[Peace] “Inclusive Illinois? Hell No!”

[Brian Dolinar]

This at ucimc.org:

*"Inclusive Illinois? Hell No!"*

On Wednesday, September 19, at noon the STOP Coalition successfully took
over the student union. Approximately 60-80 people marched throughout the
main floor of the union, going in and out of the building several times.
STOP protesters marched past the ice cream corner, the Credit Union, and
past the Espresso Royal Café counter as employees looked on in wonder. Some
students joined in, and others stopped to take photos. Flyers were passed
out with STOP's demands and speeches were given through bullhorns. STOP
organizers Treva Ellison, John Gergeley, and Paty Garcia led chants
of "Whose Union? Our Union!"

The march drew upon the coalitional structure of STOP and called out
students of color, students of conscience, community members, union members,
LGBT  people, and many others. SEIU workers were there to protest going for
a year without a contract. Aaron Ammons, of CU Citizens for Peace and
justice and a SEIU union worker, gave a speech from the stage of the
Courtyard Café and led the crowd, "Who Cleans the Buildings? B-S-Ws!"
(Building Service Workers) "Who Feeds the Children? F-S-Ws!" (Food Service
Workers).

STOP was taking over the union to reclaim it as a public space. Such
protests are typically only permitted on the south side of the Student
Union. Yet when there are such university-sanctioned "free speech zones,"
the march was to demonstrate – what are the rest of our public spaces? After
notifying the RSO (Registered Student Organizations) administrators, STOP
organizers received a call saying students had every right to march through
the union. The event went on with no administrative or police intervention.

The flyers passed out listed the STOP demands under the heading "Inclusive
Illinois?"

–        Poor recruitment and retention of students from marginalized and
racialized backgrounds.

–        Lack of health resources for LGBT students and highly gendered
spaces: no gender-neutral bathrooms.

–        Strong ties with US militarism: research funded by US Dept. of
Defense, Dept. of Homeland Security.

–        On campus recruitment by government units and companies engaged in
colonization, exploitation and extraction of resources in the third world.

–        No protection for undocumented students and workers.

–        University business contracts with corporations engaged in
environmental degradation and having poor labor practices (union bushing,
coercion, etc.).

–        Lack of transparency; institutional committees don't have public
meetings; alienation of students, workers, and community members from
decision making processes.

–        Lack of inclusion and engagement with the Champaign-Urbana
community to address community concerns such as the criminal justice system,
poverty, access to education.

–        Administrative inaction on making critical changes in policies and
practices to create an "inclusive Illinois."

STOP then marched over to the Swanlund Administration Building chanting
slogans, "Inclusive Illinois? Hell No!" and "They Say Cut-Backs. We Say
Fight Back!" Protesters went up to the fifth floor where Chancellor Richard
Herman has his office. Of course, the Chancellor was not there. With dozens
of people students standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the office foyer, Treva
Ellison talked about the incongruencies of the UIUC admin's espoused
principles with their
actual practices. Robin Kaler, of Public Affairs, appeared and told us we
could call Chancellor Herman and leave him a voice mail. Treva called his
number, but Herman did not answer, and there was no voice mail machine to
leave a message.

There was a final rally on the front steps of Swanlund where Allison Maguire
spoke about the campaign to stop the manufacture of University of
Illinoisapparel in sweatshops abroad. The rally then broke up, but not
before
students vowed that they would be back again.

Robin Kaler told the* Daily Illini*, "Students absolutely should speak out
on issues that are important to them." Still, this does not mean that the
administration will listen.

Additionally, Wednesday's action was also in response to the
administration's failure to take a clear-cut and ethical stance in retiring
the Chief. STOP wrote a letter to Chancellor Herman two weeks ago demanding
that no more phony Native American music be played during sports events, in
the absence of the Chief and his spurious dance. Still, the Chief music was
played at the first U of I football game and continues to be played by the
marching band.
-- 
Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
303 W. Locust St.
Urbana, IL 61801
briandolinar at gmail.com
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