Students and faculty marched to President Sharon Hahs’ office following a rally in support of Matt Larson and Kenneth Barrios who were arrested at a protest of CIA recruiting last month in the P.E. Building.
The rally was in protest of a disciplinary hearing that was scheduled for April 9, but was postponed. Members of the Socialist Club, Students Against War and Campus Anti-War Network passed out a petition for the university to drop the charges of battery and interfering with the public and brought it to the President’s Office.
“The whole peace community of Chicago is watching you Northeastern Illinois University, parents are watching you. Are they sending their children to a school that allows them to the express themselves or in goose step with the government as it stands now, said Sister Dorothy Pagosa a member of The 8th Day Center for Justice. “We don’t want any more martyrs for free speech.”
“We hope they fire Robin Wanger and hope they fire Dean of Students, Michael Kelly,” said Barrios, shortly after the students and faculty started chanting, “Whose school, our school,” as they marched to the office of the president.
“You’re supposed to be for the students, that is your job,” said student Molly McClure to President Hahs. Hahs was not able finish her reply as the crowd got very loud. Hahs declined to comment after the crowd left.
“The University felt the nature of this event warranted an internal process as well,” said Director of Marketing and Communication Terry Bush, commenting on the reason for the disciplinary hearing to occur before Larson and Barrios’ court case was closed. “The process needed to be started before the semester ended.”
Bush continued, “Whether or not this will proceed parallel with the external process, I really couldn’t say.”
“A vast majority of students wouldn’t be at this university … if it weren’t for people breaking the rules and protesting for their rights,” Assistant Professor of Sociology said Michael Armato, defending the two students and relating the current situation to the civil rights era.
Armato went on to question of diversity at the university in the perspective of diverse voices being expressed. Another Sociology professor, Brett Stockdill, articulated his disgust at the actions of the university’s administration.