Staking out reform

Polk Place has long been regarded as one of the more laid-back areas on campus.

But some students have taken that feeling a step further this week, turning the lower quad into their own living room.

A group of student activists has literally set up camp in the lower portion of Polk Place and is inviting students to come in, sit down and discuss world issues.

The discussion will build into the student activists' trip this weekend to an anti-war demonstration in Washington, D.C.

Anna Carson-Dewitt, a senior anthropology major, said she hopes the campsite will provide people with a place to engage in dialogue about issues in local, national and international communities.

"By creating a temporary community here, we are hoping to explore together what an ideal community can look like," Carson-Dewitt said.

The students have planned various other activities this week that are intended to raise awareness and allow people to voice their opinions on the war in Iraq.

At the end of this week, students will participate in a protest in Washington D.C., led by anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan - the mother of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq, who has traveled the country spreading her ideals since August.

Sheehan is most widely known for her especially long stop at President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Student activists will pile into six buses for the protest, and many more students are traveling by car, Carson-Dewitt said.

The students camping out said they hope their efforts will spark the interest of students and inform them of the reasons to protest.

A variety of students interested in engaging in dialogue came together to stage the campsite, Carson-Dewitt said.

"It's a group of students concerned with the way government policies have affected our communities," she said.

Though the group will be living on the lawn, they still will venture home for showers.

And the activism will not get in the way of class, Carson-Dewitt said.

Activities for the week include speakers, a massage program and a civil disobedience class.

The civil disobedience class will teach the students to use direct action as a way to to effect change, Carson-Dewitt said.

And individuals will be able to participate in painting umbrellas - or "peace parasols" - Thursday as a way to express their concerns visually.

"People everywhere understand umbrellas as a symbol of security," said Roger Ehrlich, coordinator of Public Assembly, an activism group that sponsored the parasols alongside the camp site.

Painting the parasols is an ideal opportunity to participate in free expression, he said.

But all the week's activities are a mere lead-in to the Washington, D.C., trip.

The protest expedition will provide several possibilities for people's voices to be heard at both the national and local scenes, Carson-Dewitt said.

"Hopefully it provides visibility to the growing anti-war movement," she said. "Also, it empowers people to continue to do work in their own community."

 

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.