Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
The Graduate “…some of us were physically attacked by U.S. Marshals: we were hurled
against walls, pepper-sprayed directly in the face, or thrown on the floor
and beaten. At least two minors were forced against a wall by their necks
VOICE
in strangulation holds and threatened with further violence. The U.S.
Marshals told us that we would be going to D.C. Jail, where we would be
raped, beaten, and given AIDS or murdered by ‘faggots’ and ‘niggers’.”
—From a public statement by jailed IMF/World Bank protesters
READ THE WHOLE DOCUMENT: GO TO p. 3
GRADUATE STUDENT SENATE U NIVE R SIT Y OF MA SSA C H USE T T S, A M H ERS T VOLUME 13 No. 4, 10 May 2000
Protests in Washington
NEW, PROGRESSIVE
Together FUNDING SCHEME
PROPOSED FOR SLSO
we stand by the GSS Executive Officers
A trip to the capital of capitalism; AMHERST—The Student Legal Services Of-
World Bank and New World Order fice (SLSO) receives its funding from two
sources: the Graduate Student Senate and the
by Anders Jonsson Student Government Association. To date the
SGA/GSS funding split has been 75–25%, re-
WASHINGTON—I arrived in Washington spectively, of the total SLSO budget. This
with some friends on Sunday afternoon, not policy came from the Legal Services Advisory
as well prepared as I could have been, but Board some years back and was written into
ready to do some protesting. Since we were the SLSO by-laws. In this advisory board, the
new to the city, we wandered the streets in SGA and the GSS, along with Legal Services
search of someone who would inform us of director Charles DiMare, decide what they
the exact location of the protests. Even though think the SLSO’s budget should be. It is in
there were few people out, you could sense the context of this decision that the 75-25
that the atmosphere was charged with excite- funding split occurred. For the past few years
ment. Most people we met spoke to us in an the advisory board has not been a functional
unusually frank manner, and the policemen part of the decision-making process. As a re-
guarding selected sections of streets and parks sult, the director and staff of SLSO have
seemed nervous. Some protesters had volun- formulated the budget, and the governing
teered to serve as bike-riding messengers, and bodies then decide how much to allocate dur-
one of them told us where to find the protest ing their annual budget hearings
headquarters. On Saturday, the protesters had For the last five years the GSS has not been
been driven out from their previous dwelling able to provide its share of the SLSO budget.
by police under the questionable pretext of a This is because the 25% of SLSO’s budget
hazardous propane tank. The new headquar- that the GSS is supposed to provide corre-
ters were located in an old church well to the sponds to 30% of its own budget. On the
north of downtown Washington. We decided other hand, the 75% that the SGA has been
to take the subway there to see what was be- contributing makes up only 12% of their to-
ing planned for Monday. On our way to the tal budget. The SGA has an annual budget of
nearest station we saw that some fraternity $1.6 million whereas the GSS has an annual
brothers at George Washington University budget of $275,000. This is because the SGA
had stated their very own opinion of the pro- has a larger constituency and therefore brings
test in block letters on the wall of their house: in more money. Having to spend almost one-
Geraldine Vatan
“We are American capitalists and damn proud third of its total budget on the SLSO has put
of it!” a disproportionate burden on the GSS. It is
We entered the church just as a group of in the context of this disproportionate strain
around 50 demonstrants was planning action that the GSS has proposed a new funding
against Monday morning’s IMF meeting. The Injustice rains framework for the SLSO. Instead of funding
participants presented their ideas by raising Lousy weather and the chicanery of Washington police soaked bodies and strove to weaken spirits. a percentage of the SLSO budget, we propose
their hands and asking to speak. People We all know that it takes far more than that.
seemed tired after a long day; it took the group Go to GSS on p. 2
a long time to reach a decision, which was
taken by voting. The issue was whether to con- was hiding behind a large apartment build- Changes must start at home
centrate the action on blocking the entrance ing, which indicated that police had heard of
to the hotels where the IMF delegates were
staying, holding the guests hostage, or block-
ing intersections so that the delegates could
the early morning activities. This came as no
big surprise, given that we had obtained the
same information relatively easily. The Wash-
China yes! Marketization no!
