Campus Antiwar Network History

David A. Caputo
President
Pace University
New York City, NY
president@pace.edu

President Caputo,

It is come to my attention that Brian Kelly and Lauren Giaccone, two students at Pace University and members of the Campus Anti-War Network and SDS are being threaten with possible expulsion from your school for engaging in activities highlighting the accused War Crimes of Bill Clinton.

These activities include:

*Failure to register a rally
*Violation of distribution and solicitation policy
*Reservation of university space by an unrecognized organization

Count One: Failure to Register a Rally

As a student at the University of Northern Iowa I have organized many rallies, none of which I had to register with the University in advanced. The administration at UNI unlike Pace has a long standing tradition of respecting the free speech rights of its students, faculty and staff. I would suggest that you take a lesson for your academic colleague and realize that free speech must flourish on our campuses and that administrators should have a hands-off approach when dealing with student protest, that is unless they wish to join in our call for the end of the Iraq War.

Count Two: Violation of distribution and solicitation policy

Are you serious? The idea of having to get distributed information approved by school administrators should strike any true academic as disgusting and unconstitutional.

Count Three: Reservation of university space by an unrecognized organization

It sounds like the proper steps to become recognized have been taken by the CAN/SDS students. Your administration should not play the role of an non-functioning and incompetent bureaucracy. As an institution of higher learning you need to lead by example and show students how a large institution can have a well functioning bureaucracy.

It does not matter whether or not you believe as many do that Bill Clinton is a War Criminal. I suggest that you talk with some of your International Affairs Faculty members about the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and how that relates to Rwanda. Not only did the U.S avoid taking action as we are legally obligated to under CPPCG but we actively prevented other U.N nations from stepping in.

What happened in Rwanda is not just some unfortunate footnote in world history. Hundreds of thousands of people were erased out of existence at the brutal blade of a Machete. What happened was fueled by sectarianism created by Belgium colonialism, the world had a responsibility to act, this include the great super power then led by Bill Clinton.

You wold be well advised to know that to this date CAN has not yet lost a case of repression to one of our students. When an administrator clamps his Iron Foot on the necks of one our own we will rise-up and fight back until that Iron foot has been pushed back and the freedom to resist the illegal war and occupation in Iraq has been restored.

This is only the beginning,

Chris Schwartz
Coordinating Committee of the Campus Anti-War network
Co-President of the University of Northern Iowa students for Social Justice
President of cedar Valley United for Peace & Justice
Publisher of The Legacy
Editor and Chief of college Not Combat