Photo by Clifford N. Ible
ident arrested by S.A.F-E. Team
security officers during hunger strike .
Moses, Concerning The
Students’ Hunger Strike

An Interview by Vincent V. Louls
The Campus: President Moses, the very ginning
let’s talk at ecel t
hunger stri 0
President Moses: Protesting i fi f and
an educational ext I cn

ibout the re

I think it’s a kine

that we have I » want { cuts
balance that with the understanding
that everybody does not choose to TC: How do you address the issue
express themselves in this way, that some student leaders and some
students are of the opinion that

calling in the police to arrest

and that protesting has to be done
within the confines of university
hunger strikers was unfair, and that
you truly don’t care about the

policy, unless something is
otherwise worked out. Because we
have 15,000 students that have to students’ plight?

PM : Let me answer that. I think

that is an unfair assessment on their

negotiate their way around here
everyday. So those are my caveats
and those are the parameters of

which I have been working since Moses con’d on page 6

47 Students Arrested for
Attempting to Stay Overnight

by Eric F. Rozon

47 people were arrested by New
York City Police officers and City
College Security when a group of
student protesters attempted to stay
overnight at the North Academic
Center Rotunda on April | 1th

Shortly after 11 PM, the official
closing time of the NAC building,
President Moses, accompanied by
S.A.F.E. (Special Assistance For
Events, a City University security
specially
emergencies), and a large number
of police officers, warned the hunger
strikers over a bullhorn that they
would be arrested if they did not
leave City College property. The
demonstrators, mostly from CUNY
Colleges but also from private
institutions such as Columbia
University and New York
University, refused to leave the
NAC Rotunda.

team trained for

Their resistance led to arrests of

strikers and non-strikers alike. Many
of the arrested were from City and
Hunter College, along with four
Columbia University students. The
arrested students were held
overnight at the 24th Precinct
without being given any water.
During the hunger strike, the

protesters refused to take any
nutrients, except water.

The City College Student
Coalition who organized a hunger
strike against the budget cuts to
higher education, claimed that the
students-on strike and those
supporting them had a right to
stay in the NAC after the 11 PM.

According to President Moses,
those on strike could become ill,
therefore making the College
responsible. “I intend to
participate with the [Student
Coalition] to the extent that I feel
the safety of the College will be
kept,” President Moses said.
Coalition members declared that
they had taken the necessary
medical precautions to ensure a
safe strike.

The day after the arrests, many
people expressed their displeasure
with President Moses’ decision
to call the police to remove the
hunger strikers. The decision was
“stupid,” according to Eric
Rodriguez, a Student Coalition
member. “It was unreasonable...
If this is a community school,
then why did she close the door
on our community?” he added.
Rodriguez was referring to the

president’s refusal to allow
community leaders from Harlem
and Washington Heights tocome
into the Rotunda to show their
support for the hunger strikers.

Ali Perez, a
Community College student
who participated in the hunger
strike, said President Moses’
decision to remove the protesters
was “another occasion when you
see a member of the minority,
whom today enjoys a good
status, such as the president of
this college, safeguard her
paycheck instead of supporting
our unalienable right to protest.
Herbehavior was that of aperson
who’s irrational and anti-
human.”

On the second day of the
hunger strike, several parents
with their children came into the
Rotunda chanting .slogans. in
support of the student strike
Carlos Leyter, a parent from
Washington Heights, said “I
support the students in their fight.
It is the fight of our people.”

“The students on hunger strike
are making a road without

Bronx

Arrests con’d on page 5

Your Health
P.4

INSIDE:

SPAT RERT me

Arts & Entertainment

P. 13-44


Monday, May 1, 1995

THE CAMPUS

Hungry and On The Run

by Eric F. Rozon

nstead of another
I confrontation with New

York City police for
staying at the North
Academic Center Rotunda
after hours, the hunger
strikers at City College
decided to march.

The City College Student
Coalition, the group who
organized a hunger strike
against the budget cuts,
organized an impromptu
march on April 12th at about
11:30PM. 47 people has been
arrested the night before, in
an attempt to stay overnight
at the NAC Rotunda.

