General Studies Lounge - ARCHIVE 2006-2011

STATEMENT OF
SUPPORT FOR THE HUNGER STRIKE

FROM THE GENERAL
STUDIES STUDENT COUNCIL

We, the undersigned members of the General Studies Student Council, wish to affirm our support for progress within our Columbia community. At this moment, four students from Columbia and Barnard Colleges are engaged in a sincere and serious act of protest against racist and prejudicial practices, activities, and words. They have chosen a hunger strike as a tactic of last resort because they feel systematically marginalized by the administration. Our concern is for the health of our fellow students regarding the marginalization of their voices. We therefore stand in solidarity with our fellow students in their efforts to eliminate some of the myriad forms of racism, sexism, homophobia, ethnocentrism, ageism, and elitism found within our campus. Just as the administration has a responsibility to engage in fruitful dialog with the strikers, so too does the student body have an obligation to critically engage with the concerns proposed by the student strikers. The scope of the issues brought forth by the groups involved pertain to all.

For these reasons, we stand in solidarity with the hunger strike and with all who seek progress within our academic community. The kind of nourishment our fellow students need is that of support. To that end, we humbly offer this statement and hope that our campus will move in a progressive direction as a result of the efforts of these dedicated students.

 

Jacob Matilsky

Allen Settle

Karly Curcio

Nancy Saunders

Nicolle Rountree

Eleanor Colley

Monique Long

Ishmael Osekre 

Keith Hightower

Raul Wikkeling

Elizabeth Alonso-Hallifax

Jay Kim

Todd Murphy

Helena Lellis

Ashley Forman

Brendan Rooney

Brody Berg

Niko Cunningham