|
UCSC Students Kick Recruiters Off Campus
Report by Erin of UCSC Students Against War
Earlier today, about 300 UC Santa Cruz students led by
Students Against War (SAW) kicked Army, Navy and Marine
Corps recruiters out of the annual Career Center Job Fair,
marking yet another success for the nation-wide
counter-military recruitment campaign.
Joined by Watsonville's Brown Berets, SAW protesters
gathered for a rally at the campus bookstore and occupied
the streets in a traffic-stopping procession up to the
Stevenson Event Center where the Job Fair was being held.
Students were motivated by fiery speeches about the
racist, sexist, classist and heterosexist biases of the
military, all of which are in violation of the UC Santa
Cruz's non-discrimination policies.
As the march began, a small group of students infiltrated
the Job Fair and surrounded recruiters' tables, chanting
and linking arms. This small group was soon joined by
more students from the march who pushed their way through
front and side doors, chanting "Whose Campus? Our Campus!"
as Job Fair administrations attempted to literally shove
them out the door.
Ultimately, 86 students were able to surround recruiters'
tables while the remaining 200 marchers stayed outside the
Event Center, blocking the entrances and chanting in
support of those on the inside.
Student negotiators struck a bargain with the Career
Center Administrators after SAW protestors had occupied
the Job Fair for about an hour. Protesters agreed to stop
the disruption and leave the Job Fair once recruiters left
the site and did not return. After all the military
recruiters received a police escort out of the Event
Center, protesters were granted a make-shift booth where a
few representatives could remain at the Job Fair to
educate students about anti-military, pro-peace options
for future employment.
Student negotiators also arranged for a future meeting
with Career Center Administrators and Students Against War
(SAW) to discuss the future of military recruitment at the
University of California at Santa Cruz.
UCSC is not the only college in the nation to take action
against on-campus military recruitment. Students at San
Francisco State University, the City College of New York
and UW-Madison have all recently staged successful
counter-recruitment actions on their campuses.
|