Approximately 150
demonstrators peacefully
exited the NAC building after
negotiating with police and
City University Security. The
decision to march was made
when the right to assemble
was denied again by the
authorities.

Occasional
watched the

bystanders
midnight

Exercise Your Democratic Right, Vote in the Student Elections.

photo by Clifford N. Ible

activities in wonder, as the
marchers walked towards
125th Street under pouring
rain.The banners were wet
but their message did not
fade. “Hunger Strike”,
“Starving for Education”,
and “CUNY Coalition
Against the Budget Cuts,”

The demonstrators reached
Columbia University shortly
after midnight, where police
officers in riot gear blocked
most of the entrances to
Columbia. The
demonstrators however,
rushed to an entrance with no
police opposition and entered

This is only the beginning of a movement
in New York City against the budget cuts

that are going to rock the city. We are
making history

they read. Occasional
lightning illuminated the

sopping streets.

The demonstrators
marched east on 125th and
then west towards

Broadway. Their goal was
to march towards Columbia

University in a show of

solidarity. Several police
vehicles escorted the
demonstrators throughout
the march.

the University through
Broadway and 1 15th Street.

They occupied the Butler
Library at Columbia
University for approximately
half an hour. “This is only
the beginning of amovement
in New York City against the
budget cuts that are going to
rock the city. We are making
history,” said a student at
Columbia University who is
amember of the International

Socialist Organization.

After listening to several
speeches calling the midnight
activity a “victory,” the
demonstrators peacefully
exited Butler Library.

The hunger strike ended
Thursday April 13th at 12
noon, 48 hours after it had
begun. In a memo to the City
College community,
President Yolanda Moses
called the hunger strike
“unlawful,” and said that
“such activity
confrontation
constructive purposes.”

However, Eric Rodriguez
called the hunger strike “‘a
success.” He said the strike
“was peaceful. No one got
hurt. Nothing was destroyed.
Nothing was stolen. So
what’s wrong with being on
a hunger strike?” Ali Perez
said the hunger strike was a
success because “it unified a
group of people who did not
know each other, but today
are brothers and sisters.”

and
serve no

3 More
Arrested

The night’s activities
resulted in three arrests.

J.P. Patafio, Managing
Editor of the College Voice
and Staten Island College
student, and David Suker, a
CCNY Student Coalition
member, were arrested at
Columbia University for
disorderly conduct.

Steven Gottlieb, an adjunct
Math lecturer and a student
at City College, was arrested
for assaulting a City College
Security officer and resisting
arrest. Gottlieb had tried to
enter the NAC building
shortly after it had officially
closed, in an attempt to join
the protesters inside.

Gottlieb claims that he did
not assault anyone, nor resist
being arrested.” There were
40 Security officers out there.
1 was gonna resist them?!” he
said. Gottlieb was fired from
his lecturing post at City
College.” It’s only a job for
three more weeks. Do I care?
Yeah. I care because of the
students, they’ re going to lose
out big time,” Gottlieb said.

, NY PD Invades of the NAC


Arrests con’d from page |

obstacles for the future of our
children,” said Maria Elena
Rodriguez, a parent from
Washington Heights anda member
of a women’s group in that area.
Ninel Lopez, 12, agreed with
Rodriguez in supporting the hunger
strike: “I like to go to school. If
Giuliani cuts the schools we ain’t
gonna learn.”

Rodriguez, who was present
when the students were arrested,
said the president’s decision to
remove the protesters “was a
shameful action. She came [into
the Rotunda] with the police as if
she was the head of a firing squad,

as if she said ‘Aim, Fire!’.”

A student from Baruch College
said, “we have to pull the cards out
on these administrators who
pretend to be on our side, but when
the contradictions sharpen show
their true colors.”

Ami Sha, a Columbia University
student, said “they [the
Administration] want to curtail the
power of the students. Removing
them from the Rotunda means they
don’t want the students to have any
right to speak or to protest.

“The students were perfectly
peaceful,” said Professor William
Crain, Chairman of the Psychology
Department. “The administration,
from the chancellor [Ann
Reynolds] to the president, is failing

Monday, May 1, 1995

to see the broad perspective. Here
we are fighting over what floor the
students are going to be allowed
on. What is at stake here is the
destruction of the university, the
destruction of thousands upon
thousands of students.”

