By Peter Fricke, Campus Reform
College students across the country have been holding demonstrations this week to “Stand with Mizzou,” and Campus Reform has created an interactive map to sort them all out.
While some schools—such as Yale, Ithaca College, and of course Mizzou—have attracted national attention, others have so far slipped beneath the radar.
University of Southern California
Several hundred students held a rally on campus Thursday afternoon not only to “Stand with Mizzou,” but also to protest what some see as a culture of discrimination at USC, according to The Daily Trojan.
At one point during the rally, captured in a video obtained by Campus Reform, student senator Sabrina Enriquez addresses the crowd to outline the students’ grievances.
“Who are we speaking to right now? Who has the authority to give us these resources?” she says at the start of the video, complaining that Title IX investigations take too long to resolve and that too many people are still not aware of bias reporting.
“All of us are experiencing different prejudices within all of our classrooms, and this is how we have to change it,” she asserts. “We have to work together to break all of our chains to make sure that collectively, we can be liberated; we can have the education we’re looking for; our backpacks can be lighter because our university will actually give us books about black people.”
She also takes issue with USC’s academic curriculum, saying, “The fact that our cultures and the history of our cultures is considered an elective, while the history of the United States, as if it doesn’t include us, is a requirement, is absurd.”
At the conclusion of the rally, students attempted to deliver a letter to University President Max Nikias explaining their complaints, only to learn that he was out of town and that they would have to settle for a statement from Vice President for Student Affairs Ainsley Carry.
“Right now is not appropriate for the provost to attempt to meet with 200 students,” Carry told them, but added that “The provost and I would be glad to meet with 10 or 15 representatives today or tomorrow or whenever you’d like to meet.”
A major focus of that meeting, in all likelihood, will be the student government resolution that was passed last week demanding that the university implement a long list of diversity initiatives, including a $100 million scholarship fund for minority students and a required course on diversity issues for all first-year students.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Demonstrators gathered on campus Thursday night to “Stand with Mizzou,” and then proceeded to march to the State Capitol to protest the alleged culture of racism at the University of Missouri, according to WKOW.
The protesters succeeded in gaining the attention of Democratic state representative Mandela Barnes, who encouraged their activities despite having no authority to actually address their complaints.
“These are the issues that we’re dealing with,” Barnes told the protesters. “Even on campuses where this isn’t taking place, or where it’s not as prevalent, it’s important for students to bring awareness to this issue.”
Campus Police estimated on Twitter that between 500 and 600 people attended the rally, a figure that seems reasonable based on the accompanying photographs.
Purdue University
University President Mitch Daniels released a statement Wednesday lauding the school community for its commitment to the principles of free expression, contrasting Purdue’s climate with that of Mizzou, where faculty members led protesters in blocking the press from public spaces.
Not all students agreed with Daniels, however, and on Friday afternoon a Purdue graduate student tweeted a video showing a crowd of students chanting, “Mitch, let’s face it/it’s time to deal with the racists.”
Quickly tiring of that cumbersome formulation, the protesters later opt for a simpler one and begin chanting, “Where’s Mitch?”
Binghamton University
At Binghamton University in New York, the student paper reports that more than 100 students participated in a “Stand with Mizzou” rally Thursday afternoon.
Rather than confining themselves to outdoor areas of campus, as students at most other schools have done, the Binghamton protesters decided to march through several school buildings.
Several professors closed their classroom doors in an effort to prevent disruptions to their classes, but most were stymied by the protesters, who forcefully held the doors open so that the students inside could hear their message.
The school’s president, Harvey Stenger, raised no objections to the disruption in a statement responding to the march, but instead applauded the demonstrators for “continuing dialogue on this important aspect of our university.”
Northwestern University
Student protesters interrupted a groundbreaking ceremony unveiling renovations to the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion Friday afternoon, according to posts on Twitter.
As the ceremony was going on, video clips show a crowd of students emerging from behind a curtain, at which point they occupied the auditorium as a forum for listing their diversity demands.
ESPN reporter Adam Rittenberg was in attendance, and tweeted highlights from what he deemed the “bizarre scene” at Northwestern.
“The protesters initially gathered behind a curtain and chanted,” he wrote in one tweet. “Then they stormed in as athletic director Jim Phillips was speaking.”
Rittenberg describes University President Morton Schapiro’s reaction as tolerant, noting that Shapiro applauded the students for their bravery in speaking out in the manner that they did. Eventually, Rittenberg says the students moved on to other locales, chanting “You can’t stop the revolution” as they departed.
Map updated as of 4 PM EST, 11/13/2015
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @FrickePete
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