2007 hunger strike
In November 2007, Columbia activists embarked upon a hunger strike in protest against the University's attempts to unconstitutionally use eminent domain to take over portions of nearby Harlem neighborhoods. Several recent "bias incidents" involving racist graffiti and symbols seen around campus were also precipitating events for the protest.
After 10 days of the hunger strike, the administration met some of the group's demands and the hunger portion of the protest ended. The campout on South Lawn ended a day later.
Contents
General focus areas of demands
- Administrative reform
- Further expansion of Ethnic Studies
- Core Curriculum reform
- Changes to the university's plan to expand into West Harlem (see Manhattanville expansion), viz [1]
"We demand:
1. Columbia withdraw its 197-C proposal to rezone Manhattanville immediately.
2. After withdrawing its proposal from the review process, Columbia submit its proposal to Community Board 9 for revision in line with the principles of the 197-a plan.
3. After making the relevant changes to its rezoning plan, Columbia negotiate a substantive community benefits agreement which serves to mitigate displacement created by the university’s presence and addresses job creation, environmental problems and university-community relations"
Participants
- Bryan Mercer, 22, a senior at Columbia
- Samantha Barron, 19, Barnard sophomore
- Aretha Choi, 19, a Barnard sophomore
- Emilie Rosenblatt, 22, a Columbia senior
- Victoria Ruiz, 20, a Columbia junior
- Rich Brown, a Columbia junior
- April Simpson, a Columbia freshman
Reactions
Support
Lucha, the MSA, Take Back the Night, the College Democrats, SEEJ, the BSO, BOSS, SOL, Delta Sigma Theta, and the ISO were among student groups offering support. The CCSC, GSSC, and Barnard's SGA offered "statements of solidarity".
The strikers were also supported by some members of the faculty, notably Hamid Dabashi, Gil Anidjar, Nicholas De Genova, and Barnard PoliSci prof Dennis Dalton, who actually joined the strike. The entire faculty of the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race has also declared support.
Alumni who visibly supported the strike included the hunger strikers of 1996, Mark Rudd, Jennifer Oki, Nell Geiser, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. Anti-Columbia singer Nellie McKay was also an active supporter.
Opposition
An informal anti-strike group was organized on Facebook by Aga Sablinska and held counter-protests.[2] The ESC was the only student group to officially oppose the strike.
In a published report in Spec on November 15, Dean of Student Affairs Chris Colombo reportedly told CCSC President Michelle Diamond that the strike "is going to end one way or another tonight". Diamond subsequently issued a statement of her own, independent of the student government, asking for the strike to end. That day, the university prompted two strikers to drop out after threatening forced medical leave.
Timeline
- November 7: The strike begins, tents erected on Butler Plaza. In the evening, the university provided the strikers with electricity.
- November 11: Hunger striker Aretha Choi, drops out after she is found nonresponsive in 209 Butler and subsequently rushed to St. Lukes Hospital.
- November 14: At approximately 10:15 in the evening, Sam Rennebohm, a member of the ad hoc coalition in support of the strikers, surrounded by a crowd of approximately 200 supporters and onlookers, declares that on November 15 at noon, students will demonstrate to prevent events from taking placed as scheduled at the university, including an alumni dinner with former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Negotiations with the administration came to a stand-still with no new meetings scheduled.[3] Shortly thereafter, Spec reports that a number of the strikers' demands have been met (see below).
- November 15: Mercer and Rosenblatt drop out after being threatened with forced medical leave by Health Services;
- November 16: The remaining strikers break their fast, ending the public protest.
Achievements
Columbia College dean Austin Quigley and Arts and Sciences VP Nicholas Dirks tried to preempt the strike with announcements they were willing to make new administrative hires to represent diversity concerns, and pledged further study regarding the status of the Core Curriculum. The Manhattanville expansion was never really on the table.
On November 14, Spec reported that the strikers had won the inclusion of a Major Cultures seminar to become part of the Core Curriculum, transforming the existing Major Cultures distribution requirement. Later, the univesity seemed to suggest that reform of Major Cultures would simply involve various departments' "submission of new syllabi". Among the other major goals the administration agreed to was mandatory anti-oppression training for incoming faculty.
References
External links
- NY Sun
- village voice (blog)
- official hunger strike blog
- NY Times: Comparison of hunger strike to 1968 by History PhD student Thai Jones