Reverend John Collins, who
came with other members of the
clergy to support the student
protesters, said “I don’t think they
should be removed. They’re not
hurting anybody here. It’s wrong.
As I understood it, all the
administrations of the City
University and the State University
systems are opposed to these budget
cuts. The least she [President
Moses] could do is to remain
neutral.”

HOW TO HANG ON TO YOUR DOUGH.

THE CAMPUS

<
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3
3
4
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(WITHOUT CRAMPING YOUR STYLE)

#4) Separate “needs” from “wants.”
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Why put in for someone else's swordfish
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6 THE CAMPUS

Monday, May 1, 1995

Moses con’d from page 1

part. Let me tell you why. On the
evening of the 10th [April], I was
told by a group of students that
there was going to be a hunger
strike, and that they were going to
use the NAC, and that they were
going to stay over, and that was the
way it was going to be. I said, “wait
a minute, you know we have not
negotiated this. We have not talked
about safety, we have not talked
about the health issues involved
within the hunger strike, we have
not talked about security. How are
we going to make sure that the
building is secured, or any of this?”
And it was basically presented to
me as a fait accompli; that this is
how it was going to work and this
is what was going to happen. That’s
the first issue.

The second issue is that the two
people that seem to be doing the
major negotiating on behalf of the
students were two people that I
don’t have respect for; they were
not recognized student leaders on
campus. One of them, Ydanis
Rodriguez, had been responsible
for building takeovers four years
ago, told me in a room with my
Vice Presidents, that they were
going to use the NAC, and that
they were going to use it as long as
they needed to use it, and that they
were going to open the doors and
bring inthe community. I said “you
cannot do that, you cannot take the
College and decide how you are
going to do it without working in
the negotiations, without working
with administration. You justcan’t!
That’s not how itis. And if you do
everything, we’ re going to leave to
negotiate and talk. I gave them my
reasons why the NAC was not
appropriate. One, too porous: 27 to
28 doors out there is no way to
secure the building. We don’tknow
in terms of security whether we
would be able to do that for any
long period of time.

So we offered them a couple of
alternate spaces where they could
be secure, where they could do the
hunger strike and my fears and my
concerns would be taken care of
and they would get what they
wanted. And they chose not to do
that. So] felt that given the fact that
I’m responsible for the well-being
of the Campus Community, and
that I was being pushed into a
corner. I was being threatened by
people who were not officially part
of the campus student leadership. I
did what I felt was the responsible

thing for me to do as President of
this college.

TC: You mentioned Ydanis
Rodriguez as one of the two people
doing the major negotiating. Who
was the other person?

PM: David Suker.

TC: What were the alternative
arrangements you offered the
hunger strikers?

PM: | told them that they could
stay inthe NAC building until 11:00
P.M.., and then from 11:00 P.M..
to 7:00 A.M.
they could go to
the park Gym.
And they could
come back [to
the NAC] the
next day.
Because then
they could have
the daytime to
do the media
and attract the
kind of attention
that wouldn’t
happen if you
were doing just
ordinary kinds
of protests.

TC: What
reasons did the
hunger strikers
give for not
accepting the
alternatives?

PM: They
didn’t give one. And then as the
time drew nearer, they had like
three different warnings that they
had to leave the building. They
chose not to. I think that many of
them felt that it would be another
opportunity to bring media
attention to them. There was some
courage that first night. They went
peacefully when the police officers
came in to take them out. As they
went out they said ‘We'll be back.’
So it seems to me that this issue
was not that we were doing a protest
against the budget cuts, but that we
were going to look for ways to
come back at the administration. I
mean, that’s sort of how it looks to
me. And it made me wonder from
the very beginning what the real
motive was. Was this really against
budget cuts? If it was, why did they
get.off track that way? And why
was I supposed to ignore the fact
that they had not negotiated with
me in good faith? I did not know

Faculty

who these people were. I had
worked with the campus’
recognized leadership. So I didn’t
feel that they had my confidence.

TC: Was Student Government
involved in those negotiations?

