This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Northeastern chapter.
In Defense of Occupy NU:
Disclaimer: I‘m not here to recruit, I’m not a dedicated Occupy member nor am I speaking for movements on this campus nor nationwide. What I am is a frustrated supporter who has been disturbed by the reaction from fellow Huskies.
I wouldn’t have considered myself an activist last year. I know college is the time to chain myself to a tree while the city tries to chop it down, but I never found any real hope in standing in a peace circle and singing Kumbaya. I’m not radical like many of my anthropology classmates, but I’ve become interested in how movements form to create social change. After working to protest AmeriCorps cuts last year, I found a new inspiration for using my voice. So six weeks ago, I headed to Dewey Square to watch the start of Occupy Boston. The movement has taken off and spread more quickly than I imagined. I respect what is currently happening on campus: Occupy Northeastern.
Occupy NU has received a lot of criticism. Some of it’s founded and some absurd. I’ve recently joined the “Twitter-sphere” and was disheartened to see many ignorant messages directed at Occupy NU. Though some students did raise valid points, much of the negativity was unsound. I’ve seen tweets that assert students have no right to fight against a $50k tuition when they made the choice to attend. The point is that no tuition should cost so much that it is out of reach or will place students into long term debt. Many of my friends have complained about the costs of education; I think they should respect that someone is finally being vocal about the exploitative costs.
Other tweets complained about the irony of students skipping class to protest. To clarify, no students skipped class or co-op for the protest. The occupiers are not lazy – for weeks they have been juggling Occupy, their studies, work and the rest of their lives. Don’t discount them as loiterers on Kretzman Quad (or the “NU People’s Plaza” as they have renamed it). This is more than fifteen kids sitting in a tent, this is a chance to engage in a dialogue about the direction of our country.
Occupy NU gives members of our campus opportunity to focus on issues in our community. The organizers have created a list of goals including working to combat a lack of workers’ rights, promoting wage inequality on campus, and increasing transparency of tuition spending, among others. None of these seem particularly controversial enough to cause students to respond with such negative messages such as “I hope it gets cold tonight” as I heard one student say passing the quad, filled with Occupy NU tents on Monday.
Monday’s General Assembly attracted a crowd of about 50 who were interested in becoming educated about what Occupy NU was doing. I can’t say the same about those who’ve walked by the occupiers without stopping to ask what they’re doing and instead cower behind their computers and tweet false accusations about the movement.
The Occupiers don’t want you to dropout and camp out. They want you to question the system, consider your happiness with current social structure, and contemplate the societal changes needed to achieve satisfaction with the society in which you live. Occupy NU is an opportunity to become educated about what Occupy is about for those who haven’t had time, or perhaps interest, to get down to Dewey. The movement has literally come to you. This is a great opportunity to engage in conversation, whether you are infuriated, supportive, or still uneducated.
I don’t think Occupy is perfect, but I believe in its core messages. What I believe even more is this is an exciting time in our university, community, city and nation to express inequality. People have questioned the potential of success taking over the streets to protest. Those people must have been hibernating during the Arab Spring. Something powerful is happening with Occupy.
I invite you to join the discussion and welcome any rebuttal, because as I have stated, this movement is about creating dialogue. I challenge you, instead of posting a comment on the Internet, to go down to Kretzman or Dewey Square. The answer to every status update or tweet that questions: “Why are those people pitching tents in Kretzman?” is go ahead and ask them. Use this opportunity to skip the middleman of the often-biased media and talk to them yourself.
Remember that there was a time when our founding fathers realized it was important to give us a voice. Let us not lose that voice. It is powerful to find something you believe in and stand up for it. It doesn’t have to be against corporations or Wall Street. Find something you feel passionately about. And if it’s any of the issues surrounding Occupy, join Occupy at Northeastern, Dewey Square and across the nation. If you’re not sure yet, just come to watch and learn: I promise they won’t make you drink any of the Kool Aid.
For the other side of the argument, read Lauryn Paiva’s article
Photos: BostInnovation, UnniversalHub