“Occupy” Movement Comes to Campus

Mutual frustration and a desire for discussion about the problems of education reforms brought together two educators amidst a thick Zuccotti Park crowd last October, and inspired an Occupy Wall Street extension movement which, while still in its early stages, has reached Queens, Harlem and Fordham's Rose Hill campus.

The "99 Percent Club" concept, set in local communities  and named after the political mantra of "Occupy" protestors referring to the issue of wealth distribution in America, came to Dr. Ira Shor, an English professor at City University and writer on education issues, but it was Dr. Mark Naison, Chair of African and African-American studies at Fordham, who pushed to bring the movement to students. 

Fordham is currently the only university to have a "99 Percent Club" on campus, but clubs have also been formed at Hollis Presbyterian Church in Queens, N.Y. and Canaan Baptist Church of Christ in Harlem, N.Y.

Shor and Naison joined forces to create spaces for those who support the ideals of the "Occupy" movement, but for physical or logistical reasons, do not stand among the crowd in protest. 

"I'm not comfortable sleeping in a tent," Naison said in an interview.  "I have an artificial hip; how would I get up?"

The Ramfirst reported on the Occupy Wall Street movement on Oct. 5 [V. 93, issue 16] last year, when two Fordham students and two alumni were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge. The protest had just begun its third week of demonstrations, and "Liberty Square" was beginning to crawl with mostly young people, desperate for change and uncertain of where else to go.

Since then, not only this publication, but nearly every news provider in the United States has written editorials, columns and articles on the conflict between protestors' dissatisfactions and the government's response. 

The media's awareness of the movement came to a climax when Time magazine chose "The Protestor" to be the 2011 Person of the Year over the favored likes of Steve Jobs, the late founder of Apple who died last October, and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the Democrat who was seriously injured after being shot last January.

Since its humble beginnings, when the movement was compared to similar demonstrations in Egypt, Spain and Israel, scholars have been amazed by how effectively the youth of America have joined in solidarity to voice frustration and gain public awareness.

"I have been a part of a group of scholars who has been talking about this for the last 10 years and seem to have no impact whatsoever," Naison said.  "And this movement starts, and it's the question of the day."

Because Shor was worried that the movement would die down with the fall weather, he came up with an idea to form localized groups that supported the goals of the Zuccotti movement.  The groups would discuss future demonstrations, while also focusing on taking advantage of local platforms to voice neighborhood-centered concerns.  The mission from the beginning has been to keep the conversation going.

Naison quickly realized that a free space for students to join together would be an important addition to Fordham's culture.  Dr. Paul Levinson, a professor of communication and media studies on campus, said he has attended a meeting since the club's formation and supports the need for a space on campus designed to support freedom of expression.

"If students cannot express themselves on a variety of issues, whatever they are, as honestly and as vigorously as possible on campus, where else can they do it," Levinson said in an interview.  "I see the universities [in America] as places where [students] hold forth the torch of freedom, if, sadly, a mayor of a big city doesn't."

The first meeting of Fordham's "99 Percent Club" took place in the beginning of December.  According to Naison, close to 25 students, alumni and faculty discussed how they wanted to educate the campus on economic inequality issues, as well as freedom of expression issues.

Dylan Scot Young, FCRH '13, says he has worked with Naison on developing Fordham's club and now helps run Working Group for Information, a committee within the club dedicated to sharing accurate information on issues raised by the Occupy Wall Street movement.  According to Young, such issues include income inequality and corporation and government corruption.

While Naison is unsure of what actions the club will take going forward, both on and off campus, Young made it clear that the group is dedicated to peaceful demonstration.

Fordham's administration has remained quiet, mainly because the club does not receive funding from Fordham.  It is not officially registered as a school club, and the group has remained quiet during meetings, but Naison admits that a future conflict is possible.

"[I have a] sometimes cooperative and sometimes adversarial relationship with the administration over things I am involved in on campus," Naison said.  "I don't see that changing any time soon."