PM: Notuntil the very end. They
were not really in the center of the
leadership. Now since then, in the
second hunger strike which
happened Monday night [April 24],
Tyler Hemingway [Student

Ombudsman] and Malik Small
{Student President], and Martha
Baez [organizer] were the people

who had been working with us. ~~
And as I said to them, I never was
against the idea of a hunger strike,
but I really took umbrage at people
coming and telling me what’s on
my owncampus, without my input.
I find that totally unacceptable. So
we negotiated (and I think they
would agree) with very much the
same kind of arrangement they
wanted to have the first time: that I
knew who was in charge; we had
appropriate supervision; we were
guaranteed that appropriate health
supervision would be there. On
Monday night, the hunger strikers
were allowed to stay in the NAC
ballroom from 11:00 P.M.. to 7:00
A.M. But it was done, in my
opinion, with proper supervision.”

TC: Many of the hunger strikers,
and other students, are saying that
this is the first time that the police
have been called to arrest students

on campus.

Students
Crrvy COLILA

PM: I think it’s unfortunate that
they don’t have a real assessment
of history, because in fact, police
have beén called on campus in the
past. I think that it’s unfortunate
that I had to call them, but I didn’t
feel I had any choice. We didn’t
have enough security officers to
remove the students from the
building with the CUNY Safe
Team. So we had to call the New
York Police Department as backup.
We didn’t have to use them. We
used the paddy wagon. But it was
really our campus police and the
City University Security Officers
who did the arresting. But at the
time, there were
150 people in the
Rotunda. Our
security could not
handle that many
people. I’dsay we
eventually ended
up arresting 47
people, which
meant two-thirds
actually ended up
leaving after the
third warning.
They saw we
were serious. So
the people who
remained were
the people who
understood what
was going to
happen to them.

1c: Will
charges be
brought against
the students
arrested?

PM: Charges have been brought
by the school. On the night that the
arrests were made, | signed a
misdemeanor form. That’s how the
police came to the campus.

And then there is also
disciplinary process on campus
which is just gearing up.

TC: Will you go through with
the charges against the hunger
strikers?

PM: I’ve already signed the
misdemeanor form.

TC: Do you plan to drop the
charges?

PM: No! don’t. Because I think
at the time that I did what I did, I
felt there was a real potential threat
to the college and the students need
to understand that’s why it was
done; not because I was against the

Wednesday, May 3rd at 2:00pm
Aronow Theater
° President’s Report
° Proposed Plans For College Budget
° State Budget Update

concept of a hunger strike. The
disciplinary changes are a part of
the process of letting them know
what was coming. I told them that
if they stay they were subject to
arrest as well as to disciplinary
procedures on campus. That would
go anywhere from nothing
happening, to suspension. We
would have to put together panels
of faculty, staff, and students on
campus to hear each of the cases.
The panel decides what should

happen.

TC: Don’t you think that it’s abit
harsh on the hunger strikers since,
if convicted, they would have a
record of misdemeanor, and also
face the college disciplinary
processes?

PM: My intention is not to be
unnecessarily punitive. So I’m
going to try and convey that to the
disciplinary panels as well.

TC: There is a feeling among
some students and some student
leaders that you are a token
president, brought in to appease
the majority of the minority
students on campus. Whatare your
thoughts on this issue?

PM: | think they are totally
misinformed about me. You don’t
appoint people to be president to
appease people. You appoint them
based on their credentials and what
they’ve achieved. Perhaps I need
to circulate my resume to these
folks, so they can see the kinds of
things that I have done in.my past
to give me the credentials to
become President of our college.
You just don’t become president
of a college because you’re black
or you’re female. I have a very
distinguished career, and I am a
very prominently recognized
anthropologist in the country.
Those are some of the credentials
that it takes to become an academic
and a leader. If that’s what they
think, it’s a very simplistic kind of
view about what this job is. This is
avery, very complex job to do, and
I went through a whole year’s worth
of interviews. So it wasn’t
something that was done overnight
by a few people in a smoke-filled
room. The campus had as much to
do with picking meas the Board of
Trustees. I was interviewed by
seven different panels of people on
this campus. Each panel had to
vote after they interviewed all the
(candidates) who came.

o- O- 6


Monday, May 1, 1995

Editorial:

THE CAMPUS

The Bulldog Bites Again!

by Vincent V. Louis
ayor Rudolph
Giuliani
presented
his budget last week
during which time he
said, “mobility could be
a good thing.” He, of
course, was not talking
about upward mobility of
the poor from poverty to
a life with modicum
dignity. The mayor was
talking about forcing out
the poor from New York
City. In essence the
mayor was saying, “You
don’t contribute to the
city, you simply take.
Why don’t you go

elsewhere!”

