We, a coalition of student organizations - that include Belief Awareness Knowledge Activism-Students for Middle Eastern Justice, the Central and South American Alliance, Rutgers Against the War and Tent State University - are staging a walk-out and rally at 1:30 p.m. on March 20, 2007, the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war and occupation. We will gather at the Vietnam War memorial inside Voorhees Mall on the College Avenue campus, rally and then, march to downtown New Brunswick. We are calling upon the entire Rutgers community, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni, to join us in this public action in opposition to the unjust war.
With no end in sight, the war and occupation have cost almost half a trillion dollars and current estimates of projected total costs over $2 trillion total. These costs will impact education, social security, and healthcare and real national security here at home. This war has also resulted in the tragic deaths of over 3,000 American soldiers and 655,000 Iraqis. The majority of the American public believes the Iraq War was a grievous mistake, but our political leaders need constant reminding that the American people want an end to this war.
We strongly encourage University students to walk out of classes with us. We call on the faculty and administration to set aside business as usual, join our demonstration and sign petitions of support. Dozens of colleges across the nation are participating in similar actions on this date - and as an international university with a diverse student population of over 26,000 on the New Brunswick campus and one of the largest numbers of living alumni - Rutgers has a responsibility to lead. With the help of the media, we have the opportunity to make a statement that will be heard.
At the rally at the Vietnam memorial on Voorhees Mall, we will hear from a Gold Star mom whose son - a former Rutgers student - was killed in Iraq, a U.S. Army Infantry Officer and former Rutgers student, an Iraqi-American Rutgers student, faculty and student representatives from various on campus groups that oppose the war. After the rally, we will march to the Marine recruiting station in downtown New Brunswick, whose recruiting on campus we continue to oppose. We are calling for an end to the militarization of our campus.
This Walk Out is one in a series of events organized to bring the war to the attention of the campus community. We are calling for a more concerted effort on the part of the Rutgers community that opposes the war to act on their convictions. We are asking students, faculty, staff and alumni to join us in our action on the fourth anniversary of the war and occupation. This is not the first or the last effort to show that we care about the devastating effects of this disastrous policy that is being carried out in our name. We ask you to stand with us.
Suzan Sanal is a Douglass College sophomore and a member of Rutgers Against the War and co-organizer of the March 20 Walk Out.
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