I am writing in response to the September 29th Movement’s gathering at Beardshear Hall, Tuesday, November 5th.

I was very apprehensive about attending the rally because I held the stereotypical views of the Movement as being primarily African-American. Being white, I was afraid of being treated as an outcast just wanting to fit in. That was not how I wished to be perceived, having supported the views of the movement from the very beginning of the Catt Hall controversy.

However, the moment I arrived, my apprehensions were disproved.

Upon first sight of the group assembled at the Union, I noticed that it was made up of people of all races, not at all like the picture painted by the media. Nor was I treated like an outcast. In fact, it was just the opposite. Many people introduced themselves to me, and we were all given nametags so we could get to know each others’ names.

I did not fully realize the amount of tension there was on this campus between the Movement and the university until we reached the lobby of Beardshear. I noticed the organizers circulating about the area, making sure no exits were blocked and that everyone knew exactly why they were there. First thing, the organizers of the rally were asked to move the gathering to some other place, and were invited to meet with President Jischke. Everyone stood in their places, tense with anticipation as the organizers politely refused to move the meeting, and declined the president’s offer.

It was then that I realized exactly why the people of the September 29th Movement have been so adamant about their position. Time and again, the university has attempted to drown out the student voice, not only in the Catt Hall controversy, but with many other issues as well. It was also then that I realized exactly why I had come to the rally.

In her speeches, Catt not only attacked people of colour by stating that white supremacy would be helped, not hurt, by women’s suffrage. This implied that all women held the view that people of other races should be segregated. But she also called for the government to take the vote away from the illiterate, non-English speaking, immigrants and people of the slums, and give it to the women of “good families,” and those who were “native born.” When Catt referred to the “native born” she was speaking of those who were English speaking descendants of the European population born in this country, not the Native Americans who had originally made this land their home.

Instead she referred to Native Americans as savages and made them sound much less than human. She referred to the people of the slums and non-English speaking immigrants as illiterate, uneducated, and as vote-sellers.

All of us, with the exception of those of Native American descent, are descended from immigrants, whether from Africa, Asia, Latin America, or Europe. And those who are descended from totally English-speaking families are most certainly in the minority. Many times over, I have heard the argument, “It doesn’t affect me, so I don’t have to worry about it.” This I obviously must disagree with.

This controversy surrounding Catt Hall affects every single student on this campus, whether directly or indirectly. And it is up to the students to show the university this. This university does not belong to President Jischke, or the administration, or the Board of Regents. It belongs to the students.

However, it seems that these people have been increasingly overlooking the student voice. I believe that if nothing else comes from the efforts of the September 29th Movement, this should serve as a wake up call to all involved, that they cannot just take over and ignore us and not expect this sort of reaction. When it all comes down, it is we, the students, who hold the absolute power. We pay to go to school here. The administration is here to serve us. If all the students disappeared tomorrow, there would be no university, and all those on the administration would be out of jobs.

Each voice makes a difference. One example cited in the rally was Rosa Parks. She was one woman who had the courage to speak out, to let her voice be heard. One by one, people supported her and an entire nation watched in awe as their previous values and standards were challenged.

Each person who joins in the movement to rename the hall, strengthens the student voice. Each person makes the voice louder, and much harder to ignore.

But I believe this movement is about more than just the name of a hall. It is about getting our message out and telling the university, we have power and we will no longer be ignored.

Elisa Strachan

Freshman

Meteorology