The Brain has gotten louder ‘ and we’re hoping you’ve been listening.
Though assembly space is, and has been, notoriously absent at this most Premier Public University in the Northeast, what little there is has been noticeably full of fervor of late.
From Killer Coke’s funerary caravans (see Page 1) to a veteran-inspired pro-war Freedom Friday rally, people ‘ specifically students ‘ are caring.
Killer Coke’s props were more than just posters. Their elaborate procession drew attention to their cause, and the group has continued to gain momentum for their anti-Coke mission. Given that the University’s most appealing pieces of real estate (from vending machines to the New University Union) have been sold to faceless corporations, standing up to the Coke giant is an impressive goal.
But it’s not too lofty. Universities around the world have shed their Coke contracts like scabs. Getting rid of the company could open the doors to getting rid of M&T’s totalitarian control over ATMs.
Friday’s rally also provoked more than just glances from passersby; it rallied an entire other rally on the other side of the fountain. People care so much about their message that they stood there not only to support it, but to protest it.
And it’s not all limited to last week.
The outpouring of frustration at the Downtown Center culminated in a sizable protest at the cornerstone-laying ceremony for alumni weekend. Embarrassing for administrators for sure, but empowering for students who feel their voices fall on deaf and uncaring ears.
University students are at least meant to be prepared to care about something (refer back to our preach against ignorance), and it’s good to see actual displays of activism at this University. It’s a welcome change from the normally stagnant social concern that plagues the blank canvas of this campus and our collective psyches.
Believe it or not, we have it on good authority that back in the day, this campus was a volcanic hot spot of student activism ‘ and we yearn for the days when masses stormed the Couper Administration Building and professors chained themselves to flagpoles.
While it’s doubtful that hundreds of once-apathetic Bearcats will don their Uggs and show their support (or outrage) any time soon, this latest bout of action has us excited nonetheless.
Last semester, a lone administrator encouraged a room of student group representatives not to give up on the Old University Union. This year, buzz from East Campus renovations may energize students yet again.
We’re not holding our breath for a campus-wide walkout in support of more dining hall hours, but we’re glad to see some shuffling on this stifled campus.
And we hope this isn’t the end.