Chants of “This is what democracy looks like” echoed across College Green yesterday afternoon as students met to hammer out “Occupy OhioU” plans.
Occupy OhioU is inspired by a protest in New York City called Occupy Wall Street and will mimic similar “occupations” at universities across the country. Members of the OU group will protest what they say is the government’s neglect of public opinion beginning this Sunday.
The group plans to demonstrate in front of the second-floor entrance to Alden Library, but they have yet to receive permission from the university and the Ohio University Police Department.
Tyler Barton, a senior studying chemistry and one of the leaders of the demonstration, said he met with OUPD Chief Andrew Powers and Dean of Students Ryan Lombardi.
“They’re both pretty cool about us being there,” he said but added that the space might belong to the city, which would raise other problems.
If the Occupy OhioU group members cannot use the space in front of the library, they plan to use the area at the top of Morton Hill, where the Oasis dining facility used to be.
About 20 OU students and faculty members attended the meeting, including assistant professor Louis-Georges Schwartz, director of the MA program in film studies, and professor Judith Grant, director of women’s and gender studies.
Barton and Scott Eardley, a senior studying chemical engineering, coordinated the meeting.
“We’re all joint leaders in this,” Eardley said.
This was the group’s second planning meeting, which organizers refer to as “people’s assemblies.” Those in attendance spent the majority of the time discussing logistics, including a street team that will create posters and chalk academic buildings.
Occupy OhioU will also use Facebook and Twitter to spread awareness, Eardley said.
“This is a consciousness-raising demonstration, so we should probably raise the consciousness that it’s happening,” he said.
Faculty members will also have a presence at the occupation, Schwartz said. About 10 faculty members have agreed to lead workshops on various topics, including economics, free schools, student debt and photographic documentation of the occupation.
Patrick Chabra, a senior studying biology and pre-med, suggested having a group of students meet at Chase Bank to close their accounts and move to a credit union.
Chabra said he attended the first meeting as well and is interested in participating in the occupation.
“Watching the Occupy Wall Street in New York has really raised my awareness of the injustices being committed by these corporations,” he said.
As the meeting dispersed, a few of the attendees left chanting, “Ain’t no power like the power of the people because the power of the people don’t stop.”
bv111010@ohiou.edu
