WESpeaks bringing up how money spent on weapons contractors is used for defense,” said Devaka Gunawardena ’09. “That’s just not the case in the history of U.S. policy. Look at Nicaragua, look at Iran. More often it’s about securing corporate markets and resources if anything.”
While SEWI members stated that the turnout was an example of student body support for divestment, Patton suggested that the real problem might lie outside of University policy.
“I don’t know if anyone supports the Iraq war at Wesleyan,” he said. “I don’t see Wesleyan as contributing to the war. I think the problem is in Washington D.C., not in Middletown Connecticut.”
Arnow said that SEWI plans to continue pushing for divestment over the summer by contacting University students and alumni. Next semester, the group plans to push for an extension on the WSA resolution calling for divestment that was recently passed.
“We want to extend the resolution to all weapons contractors besides General Dynamics and Raytheon,” she said. “Also, the WSA says we should divest while the U.S. is still in Iraq, but we’ll be pushing for divesting permanently.”
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