not be transported to the IMF building. Af- ington police had learned from Seattle: they by Heinrich Huber, GEO Grievance Coördinator
ter many arguments back and forth, the were determined not to let the situation get
majority decided to go with the intersections. out of hand. AMHERST—For the Graduate Employee undemocratic and unaccountable. It must be
This was clearly not a popular decision with To make things worse for the Organization (GEO) at the University of Mas- slowed and stopped by whatever means nec-
everyone. The group was to meet at 4 A.M. demonstrants, at 3:45 the skies opened and sachusetts, the world is an increasingly smaller essary, including stopping the U.S. Congress
at Dupont Circle—just north of the city cen- rain started to pour down. Scattered groups place. GEO is a union that represents a di- from extending the normalization of perma-
ter—and plan further action from there. I of protesters slowly started to gather around verse group of graduate students, including nent trade relations with China. The U.S.
asked myself how this group of people would the circle. As they were organizing, the circle many international students at our workplace. cannot stop the increasing marketization of
stand any chance against a force of trained was filling with police vehicles, appearing as Many of our members are from China. We China or its admission into the World Trade
and disciplined police officers. Even though if out of nowhere. Two legal observers gave us have been a proud union shop affiliated with Organization (WTO), but Congress should
the protesters had been trained in acts of civil a telephone number to call in case we got ar- the United Auto Workers (UAW) since 1991. at least retain some leverage over the situa-
disobedience, the lack of organization was rested; we wrote it on our arms with a black We stand together to support organizing tion in China.
apparent. During the evening, we had heard marker pen. I estimate that not more than drives of graduate student workers around the For better or worse, we pay a price for what
many other rumors of where and when people 100 protesters had arrived by 4:30. In the light country. To succeed in an increasingly multi- happens around the world. The autonomy
would gather, and I’m sure that some poor of the bustling police activity around the ethnic environment our local union has seen of our nation states is being eroded by the
souls made it early in the morning just to find circle, the demonstrants decided to move. An the need to focus on worker solidarity across current global-trading régime. Transnational
that nobody else had traveled to the same lo- alternative rendez-vous point was selected on cultures and nationalities. We have done so American corporations operate—and treat
cation as they. A seasoned protester from my friends’ map. During the discussion, a bus by using a more inclusive rhetoric. Our UAW their workers—in other countries in a way
Illinois actually welcomed this source of carrying delegates under police escort calmly International union should follow this ex- that directly affects jobs and living standards
disinformation and the lack of organized lead- passed by, right in front of our eyes; nobody ample and strive to deliver a message that is in the U.S. Global inequality continues to
ership, since it made it harder for police to had any chance to stop it. more inclusive to all people regardless of na- grow, forcing governments to compete against
predict what the demonstrators would do. The protesters once again divided into tionality. each other in a race to the bottom;
Intrigued by the prospect of being close to smaller groups with the purpose of confusing The agreements to which our country sub- transnational corporations are given free rein
the fire, we decided to stay up all night and the police while relocating. Arriving at the new scribes should support the rights of workers to exploit workers and communities outside
join the demonstrants at Dupont Circle. As everywhere instead of providing incentives for
we were approaching the circle, a police car Go to Jonsson on p. 2 exploitation. The agenda of global capital is Go to Huber on p. 2
P O L I T I C S
2 T H E G R A D U A T E V O I C E 10 May 2000
me how motivated you have to be on a per- around the IMF and the World Bank and both sides started putting on gas masks or
Jonsson continued from p. 1 sonal level in order to take action against managed to delay the arrival of a few delegates. other protection as the tension rose.
