Making their mark

It started with a group of protesters pitching tents in New York's Zuccotti Park. Just three months later, the Occupy movement has spread to dozens of cities and campuses, igniting student activism around the country.

The initial protests against corporate greed and big business have grown as a rallying platform against other perceived injustices. At this university, students occupied McKeldin Mall on Oct. 28 in solidarity with the larger movements. While the demonstrations remained largely calm on this campus, students said they haven't been immune to the protest fervor sweeping the nation.

"I think the Occupy movement has awakened a lot of people, and I think soon there will be a growing student movement in the U.S., which will definitely impact the campus — much less our nation," said senior sociology major Dennis Frostbutter, one of the campus occupiers. "We already have the foundation of activism on campus, and this will really wake people up."

Some university officials said they are working to protect students such as Frostbutter, who have a right to peacefully protest. In light of the Nov. 18 confrontation between police and Occupy protesters at the University of California, Davis — in which police pepper-sprayed student protesters sitting with their arms linked — the University Senate has released a statement to ensure that free speech and the right to protest remain staples in this community.

"Over the last few weeks, many of us have been deeply disturbed by the use of force deployed by police at other institutions against peaceful, nonviolent protesters," said English professor Martha Nell Smith. "Such a climate is far from conducive for research, teaching and learning. The University of Maryland Senate would like to … state publicly our commitment to fostering and ensuring a climate that guarantees free and open discussion and respect for all members of our community so that the scenes we have seen elsewhere are unacceptable here."

The vote to release such a statement was contentious — 37 voted for, 22 against and 4 abstained. Some said the university shouldn't make such a blanket statement, which could inhibit police from doing their jobs in other instances.

"I think it's a very dangerous kind of freebie statement of self-righteousness for us to comment on what is done at other institutions," history professor and faculty senator Bernard Cooperman said at the senate's Dec. 8 meeting. "For one thing, it seems to me that this resolution would forbid police from responding to nonviolent-in-their-own-eyes-post-football-game protesters who light things on fire. There's no definition of context, there's no attempt at judgment."

University Police Chief David Mitchell said his department had no role in forming the statement, adding that it's unnecessary to assert because such an incident would never occur on the campus.

"We would not have anything like what the world witnessed at UC-Davis here at the University of Maryland, College Park," he said. "We believe in diplomacy, and our policy is we use the least amount of authority to get what we are looking for."

Smith agreed nothing in the past has given any reason to suspect such an incident would happen here. When students occupied McKeldin Mall, police initially threatened to arrest them if they didn't vacate the property. But after discussing with other University Police officials, University Police Capt. Bob Mueck said fewer than 10 students could proceed with the scheduled campout.

"I have not seen the University Police here do anything like what happened in California; however, I think that we do need to express concern about what happened there," Smith said. "In doing that, collectively, the University Police, all staff, all students and all faculty can come together to say that we are very concerned and will work together to ensure that it doesn't happen here."

Student activists said they feel this step will ultimately fuel a better relationship between administrators and activists in the future.

"I think there needs to be greater awareness to what the protesters are allowed to do on campus, because not only are students confused as to what they can do, but police are confused as well," said junior government and politics and history major Sam Williamson, a member of Feminism Without Borders. "There have been a number of times where police say one thing, only to learn we are allowed to do what we are doing and they take it back. With the senate talking about it, this is a great step in ensuring free speech and less confusion."

Students said Occupy has engaged this generation in a new way and taught them the power of peaceful protests.

"Historically, if you look at some different social movements, there were huge amounts of activism in the '60s and '70s. A lot of amazing work was being done. Now, it's a different time. … We are always pushing forward and increasing our efforts. We are just coming out of a low period," Williamson said.

Williamson said although it's easy to catch the activism bug, it's hard to be an activist. But as more and more students join these efforts, she said the final result will ultimately come faster.

"We are working really hard — there's just so much in our lives that should be changed and can be fixed," she said. "It's hard sometimes for people to make that first step into changing things. It doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing commitment. It's tough but it's so, so worth it."

romas@umdbk.com