And Giuliani, trying to
backpedal from the nega-
tive implications that his

self righteous- statement
conveyed, said, “It could
be a natural consequence,
but it is not the intention
of our policy.” Certainly
he will not be bold enough
to say that this is his in-
tention. But the spirit of

aid to his corporate
friends instead? Would
the future returns not be
far greater from corporate
friends than from the
poor? As far as he is con-
cerned, the poor can go
somewhere else.

iuliani unveiled his new

asinine city slogan, “Our
city can kick your city’s ass.”

his proposed budget im-
plies exactly what he says
his intention is not.

The question are: Does
Giuliani want poor people
here in the city? Why
should he continue to give
welfare and aid to the
poor, when he can give

Recently, Mayor
Giuliani unveiled his new
asinine city slogan, “Our
city can kick your city’s
ass.” What he forgot to
say was, “And then we’ll
send you our poor people
in addition.”

In his budget, the mayor

proposes to cut medicaid
and welfare by $700 mil-
lion. He proposes to cut
$76 million from the
Child Protective Ser-
vices. He proposes to cut
off “all Home Relief ben-
efit after 90 days.” And
of course there is more——
total elimination or re-
duction of aid to the less
fortunate.

This mayor knows who
his important patrons are.
And he strongly believes
that the poor are expend-
able. These thoughts,
from a man who has said
to the already hard work-
ing students at City Uni-
versity, “get a second
job” to pay the tuition
increase, came as no sur-
prise.

Opinion:

Betrayed by ?Student? Leaders...

by Ludovic Blain

OLKS, we got a problem.
Our student leaders may
be betraying us. George

Pataki and Rudy Ghouliani(I never
spell his name correctly!) are
cutting our budgets, and much of
our student activism has been
directed towards stopping them in
their tracks. However, there has
been an alarming tendency among
our leaders of struggle-
shortsightedness and egocentrism.

While all of us were fighting
George and Rudy, some students
targeted CCNY President Moses,
Think about this: Will a CUNY
Board of Trustees dominated by
George’s and Rudy’s appointees
select a chancellor better than
Reynolds? Will that new
chancellor pick someone better
than Moses, the woman vilified by
the right wing’s favorite Hispanic,
and CUNY Trustee, Herman
Badillo? Well, if the answer to
these questions is ‘no’, then let’s
make sure we stay on target, and
fight those who really are our
enemies.

Now, to the egocentrism. Let
me quote from a flyer recently

distributed by some of the anti-cut
students:

* Open Access to All Buildings
for Students and Our
Communities

¢ Drop All Charges Against the
Arrested Students

¢ Stop the Retrenchment
Process

* No Tuition Hikes

¢ Full Funding of Education and
Social Programs

Those five goals are important,
but look at their order. What many
other CCNY student leaders have
been saying is that we must ensure
that all actions taken against the
cuts are for students’ gain, and not
anyone else’s, including student
leaders’. It is indeed nice to have
one’s face in a newspaper and on
the news, but if it distracts from
the campaign then that tactic,
strategy, and egocentrism must
stop. When we first fought against
these cuts, we had two people in
mind-—George and Rudy. We
agreed that nothing would standin
our way to raise their blood
pressure as much as they were
trying to raise our tuition.

