University of Rochester SDS building occupation successful! They won their demands in less than nine hours. Here is the text of the original press release:
University of Rochester Students for a Democratic Society (UR-SDS)
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 14627
U of R Students to Occupy Academic Building for Peace and in Solidarity with Gaza
Rochester, NY – 02/06/09– Students from the University of Rochester and members of the local Rochester community will be occupying an academic building on campus today for peace and in solidarity with the people Gaza and in opposition to U.S. support for the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the recent atrocities in Gaza. The action, organized by U of R Students for a Democratic Society (UR-SDS), will begin on the afternoon of Friday, February 6 and will last until the University of Rochester administration meets the demands put forward. Community members are asked to arrive no earlier than 3pm.
The demands are:
1. Divestment: We demand the University of Rochester to adopt the "UR-Peaceful Investing Initiative" which institutes a peaceful investment policy to the university’s endowment which includes divestment from corporations that manufacturer weapons and profit from war. (For example, the U of R invests in General Dynamics which manufactures weapons to maintain a 41-year occupation of the Palestinian territories and wars which slaughter Palestinian civilians by the 100s)
2. Humanitarian aid: We demand that the University of Rochester commit to a day of fundraising for humanitarian aid in Gaza within the next two weeks, as part of an ongoing commitment to provide financial support for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
3. Academic aid: We demand that the University of Rochester twin with the devastated Gaza University and provide the necessary academic aid (e.g., recycled computers, books, etc. ).
4. Scholarships: We demand that the University of Rochester grant a minimum of five scholarships to Palestinian students every year.
The recent war on Gaza has devastated Gazan society, taken hundreds of innocent lives, and has escalated the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Given the United States’ central role in supporting the war in Gaza and a harsh 41-year military occupation of the Palestinian territories, the students’ actions are to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and their struggle for life and peace.
The student occupation will feature a number of informational and peaceful consciousness raising events such as public talks, teach-ins, and sit-ins. The action was inspired by a wave of student occupations that occurred in 16 universities in England following the Israeli assault on Gaza.
This event is organized by the University of Rochester Students for a Democratic Society (UR-SDS), a local chapter of the national Students for a Democratic Society. UR-SDS was founded in the Fall 2008 semester and seeks to effect progressive social change on campus through educational events and direct actions.
For Regular Updates on events see: http://prometheus.scp.rochester.edu/ursds/blog
Confact Information
e-mail: [email protected]
phone: 917-595-9317 or 917-757-1181
Spread this news like wildfire. Please copy the URL to friends, co-workers, activists, and email lists. Also, use the “Share This” feature at the end of this page to post to social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, etc.
Live Blogs
RochesterIVAW – http://www.RochesterIVAW.org
The Stitch – http://www.thesitch.com/
UoR SDS – http://prometheus.scp.rochester.edu/ursds/blog
The University of Rochester (UofR) after receiving the demands has started to say that occupiers cannot stay overnight in the brand new Goergen BME Building. They’ve suggested one of the 24 hour libraries.
SDS will begin to occupy at noon; activists and community members are asked to come at 3PM. Unless demands are met the occupation will continue.
And then the victory notice from their site:
UR-SDS Declares Victory in Less than 9 hours.
We spoke for peace and solidarity with the Palestinians and we were heard. UR-SDS and friends declared a victory to our occupation just before midnight Friday (Feb. 6, 2009) when we signed a joint statement of understanding/plan of action with the Dean of Students where we found common ground on addressing our demands in a substantive manner. This final statement was approved overwhelmingly by a vote of the general assembly of all those present to the occupation.
The rough wording of the signed Joint Statement of Understanding/Action Plan is as follows:
1. University of Rochester will commit to provide any surplus goods or supplies that could assist the devastated University of Gaza.
2. University of Rochester will commit resources and information to assist fundraising for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
3. University of Rochester will commit to reach out to Palestinian students in order to provide them scholarships to the University of Rochester
4. University of Rochester will commit to organize open forum to discuss why the University invests in weapons manufactures and discuss the process of the University moving toward a more socially responsible, transparent, and democratically controlled investment policy.
The spirit in the air at midnight was jubilation. Because we took a stand for peace and justice in Gaza, and we got the University of Rochester to act decisively to better the lives of the people of Gaza.
Stay turned for more details updates to come!
It’s good to see people winning, and I must thank the Rochester students for their bravery, and congratulate them on a well organized action. This is an important step in the right direction. In addition, I have heard that students have occupied universities throughout Europe as well. Whether or not this tactic is appropriate for everyone in every place to replicate, it has certainly worked in this situation, and certainly could and should be applied to other situations where the necessary groundwork has been laid, and community sufficiently mobilized. Moreover, protests against Israel’s recent mass murder spree in Gaza have erupted all over the world. The movement is growing. We need to continue to make links and keep the momentum up.
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