New group continues sentiment of political activism

As the campus continues to react to last week's election results, a new student organization is urging those at UNC to strike out.

Students for a New Direction, a group dedicated to the promotion of political activism, dialogue and education on campus, is protesting what it says are President Bush's claims that the American public mandated his agenda.

The group sold T-shirts in the Pit on Monday and Tuesday that read "STRIKE" on the front and "NOVEMBER 2nd IS NOT A MANDATE. AMERICA IS ALL OF US AND WE WILL BE HEARD" on the back.

"I'm wearing (the shirt) because I feel the viewpoint of the public who voted against Bush deserves a voice," said sophomore Llael Maffitt. "I'm concerned about the direction our nation is going in."

Students for a New Direction, which formed a few weeks before the election, sold more than 400 shirts Monday, and the group saw similarly high sales Tuesday.

"The election has been really trendy," said sophomore Natasha McCurley, one of the group's six members. "We wanted to make sure this political engagement continued till after the elections, to encourage (students) to be involved with policy-making rather than be subjected to it."

Some students perceived the organization as divisive and liberal and questioned its attempts to be unbiased.

"I think the country needs to be unified at this point, but I don't believe that supporting the opposition view and accepting it is the way to be unified," said sophomore Ellie Ivy.

Students also have misunderstood the group's use of the word "strike," said McCurley.

Vera Fabian, a member of Students for a New Direction, sought to clarify her position by explaining the three aspects of striking the group encourages.

"The first thing is refusing to comply with the idea of the mandate," she said, emphasizing that almost 49 percent of the electorate voted against Bush.

The second aspect she underscored was the group's refusal to participate in the negative response to the election.

"I think we should react against this hate, apathy and cynicism that are dividing the country.

"The last thing is striking out on a new course," Fabian said.

She said this new course encompasses staying open-minded, getting educated and becoming passionate about the things students value.

"I think that it's important for the people who disagree with this administration's policies to continue to express that they disagree with them," said freshman Matt Craig. "I hope that people who support the Bush administration policies will realize that there are so many people who don't."

There was some confusion Tuesday that Students for a New Direction was organizing a classroom walkout or a rally. Fabian said the event merely consisted of people wearing the shirts and engaging in political discourse.

Some people walked away from the group's table at the Pit without buying the T-shirt even though they said they identified with the cause.

"I think that the intentions behind the movement are positive -- and I agree with them -- but I think that there might be more effective ways to be politically active," said sophomore Amanda Sellers.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.