authorities. Maybe the effects of globalization A fair amount of media attention was dedi- To avoid direct conflict, a deal was struck
meeting point, we joined another group of will have to reach far greater dimensions be- cated to the demonstrations; vans from several between the protesters and the police: if the
demonstrants. People seemed undecided and fore enough people realize what is going on TV and radio stations were present in Dupont protesters backed off and approached the po-
were discussing whether to take any direct and become involved. Issues like globalization Circle. On Monday afternoon we joined a lice lines row by row, the police would
action or to get some rest and wait for the are much easier to talk about than to protest protest march that crisscrossed the streets of withdraw three of the lines and let them pro-
demonstration march later in the morning. against. In addition, the immensity and long- downtown Washington. The demonstrants ceed with their march to the IMF. However,
The number of intersections to cover simply term nature of this issue makes it hard to had made puppets and protest signs and were as the protesters approached the remaining
seemed too huge for the small number of conceptualize without focusing on more im- shouting slogans such as “Whose streets? Our police lines, they were arrested one by one,
people who were there. One alternative that mediate, down-to-earth problems. For streets!” and “Spank the Bank!” handcuffed and sent away to city prisons [see
the group discussed was to throw themselves example, you may have an uncle in Guate- At around 9 A.M. on Monday morning, article on next page]. Ironically, they were
on the street as soon as they saw a vehicle car- mala that was mistreated by his foreman or around 5,000 people assembled south of the charged with “crossing police lines.” John was
rying delegates approaching and try to delay get truly annoyed by the fact that the socks White House and marched triumphantly to- among the people that got arrested. He was
it. Some members of the group decided to you just bought are labeled “assembled in the wards the IMF building. John, a music major astounded by the way the police handled the
continue with the operation as originally Dominican Republic of U.S. components.” from UMass, was one of the people that took situation and by the fact that they were able
planned. My friends and I were soaking wet Indeed, the demonstrants in Washington were part in the march. He traveled to Washing- to arrest non-violent demonstrants for no
and getting very tired after having stayed up made up mainly of grass-roots organizations ton because he had heard about the Seattle apparent reason. In preparation, John had left
all night. We reasoned that there was no pros- fighting for women’s rights, the freedom of protest and had read the A16 website. At 20th his ID and wallet in the church where he had
pect of stopping the delegates from reaching Tibet, and similar issues. What was so inter- and Pennsylvania, police fenced in the spent the night and remained anonymous
the IMF building; so we decided to leave the esting about the protest in Washington was demonstrants and blocked off intersecting during the arrest. In prison, he was not at all
group, get a couple of hours of sleep, and join that it brought all of these smaller groups to- roads, effectively trapping the entire parade. frightened by his fellow inmates; on the other
the demonstration again later in the after- gether. People are just starting to realize that The officers wore no badges and left only a hand, he was amazed by the offensive treat-
noon. We later learned that some groups in order to make changes you need the sup- single-file exit for people who agreed to leave ment he got from the U.S. Marshals. On
actually did set up blockades of intersections port and awareness of many. In this respect, the march voluntarily. John was with a group Friday evening, after spending five days in jail,
and were eventually arrested by the police. the Washington protest did not fail. of people that entered the fenced-in area as and long after the departure of his fellow
I was honestly surprised that no more On Sunday, the protesters had locked one of the barricades broke up. Police put up demonstrants, John was finally released and
people showed up in the morning. It struck themselves to strategic intersections in the area six lines of troops against the protesters and allowed to travel back to Amherst.
The demonstrants had made puppets and protest signs and were Photography by
shouting slogans: “Whose streets? Our streets!” “Spank the Bank!” Geraldine Vatan
unethical funding and operating framework. cannot afford to pay 30% of its budget goes towards a more fair and equitable funding
GSS continued from p. 1
A “you get what you pay for” model of legal against the mission of the SLSO, indigent law, framework. While funding priorities of the
that each governing body contribute an equal services, in which each organization pays a and public legal service. It is only in terms of two student populations vary considerably, it
percentage of its own budget in order to fund rate proportional to the size of the student a “you get what you pay for” model that the is our position that the SGA, the GSS, and
Legal Services. If the SGA and the GSS each body it represents, or the amount of services GSS can be framed as “slacking” for not be- the SLSO must engage in a productive dia-
give 16% of their total budget, the SLSO will it uses, is unfair because it replicates a con- ing able to provide its share of the SLSO logue and work towards finding solutions
be fully funded. The Graduate Student Sen- sumer fee-for-service model that we need to budget. How can this be when the GSS has through which the SLSO can generate funds
ate plans to allocate 16% of its budget to the abandon. Since the very purpose of SLSO is been paying between 25 and 34% of its bud- additional to our financial contributions.
