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Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
New School Chapter
newschoolsds@riseup.net
www.studentsforademocraticsociety.org/newschool

Contact:
Pat Korte…………..860.912.3524.
Annie Matches……..609.610.4866.
Patricia Gonzalez….787.244.2517.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007
For Immediate Release

PRESS RELEASE

STUDENTS FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY (SDS) HAS ISSUED A CALL FOR THE NEW
SCHOOL UNIVERSITY TO PARTICIPATE IN A CAMPUS MORATORIUM.

New York, NY. The New School chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) has issued a call for students and faculty to leave class and participate in a rally, march and day of direct action on Monday, March 12, 2007. Students will assemble at 11:00 a.m. at the Graduate Faculty building on 65 5th Avenue (between 13th and 14th Streets) in lower Manhattan. The action will be held one week before the fourth
anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

“The vast majority of the university community is against the occupation of Iraq. Our goal is to translate this anti-war sentiment into action.” said Joe Plourde, a New School SDS member and freshman at Eugene Lang College. “Though the action is not aimed directly at the university administration, it is directed toward the campus community - it is a call to dig up the radical roots of the New School that the administration has repeatedly attempted to bury. Radical thought and social change will return stronger than ever!”

The action coincides with developments within the campus left around the country, with demonstrations being coordinated by SDS chapters throughout the spring. The majority of actions are scheduled from March 19-20, the fourth anniversary of the bombing of Baghdad.

“Students have historically played a role in raising revolutionary consciousness. Though students alone cannot stop U.S. imperialism, we can spark an explosion that will overflow into other sections of society.” said Pat Korte, another New School SDS organizer. “We have no delusions. Our actions will only be effective in ending the occupation of the Middle East if we are joined by thousands of students and workers
in the months to come.”

SDS is calling on all New School students to join in solidarity with the people of the Middle East in resisting occupation, torture, and genocide. Campus organizers believe that by interrupting the day-to-day routine of New School students, they can turn strong feelings of discontent and frustration into constructive action and education. “More
than 655,000 Iraqi casualties, more than 3,100 American deaths, the legal sanctioning and justification of torture, what’s next?” said Annie Matches, a New School SDS member and a sophmore at Eugene Lang College. “There comes a time when the responsibility for ending these injustices falls into the hands of the people. It is our hope that students can provide a leading example to the anti-war movement by
strengthening a commitment to direct action and popular education.”

SDS is an education and social action organization dedicated to increasing democracy in all phases of our common life. It seeks to promote the active participation of young people in the formation of a movement to build a society free from poverty, ignorance, war, exploitation, racism and sexism.

Original post by Pat Korte and reposted by Radical Blogs