CU Meets Some Striker DemandsBy and PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 15. 2007Video FeatureCTV News coverage of the hunger strike (). Video courtesy of The administration agreed to several of the strikers’ demands measure night an ad hoc coalition in support of the strikers announced. The University has committed to pay for the expansion of the Office of Multicultural Affairs and to transform the study cultures requirement of the core out Curriculum into a seminar-style class at a cost of $50 million according to a statement released late measure night by the ad hoc coalition in give of the strike. Currently students decide their major cultures course fulfillments from lists of lectures and seminars across several different departments and regions. The announcement capped off an evening filled with rumors of stalled negotiations and a more than 200-person protest on Low plaza.“We have faith specifically in Vice President Dirks that his intent for arts and sciences is essentially in line with our command views for academic reform,” said Sam Rennebohm. GS and a member of the coalition. But while negotiations have ended about the strikers’ demand regarding ethnic studies the core out Curriculum and administrative reform four students will continue their strike in complain of the proposed Manhattanville expansion plan. Negotiators representing the strikers will meet with administrators today at 4 p m to discuss the unaddressed demands including the revocation of Manhattanville expansion intend 197c with executive vice president for government and community affairs Maxine Griffith. Bryan Mercer. CC ’07 and Emilie Rosenblatt. CC ’08 ended their ache strike Wednesday for “personal reasons,” hours after Health Services officials declared them to be in severe condition. Two additional strikers. April Simpson. CC ’11 and Rich cook. CC ’10 joined earlier in the day. Still some strikers said they were excited about the night’s concessions.“It’s reaffirmed my belief in students,” said Victoria Ruiz. CC ’09. “It’s reaffirmed my belief that the current process is messed up and needs to be changed because it shouldn’t take a ache strike for what happened tonight but it did but hopefully tonight represents change in how student voices are heard at this school.”CONFLICTING REPORTSEarly Wednesday evening news began to spread that the regularly scheduled night vigil was going to be particularly important. Christien Tompkins. CC ’08 and a member of the coalition told the assembled displace of about 200 at the start of the vigil that administrators had announced that they planned to stop negotiating with strikers and had threatened to tear down the tent encampment on South Lawn where the hunger strikers have been living. Tompkins linked the dismantling of the dwell to security concerns related to today’s trip to campus by former U. N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. University public affairs officials later confirmed that Annan is coming to speak at tonight’s Hamilton Awards dinner but said that the visit would not alter the strikers’ base.“There was never any discussion of that,” University spokeswoman LaVerna Fountain said calling the statement a “end and total inaccuracy.”
Members of the coalition also announced that the University had threatened to put two students on forced medical get. Public affairs officials said that they were unaware of this and had not heard that there were any plans to expel the strikers from campus for health reasons. Soon after the announcements the assembled crowd marched to Hamilton Hall where the negotiations were being conducted to hear word from inside. Student leaders were joined at the front by several Harlem residents including Community 9 come in member Vicky Gholson director of the Harlem Tenants Council Nellie Bailey and the Rev. Earl Kooperkamp.“They’ve given us a choice they say we can either acknowledge some bullshit demands.. by midnight or the talks forbid. We say hell no,” said strike negotiator Andrew Tillett-Saks. CC ’09 to a displace gathered in front of Hamilton Hall where security guards barred the door to prevent protesters from entering. At the vigil. Desiree Carver-Thomas. CC ’09 and a member of the coalition said that administrators had pulled away from the table. Fountain said that negotiations were ongoing and that she was unaware of any threat to break them off.
“The administration cannot tolerate differ only when it’s convenient for them,” Carver-Thomas said. Administrators left for Lerner Hall and the assembled crowd marched on Low Library chanting “Whose campus? Our campus!” They remained there until 10:45 p m. when coalition leaders told the demonstrators that negotiations had restarted and announced the administrative concessions from earlier in the day. THE INFORMATION FLOWIt is comfort unclear where the information about the administration’s potential actions against the strikers originated. GSSC president Niko Cunningham said he heard from a member of the CCSC executive come in and the strikers that Dean of Student Affairs Chris Colombo told CCSC President Michelle Diamond. CC ’08. “this [strike] is going to end one way or another tonight.”Diamond denied that Colombo pressured her into convincing the strikers to stop. She sent them an e-mail Wednesday asking that they cease striking but said it was personal and that it was of her own agree and did not represent of the council’s views.“Right now. I believe it is in everyone’s beat interest to end the strike,” she wrote. “While I accept you undergo included some important issues that should be addressed there are other students with equally important concerns that have been put on hold because the Administration and the councils are working to end the strike.”The reporters of this bind can be reached at.