Legal Services Office, and has asked the SGA to offer free legal services to any student who get whereas the SGA has been allocating However, these discussions need to be based
to do the same. cannot afford them, it is the responsibility of between only between 12 and 14% of theirs? in juridical ethics while embracing public in-
This proposal is completely fair because the entire student community to lend Legal There is no way that SLSO can back such a digent law. Until the SGA reformulates its
each governing body will allocate an equal per- Services its full and fair support. consumer fee-for-service model without go- funding proposal to the mission of SLSO and
centage of its total budget to fund SLSO. In the eyes of the law, the SGA and the ing against indigent law and the American Bar public legal ethics, there will continue to be
Some have argued that graduate students GSS are considered individuals with annual Association’s juridical ethics for a public in- an ideological and political rift between the
make up 25% of the student population, or incomes. In terms of funding a public insti- stitution of law. two governing bodies. The consumer model
that graduate students use 25% of the ser- tution, each individual should give an equal The Graduate Student Senate is commit- presently used by the SGA is the antithesis of
vices anyway, and thus should fund 25% of percentage of his or her income. This creates ted to working with the SLSO in finding other public law and the mission of the Student
the total SLSO budget. As mentioned above, a fair system for everyone, because both groups funding sources to hire a fourth attorney, fur- Legal Services Office. Let us maintain access
the GSS simply cannot afford to use 30% of will contribute equal portions of their bud- ther their litigation rights, and maintain pay to legal services for all regardless of the amount
its budget to fund SLSO. In addition, the gets to the SLSO. To say that the GSS should increases for the workers. The Graduate Stu- of services “paid for,” while simultaneously
SLSO is a public institution and outwardly pay 30% of its budget and the SGA should dent Senate extremely values SLSO but is embracing a fair and ethical funding frame-
states that it upholds indigent law; for that pay only 12% is completely unfair. To pro- unable to keep up with the current 75/25 work that maintains indigence along with the
reason, the current consumer model is an pose that graduate students pay fees if the GSS funding proposal. Therefore GSS is moving mission of a public institution of law.
P O L I T I C S
10 May 2000 T H E G R A D U A T E V O I C E 3
VOICE
4 T H E G R A D U A TT HE E V G
O RI CA ED U A T E V O I C E 10 May 2000
— Founded in 1987 —
WWW.SWENSONFUNNIES.COM
With the
ing
ipl
d K .
Night Mail
D
A.
in which it appeared)
dy
by f 20
y o
tor
a s
L E I S U R E
10 May 2000 T H E G R A D U A T E V O I C E 7
8
FREE ON-CAMPUS
SUBSCRIPTIONS!
WRITERS, ARTISTS:
GET PUBLISHED!
ADVERTISE
FOR
T H EFREE!
G R A D U A T E V O I C E
Ivana Kurian 10 May 2000
presents an installation with electronic still images:
================================================
| T H E G R A D U A T E | “INTIMACY”
| @@ @@ @@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@ @@@@@@ |
| @@ @@ @@ @ @@ @@ @ @@ | MAY 8–12
| @@ @@ @@ @ @@ @@ @@ |
AUGUSTA SAVAGE GALLERY
| @@ @@ @@ @ @@ @@ @@@@ | 101 New Africa House, UMass
| @@ @@ @@ @ @@ @@ @@ | Free admission
| @@@ @@ @ @@ @@ @ @@ |
| @ @@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@ @@@@@@ |
================================================
* PUBLISH IN THE "VOICE" :
We are looking for your articles and artwork.
Local and world news, research and analysis,
views and opinions, satire: all are welcome.
Is there anything that you would like to see
in the "Voice"? We need and want your input!
* SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE :
Just send us your name and on-campus mailing
address to get the "Voice" delivered to your
mailbox, free of charge.
* PLACE ADS FOR FREE :
Non-profit organizations, communities, events:
if you need to tell graduate students about
what you do, count on the "Voice" for help.
================================================
SEND ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO jpf@physics.umass.edu
================================================
Theater and film The Department of Theater presented two major productions
this Spring: Wole Soyinka’s version of Euripides’s “The Bacchae” (above) and
Heiner Müller’s “Hamlet Machine” (left). Both plays are brave and gleeful at-
tacks on timeless classics that may well become classics themselves; both casts,
in their turn, bravely and gleefully attacked the texts. The Distinguished Visitors
Program brought us Kevin Smith (below, to the left of buddy Quentin Tarantino),
director of “Clerks” and “Chasing Amy.”