Vote May 8, 9,

However, now we seem to be
fighting for some other goals.
Additionally, misguided tactics
such as boycotting the cafeteria
and the vending machines serve no
purpose. Why don’t we do things
like boycott products that support
the current regime— for example,

start to lead the revolutionary
movement.

e have to keep the
pressure on. As a
student interested

enough in CCNY to be reading this
newspaper, please stay focused on

While allofus were fighting George
and Rudy, some students targeted

CCNY President Moses, and CUNY
Chancellor Reynolds.

those that funded Pataki’s
campaign. They. make us pay, we
make them pay, simple as that.
For the civil rights movement
here, and other liberation
movements around the world,
focusing on the enemy was the key
to victory. The oppressors would
attempt to distract the activists and
the masses, while those activists
attempted to keep the pressure on.
One standard distraction tactic has
been to place informants within
the struggle. Please be aware of
this here at CCNY, when non-
students arrive on the scene and

our targets, and call them again and
again, tell your parents and
neighbors about it, protest and
shout. However, don’t let anyone,
whether it be the NY Post, or some
maybe-a-student so-called leader,
take your focus away.

Lastly, please participate in the
student government elections. We
will be choosing our future leaders,
so choose them carefully!

The opinions expressed in
the above article are those
of the author and do not
necessarily represent the
views of The Campus

newspaper.

THE CAMPUS

Since 1907

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THE CAMPUS

Commentar

Monday, May 1, 1995

y

Whose School? “Our” School!

by Vernon C. Ballard, Jr.

s we all know,
A Governor Pataki’s

and Mayor
Giuliani’s proposed budgets
are big trouble for New
York-- especially New York
City higher education. To
refresh your memory, this
could mean a tuition increase
of $1,000, the termination of
over 200 faculty (adjuncts
through tenured), and
thousands of courses
canceled, with considerably
less financial aid available
for tuition and books,
offsetting the cost of living
in New York City for
students. Of Governor
Pataki’s proposed $158
million (25.7%) budget
reduction, it is reported that
$24 million has been
reinstated by the State
Senate’s proposed budget,
and $68 million by the State
Assembly. Both of these
“compromises” will offset
Governor Pataki’s budget
proposal, however in the past
four fiscal years, CUNY’s
highly acclaimed academic
programs have already been
cut beyond minimal
extremes. In the best-case
budgetary scenario, City
College will still be forced to
cut several whole academic
programs.

In 1976 when tuition was
imposed on CUNY, one-third
of CUNY’s students did not
return. Now the proposed
tuition increase of 41 percent,
again threatens CUNY’s
enrollment of 213,000
students. Currently, over
two-thirds of CUNY students
work at least part time (one-
third work full time), many
also support parents, spouses,
siblings, and children. For

those financially secure
enough to return next fall,
these ominous budget
reductions will undoubtedly
extend the time it takes to
graduate; there will be less
course offerings, and many
students under the current
curriculum will have to
commute between two
college campuses to satisfy
graduation requirements (in
addition to commuting to
and from work).

I was among dozens of
students from both public
and private universities who
helped organize two rallies
(March 23 and April 4);
these rallies were supported
by thousands of students,

mind that we attempted to
assert a peaceful and
powerful statement on “our
own turf’-- thus the idea for
a hunger strike was
conceived. On Friday
evening, April 10th, after
hours of discussing other
alternatives, we decided The
Hunger Strike Against the
Cuts was the most peaceful
and powerful way to send an
unambiguous message to the
media and policy makers.
The basic idea was for
roughly 20 students to endure
a minimum of three days on
a diet of bottled water. As it
was the weekend, we
assumed administrators were
notoncampus. Not knowing

A mixture of face-saving, naiveté,
mutual acts of disrespect, and

the uncertainty

of “the others”

agenda, twisted this trust to the

breaking point.

faculty, workers, politicians,
clergy, and retirees. The
mainstream media largely
neglected or misrepresented
our intent, as witnessed by
thousands of participants,
and reported in this paper.
After receiving and
obviously ignoring
thousands of letters and
lobbying visits from
students, Pataki and Giuliani
responded by telling us to
“get a job” and “go back to
school” -- essentially saying,
work more for less.
Obviously rallies, lobbying,
and letter writing weren’t
enough.

Fait Accompli
It is with these things in

when the budget would be
passed, we did not want to
waste time so _ we
immediately began planning
for the event-- outreaching
to available community
groups for support,
contacting other CUNY
students for participants and
support, contacting para-
medics and medical interns
for medical supervision, and
contacting the media for
coverage of a positive event.

