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Chronicle of Higher Education
Thursday, November 21, 2002

Hundreds of Students Walk Out of Classes to Protest Possible War With Iraq
By JEFFREY R. YOUNG

Hundreds of students at more than 25 colleges across the country walked
out of classes or participated in rallies on Wednesday to protest a
possible U.S. war with Iraq, as part of a "National Student/Youth Day of
Action."

Organizers hoped to make a large show of opposition to war before
students left their campuses for the holidays. Students at several high
schools participated as well, according to organizers. The protests were
coordinated as part of the Not in Our Name Project, which began in March
2001 and involves a coalition of activist groups.

"We really want to stand together, students and youth, saying that we
don't accept the war, we don't condone it," said Edith Lagos, a
volunteer for Not in Our Name.

One of the largest of the rallies was held at New York University, where
organizers asked students to walk out of classes at noon -- after
standing up and saying "no war in Iraq" -- and to gather in a park.
Between 1,000 and 1,500 students at NYU attended the rally, according to
John Beckman, a spokesman for the university. "It was very peaceful," he
said, noting that classes were held as usual.

Other campuses where students had planned protests were Barnard College,
California State University at Northridge, Columbia University, College
of the Canyons, Pasadena City College, New School University, the
University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Southern
California, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Maya Sen, a graduate student at New School University and an organizer
for Not in Our Name, said that the threatened war in Iraq is only one
concern of the protest group, which also faults much of U.S. foreign
policy that has emerged since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Page created November 20, 2002 by Charlie Jenks.