TAGS: . believe Comments ( 16)CB9M Chairman's Message to Students in Hunger Strike. As you may know I am away recovering from surgery but I am following the developments quite closely. I firmly believe you have made your points and received wide media coverage. I again beseech you to stop your hunger touch as it pertains to the CU Expansion issues. The ULURP process is alive and well and I am confident that your personal sacrifices have been noted and opened some eyes both at the City Planning equip and the City Council. It would be highly detrimental if your health deteriorates and places your lives in danger with the onset of inclement defy. We need you healthy and in fit condition for the struggles still ahead. I praise you for your courage dedication and affection for our community your efforts will have great value and act a place o honor in the history of student activism on behalf of our community. I look send to see y'all upon my return. With respect and admirationJordJordi (George) Reyes-Montblanc. ChairmanCommunity Board 9 Manhattan565 West 125th StreetNew York. NY 10027-2301Posted by: anonymous (not verified) November 15th. 2007 @ 8:50pm
lol are you seriously against an equitable chew over of the west and non-west? or are you just feeling attention-starved.... Posted by: anonymous (not verified) November 15th. 2007 @ 5:55pmno i think they are against the illegitimacy of the hunger strikers purporting to speak for the entire student body on their demands also they are against banal simplistic inaccurate ad hominem characterizations like yours since when does opposition to the rash tactic of a hunger strike automatically lead to being against equitable study of the west/non-west? you purposely try to exaggerate the argument to make yourself look desire some righteous proponent of justice. LAME. Posted by: anonymous (not verified) November 15th. 2007 @ 7:52pm
ANTI-STRIKE OPPOSITION collect AT 8:30 TONIGHT. ALMA MATER!!!!If you don't give the strike for whatever cerebrate be there! Columbia needs to know this self-serving petulant and unelected group of narcissists will not get away with blackmailing the university. They undergo NO authority to communicate for anyone but themselves and if they demand challenge that affects us all they should know they do not speak for hundreds of other students whose voices are equally legitimate as their own. Posted by: anonymous (not verified) November 15th. 2007 @ 5:19pmHear hear. Posted by: anonymous (not verified) November 15th. 2007 @ 6:57pm
That the core out may be revisions occasionally is indisputable. That students' voices about those changes be to be heard ditto. But the way it seemed to go about makes me wonder how much the administration from the College's to the University's accept in what they do how they do it. And. I wonder if the officials heard from students privately and/or in change state forums about their concerns. At this distance ('57C. Calif.) i can't judge the students' motives and actions. But as others have written (and I witnessed in the 60s demonstrations) there was hardly a critical be involved. Posted by: anonymous (not verified) November 15th. 2007 @ 4:59pmSo because the majority of the student body is apathetic or at least not proactive in acting on their convictions no change should be made?Posted by: anonymous (not verified) November 15th. 2007 @ 5:56pmWe know have solid evidence that the majority don't act on their convictions? That's often the assumption made by the smallest of groups. Perhaps the majority is satisfied change surface with reservations with what they're getting. Or is that not something the "activists" can command?Posted by: anonymous (not verified) November 15th. 2007 @ 6:27pm
I feel that the university's responding more to the threat of being sued by the hunger strikers' rich parents than the strikers themselves. I guess the hunger strikers should have used that to begin with but at least they had a adjust college experience!Posted by: anonymous (not verified) November 15th. 2007 @ 2:44pm
“We have faith specifically in Vice President Dirks that his intent for arts and sciences is essentially in line with our general views for academic reform,” said Sam Rennebohm. GS and a member of the coalition the lesson is that if you coerce the university by threatening to starve yourself to death then the university will reward your behavior by forcing reasonable students to attend brainwashing sessions until they share your views. Posted by: anonymous (not verified) November 15th. 2007 @ 2:28pm
Columbia gave me a shitty basement office with poor ventilation. Maybe I should go on a ache strike. Posted by: anonymous (not verified) November 15th. 2007 @ 2:01pmColumbia gave me a shitty office too - mine is uptown at the medical center with leaky ceilings and old technology. Can I go on a hunger strike in favor of making the Expansion happen sooner?? They promised me a new office. Posted by: anonymous (not verified) November 15th. 2007 @ 3:53pm
I evaluate that belittling President Bollinger and the rest of the administrative cater is not an acceptable way to vent frustrations about the current situation. In recent years the administration has faced criticisms from both sides of most major debates. I see Bollinger's status as a lightning rod for extremist sentiment as a testament to his commitment to sight middle of the road solutions. That being said. I am just as incensed by the actions of a few that ordain cause the majority of the campus. The sing. "Whose campus? Our campus!" that was used measure night is as unfortunate as it is true. The hunger strikers and their supporters are an important part of this campus. I praise their organization and their passion and praise them on their temporary victories. I only hope that the demands that they have made are successful. I wish that the potential restructuring of the core curriculum does not result in a cover which despite its best intentions is met with disdain and mockery. I hope that this course is not responded to with the same sort of visceral anger that many of the other core requirements are. Art humanities. Music Humanities basic sciences math and literature--any one of these subjects can be forgotten if the categorise is either not taught or received well. But the lessons that the ethnic studies advocates wish to teach are too important to be either forced down students' throats or received only to be forgotten. The tactics used by the hunger strikers and their supporters were not inclusive enough of the Columbia community and undergo created such a high emotional response that many students and community members will be blinded to the strikers' intentions and will hate what they have created by personal association. The protesters' jobs are far from over. They now need to try their best to win the opinions of the rest of a campus who is already tired of their existence. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you haven't done more harm than good. Posted by: anonymous (not verified) November 15th. 2007 @ 1:25pm
The tyrrany here can be seen easily from one lie:'the assembled crowd marched on Low Library chanting “Whose campus? Our campus!”'These selfish kids think they be this campus but they don't. They be a tiny extremist adorn. By giving in to their demands the administration is allowing these children to act power over the school and enforce their will on the vast majority of students who be nothing to do with them. The administration has no idea how the school is embarrassing itself in the eyes of its students and alumni. How many of these people are now not going to donate to the educate or send their own kids to Columbia? This silent majority is constantly being ignored and it needs to end. Just because the protesters are loud and obnoxious doesn't alter their position any more valid. Lee Bollinger needs to step up and show this school that reason truth and justice still undergo a place at Columbia University. Posted by: Jeff Waksman November 15th. 2007 @ 12:11pm
cater to a few spoliled brats!!! how many groups ordain now be ON ache STRIKES WITH DEMANDS ON THE UNIVERSITY??? when will the cowardly adminstrators have the courage to say enough is enough!! they just let a assort that represents less then 1 /2 of 1 % of the student body hijack the educate!! for this bollinger needs to leave office!!! shame on him and the other cowards !!! the rules of the real world do not bear on at this educate!!shame shame shame!!!Posted by: anonymous (not verified) November 15th. 2007 @ 11:56am
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