The CCNY coalition
sponsoring the hunger strike
was composed of students
involved in the 1989 and ‘91
takeovers- Ydanis Rodriguez
(public high school teacher,
community youth organizer,
CCNY alumnus and graduate

student), and his younger and
equally active brother Eric
Rodriguez (CCNY under-
graduate)- but also elected
student leaders Malik Smalls

(Student Government
President), and Tyler
Hemingway (Student

Ombudsman), a core group
of concerned and active
students (David Suker,
CCNY education graduate
student; Martha Baez, CCNY
education undergraduate),
staff members (Noel Nelson,
NYPIRG), and faculty
members (Bill Crain, chair
of the Psychology Depart-
ment; Steven Gottlieb,
formerly an adjunct in the
mathematics department)- I
was there too. By Monday,
we had garnered support from
the community, local
politicians, hospitals,
elements of the media, and
universities throughout the
city. This was not a group
planning a takeover.

Trust & Power

Ultimately, President
Moses is responsible for ev-
erything that happens on the
City College campus-- en-
suring the health and safety
of students, maintaining aca-
demic standards and finan-
cial stability, controlling ac-
cess to and security of the
campus, and serving the in-
visible and intangible inter-
ests of “80th street” (host of
the Chancellor’s office and
the CUNY Board of Trust-
ees). However, for the in-
creasingly disenfranchised
students this hunger strike at
City College, America’s first
institution of public higher
education, was a means of
sending a clear message to
the governor and mayor not

as victims but as survivors—
with the backing of the uni-
versity community.

The Hunger Strike hinged
on a taut strand of trust
between administrators,
faculty, and students. A
mixture of face-saving,
naivete, mutual acts of
disrespect, and _ the
uncertainty of “the others”
agenda, twisted this trust to
the breaking point.

n Wednesday
morning, April
15th, City College

history was made: 43 arrests
were made by CUNY’s
S.A.F.E. Team. At some
point, everyone seems to
have lost sight of the real
enemy, and focused instead
on a mostly symbolic power
struggle over occupation of
the NAC Building.

During the 48 hours sur-
rounding the start of the hun-
ger strike, there were no less
than five negotiating sessions
between student organizers
and administrators— some
verbally hostile, others
tersely diplomatic, none suc-
cessful. Granted, the admin-
istration had many justifi-
able grounds for reserving
their endorsement. Consid-
ering the milestones of City
College’s recent history- stu-
dent takeovers in 1989 and
1991, and the tragic deaths
of nine young people in
1991-- this is understand-
able. However, itis arguable
whether it was necessary to
call in the NYPD-- armed,
uncontrollable, unpredict-
able and dangerously pro-
vocative.

Whose school? Our
school! but only if we make
a stand together to keep it.

UNITED WE COULD NOT BE DEFEATED!

Fight the Power !

The opinions expressed in the above article are those of
the authors and do not necessarily represent the views
of The Campus Newspaper, The President’s Office, or

the CCNY/CUNY Coalition Agaist the Cuts.

ae ote te lt Cl tH Ct

Education is a right!

a


10 THE CAMPUS Monday, May 1, 1995

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Paid For By The United Students Party



Monday, May 1, 1995

THE CAMPUS

FEATURES

Take Our Daughters To Work

by Eric F. Rozon

PRIL 27th is the day
when thousands of
parents across the

nation take their daughters to
work— City College is no
exception. Elfrida Parrilla who

works in the Nursing
Department, brought her
daughter Daniella, 12, to work
because she wanted her to
witness what she experiences.
It will hopefully “instill in her
[Daniella] some idea that
education is very important,”
Parrilla said. “Even though she
took a day off from school, she
was still learning something—
something about careers.”

Daniella said she was glad her
mother brought her to work. “I
learned about a lot of things,”
she said.

Ivo Knovloch, a United
States Marine Casualty
Investigator, brought his two
daughters to City College so
they could watch their mother,
Sherrilyn Ifill, a professor at
the University of Maryland
Law School, give aspeech. “It’s
important that our daughters
see what we do,” Professor Ifill,
said. “It’s important that we
take our kids with us so that
they see what are the
possibilities for their lives and
so that they understand the

sacrifices that their mothers are
making to spend time with them.
Take Our Daughters to Work is
great!”

