Students protest the Iraq War via sit-in at UR Career Center

For the PDF with photos, check out: http://prometheus.scp.rochester.edu/ursds/sites/default/files/CampusTime...

BY SOAIFUL ISLAM
STAFF WRITER
Members of Students for a Democratic
Society organized a sit-in
at the Career Center to protest
Lockheed Martin Corp. recruiters
on River Campus. Lockheed
Martin is a defense contractor that
has been contracted to produce
weapons for the Iraq War.
SDS initiated the protest, entitled
“UR Making Peace Not War.”
The co-coordinator of this event,
graduate student Ryan Acuff,
explained that the purpose of this
protest was to oppose the University’s
alleged support for Lockheed
Martin and the Iraq War.

“[What we] planned to achieve
by this is to raise the awareness
on campus that one of the defense
contractors is interviewing on
campus that is directly contributing
to the war and that the University
sponsors,” he said.

Acuff estimated that about 35
to 40 people arrived to protest
throughout the afternoon, and at
some points as many as 20 people
participated at a time.

“It is important for students to
at least know about these issues,
to be educated about where the
University stands — both economically
and morally — in relation
to these defense contractors
and the current wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan,” member of SDS and
junior Rachel Odhner said. “Part
of today’s events was the circulation
of a petition which calls for
the University of Rochester to
do a comprehensive review of its
connections to the wars and acts
of military aggression in Iraq, Afghanistan,
Syria and Pakistan and
to make the resulting information
transparent to all of the campus
community.”

According to Acuff, UR has
connections with the Iraq War
and its related defense industries,
such as the U.S. Air Force Office,
ITT Industries Space Systems,
Geospatial Systems and Lockheed
Martin, which are listed on the
School of Engineering and Applied
Sciences’s Web site as past
research partners.

“This is one of the reasons
we are circulating a petition for
the University to an engage in
a comprehensive review of its
connections to the war effort
(through the military, Department
of Defense, war profiteers/
defense contractors, etc.),” Acuff
said. “We at SDS would also like
to learn more. I think there should
be an open discussion between
the administration and SDS, and
ultimately with all members of
the U of R, but all in the climate
of transparency.”

Part of the reason for SDS’s
protest was to get more students
involved and to raise awareness
about the military and the
University’s involvement in its
operations.

Inspired by Barack Obama’s
recent win, SDS expressed its hope
for these needed changes.
The group also endorses
Obama’s call for grassroots action.
Members of the group say they are
inspired to take a stand against
war and to begin the movement
toward peace.

One member called for the end
of the War on Terror because it
is a war without clear objectives.
According to the gathered students
of SDS, they were not allowed to
meet the Lockheed Martin representatives.

They instead gathered
in the Career Center lobby area
without interrupting the interview
process or any other activity.

Some of the students said that
they were frustrated at not having
the chance to meet the Lockheed
Martin representatives. They
thought that meeting the representatives
would help them be more
educated about Lockheed Martin.

They also thought it would be a
great opportunity to ask them
questions about how the corporation
feels about its place in giving
information to other people.
Senior Gregory Balonek reacted
to the protesters’ reasoning.

“There was a protest?” Balonek
said. “I don’t think you can define
about 10 people sitting in a corner
Students oppose defense recruiter
a protest. I thought the protest
was very invisible at the Career
Center.”

Lockheed Martin visits UR just
as many other companies that
recruit students for job and internship
positions do every year.
Assistant Dean and Career
Center Director Burt Nadler described
Lockheed Martin, as with
all recruiters that come to River
Campus, as guests of the center
who are entitled to interview in
a professional and confrontationfree
atmosphere.

“Recruiters are in our office
to complete their efforts without
distractions or disruptions,” Nadler
said. “Persons who recruit
are human resource professionals,
line managers or currently serve in
roles being recruited for. They are
not senior managers who are, by
status, title or roles, appropriate
to discuss moral issues.”

“Our relationship with all
employers, whether this particular
firm, Peace Corps, Teach
for America, M&T, etc., is very
strong, mutually beneficial, professional
and based on honesty
and equal access for students who
seek consideration as well as
information,” Nadler concluded.

Islam is a member of the class of 2012.