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Subject: Cops Arrest Columbia Protesters >/* Written 10:17 PM Apr 11, 1996 by bwitanek in igc:justice.polabu */ >/* ---------- "Cops Arrest Columbia Protesters" ---------- */ >Posted: Ronnie Dadone <[log in to unmask]> >> > April 11, 1996 >> > Students Arrested at Columbia University Sit-In > > By KAREN W. ARENSON >> > [N] EW YORK -- Twenty-three protesters seeking > the creation of an ethnic studies department at Columbia >University were arrested Wednesday > morning after an all-night occupation of Low > Library, the university's central administration building. >> > Twenty-two were charged with criminal trespass > and one with disorderly conduct, said Sgt. > Nicholas Vreeland, a spokesman for the police > department. >> > The overnight occupation represented an > escalation of pressure by a coalition of > students who say the university has not made a > serious enough commitment to add faculty and > courses for the study of African-Americans, > Asian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and American Indians. >> > This semester, students have staged a hunger > strike, which entered its 10th day on Wednesday, as well as >several rallies and a sit-in in the > office of Columbia College's dean. Three > students are still on the hunger strike; a > fourth quit after becoming ill. >> > "We don't have any regrets," said Antonio > Garcia, a freshman from Los Angeles who is > majoring in political science. "This was about > power. Now there's a real sense of urgency. The hunger strikers >are getting very weak." >> > The protesters had met with university > administrators about their demands, but > dissatisfied with progress, had been seeking a > meeting with the Columbia president, George > Rupp. On Tuesday he agreed, but the students > occupied the rotunda across from his office > anyway. >> > "Until they give us something, we need to stay > here so we know they are listening," Elbert > Garcia, a junior majoring in urban studies, told the protesters >in Low Library on Tuesday > evening. >> > Rupp told them he would not meet them unless > they left the rotunda. "My sense is that there > is a very large measure of common ground," he > said. >> > But they refused to leave. >> > Those arrested Wednesday morning were part of a group of more >than 100 chanting protesters who > had entered the building late Tuesday afternoon after a rally >outside, and others from a second group who had come later. Most >left the building voluntarily when threatened with arrest. >> > Columbia College, which is known for its > long-standing core curriculum of classics, > primarily from Western literature, has moved in recent years to >expand ethnic studies. It > created an Institute for Research on > African-American Studies and made plans to hire new faculty in >Asian-American studies and > Hispanic-American studies. >> > But the students have held out for a department with hiring >authority and a budget. >> > "Only a department would give it the legitimacy to attract great >scholars and to develop a > graduate program," said one protester, Jennifer Duran, a Columbia >junior from Holbrook, N.Y., > who is majoring in history. >> > On Tuesday afternoon Rupp told a faculty meeting that a committee >had just approved a new > Hispanic-studies major and had made progress > toward an Asian-American studies program as > well. Columbia already has a major in > African-American studies. >> > The president also told the faculty that a > faculty committee interceding for the > demonstrators had presented three points and > that he agreed with all of them: that there must be a critical >mass of scholars in ethnic > studies, a specific place for these studies and student >involvement in hiring faculty. >> > On Wednesday the protesters celebrated the > occupation and arrests, set plans for another > rally in the evening and tried to set further > strategy for achieving their goals. >> > "We're happy we occupied Low Library," said > Garcia. "Now we want to get them back to the > bargaining table." >> >> Home | Sections | Contents | Search | Forums | Help > > Copyright 1996 The New York Times Company >======================================= >---------- Forwarded message ---------- >Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 21:47:14 -0400 >From: [log in to unmask] >COLUMBIA UPDATE (4/11)--100+ STUDENTS TAKE OVER ADMIN BUILDING . > >Hello everyone, in regard to the hunger strike, the Low Library >protest, and the National Action for RES at large, I'd like to get >in touch with anyone who's got a direct connection to these events. >I'm doing a story on this for the Village Voice which needs to be >filed by Monday. So, if anyone can give me a contact at Columbia >(I've been in contact with Irene Shen, but I can't seem to get >through at the moment) I'd really appreciate it. > >Either e-mail me or call me at the Voice: (212/475-3333-ext.3204) > >Thanks, >Edmund Lee >Associate Editor >The Village Voice > >Posted in [log in to unmask] >To subscribe, send this message: subscribe pol-abuse >To this address: [log in to unmask] >