Tala Manassa, 13, who came
to work with her father, said
observing the people at work
was one of the most important
things she learned at the
College. Ten-year-old Nigh,
Tala’s sister, said she “learned
some stuff on the computer and
it’s fun.” The girls were given
a chance to play with the
computers at the Cohen Library.

Angelica Williams, who
works at the Department of
Special Programs said, “as role
models in their lives, it’s

important for them to see the
function of the mom outside the
home. It’s important for them
tosee that there are other aspects
of being a woman.” She took
her two-year-old daughter to
her Political Science class. “She
was a lady. She was very
attentive. She was looking
around and becoming familiar
with her environment,”
Williams said. Her daughter
enjoyed the day.

owever, some people
are skeptical of Take
Our Daughters to

Work Day. “Itis very important
to bring our daughters to work,

but why are we bringing our
daughters to work if we’re not
bringing our sons to work?”
said Lester Ifill, who has sons
only.

“Take Our Daughters to
Work is fantastic,” said Phyllis
Hubbard, who works at the
Department For Special
Programs. “But what about the
parents that have nothing but
sons... It’s very important for
our sons also.”

Take Our Daughters to Work
“should be “Take Our Child to
Work.’ It should be equal,” said
Barry Gross, an Electrical
Engineering Professor at City
College.

CCNY’s Taekwan-Do Club

by Sue-Ching Chua

“YOU LEARN TO FIGHT
not to fight,” is one of the
numerous points of advice
Leonard Cornette’s former
Taekwan-Do instructor gave
him.

Leonard Cornette is City
College’s Taekwan-Do Club’s
first first-degree black belt
instructor.

It is during Club Hours in
Wingate Hall where strenuous
physical work-outs take place:
air bags are used for kicking,
aerobic exercises are used to
build endurance, and basic
movements which incorporate
a series of kicks and blocks are
learned, because those are the
foundations for being promoted
from belt to belt. Students join
the club fora variety of reasons.
Student Wally Wu joined for
the exercise: “I don’t take gym
{in school], that’s why I come
here.” Shaundell LaRose, a
third year member of the club,
was attracted to the club from
having watched Bruce Lee
movies while growing up: “I
was fascinated by the moves
and the art.”

“Two hours of practice per
week is not enough, so I
encourage them to join other
Taekwan-Do institutions,” said
Cornette. The Taekwan-Do
Club may present a
demonstration during the
upcoming Club Fair in May, to
give a general feeling of the
club. “We may be showing
basic kicks and blocks, self-
defense moves, and some
board-breaking,” said Cornette.

Cornette says that many new-

comers join the club with the
misconception that they want
to fight and kick, not realizing
that Taekwan-Do has more than
justthis physical aspect to it, It
has a mental aspect to it as well,
based on its five principles:
integrity, perseverance, self-
control, discipline, and
indomitable spirit. Cornette
emphasizes, “Taekwan-Do is
more than fighting ‘and
kicking... it emphasizes
dedication, humility, and
patience.” Shaundell also
pointed out, “[Taekwan-Do] is
also based on communication
and trying to help each other
out... it’s family oriented.”

or those who are
interested in joining the
Taekwan-Do Club,

here is a tip from Cornette:
“Don’t expect to learn
everything in a short period of
time.” Once again, patience and
discipline play a role, as part of
the five principles. As Leonard
Cornette says, “Taekwan-Dois
not only an art, but itis a way of
life.”

Cornette will be graduating
this May, but he will be
succeeded by another black belt
instructor. Although the new
instructor will be an incoming
freshman, Cornette noted, “Age
doesn’t matter.” He has
confidence that his successor
cancontinue to successfully run
the club.

Learn to fight

not to fight!

ARCHITECTURAL
IMPRESSIONS.
IN BLACK & WHITE

MAY 1st - MAY15th -

CITY COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

SHEPHARD HALL
FIRST FLOOR GALLERY

ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS 140

PROFESSOR JOE HARRIS