TESC ALUMNI PETITION IN SUPPORT OF SDS and THE EVERGREEN WAY

author : editor topic : Olympia SDS

by editor

editors’ note: The Evergreen State College, an award winning institution of higher learning,

attracts students from around the country

seeking an alternative and collaborative college education. Unfortunately, a disturbing

trend has evolved within the Evergreen administration, seeking to “mainstream” the college by creating a hostile environment for political organizing and dissent on campus. What is most alarming is the targeting of students

and organizations deemed to show Evergreen

in an unfavorable light, such as those supporting the Port of Olympia protests and police accountability. The Evergreen administration

is using local law enforcement, the media, and the invasion of students, privacy to intimidate and marginalize students who embody the founding mission because of a perceived threat to college funding.

Below is a petition submitted by Evergreen alumni opposed to this current trend.

TESC ALUMNI PETITION IN SUPPORT OF SDS and THE EVERGREEN WAY

We, the undersigned alumni of The Evergreen State College are saddened and outraged that the Evergreen Administration has betrayed its founding Mission and the student’s trust; further, we are outraged that the administration has promoted institutional violence, bodily violence, and interpersonal violence on its students and community members.

Whereas the college administration has recently functioned to degrade the founding Mission of The Evergreen State College and whereas they have ignored the organized attempts of the students to protect and preserve that founding Mission, as alumni whose interest it is to restore, protect and preserve the founding Mission and philosophy of The Evergreen State College - we present these demands:

We demand:

The administration immediately reinstates Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) as a recognized student group with full status.

We demand:

The college presents a written and public apology to the students and greater community for betraying the college’s Mission and student’s trust. The founding Mission of The Evergreen State College demands that the college works to sustain a community where students excel in their intellectual, creative and community service goals. We demand a public apology for betraying that Mission, as well for breaking almost every point of the college’s Social Contract, including those related to the right to open forum and access to information, intellectual rights and freedom, and rights to privacy.

We demand:

The college stop aiding in the active criminalization of students by identifying students to police and prosecuting agencies (this has been done without the presentation of warrants or indictments), and by providing private and protected information from student academic and registration records to local police and prosecuting agencies including U.S. Federal Agents. Further we ask that the college actively work to secure legal defense and restitution funds for students facing criminal prosecution brought about by the college liberally and actively giving information leading to prosecution.

We demand:

The administration immediately and permanently dismiss member(s) of The Evergreen State College Police force who target students, staff and faculty because of their political beliefs and practices, for their ethnicity/‘race’, for their abilities related to mental and physical health, for their gender identity or for their economic class.

We demand:

The administration immediately and permanently dismiss member(s) of The Evergreen State College Police force who have used less-than-lethal weapons (TASERs) on students for non-violent behavior.

We demand:

The administration requires and provides Non-Violent Conflict Resolution in Emergency Response Training as well as Non-Violent Communication Training to members of The Evergreen State College Police force and all other paid or volunteer security.

To add your name to the petition please contact olympiagal@aol.com or pattyimani@hotmail.com