Speak-out concerns carried to Board of Trustees meetings by Sara Levin Assistant News Students concerned about what they called the “mainstreaming” of the University staged a speak-out in front of North College on Friday when the University’s Board of Trustees came to campus to begin its first executive meeting of the school year. The students also disrupted two subsequent gatherings of the Board to draw further attention to the chalking controversy, diversity in admissions, the need for ethnic studies, disability access and the problem of rape on campus, which were among the issues raised at the speak-out. While trustees observed a power-point presentation in Downey House on raising alumni donations, about 20 students forced the doors open and burst into the meeting carrying a banner listing their concerns and taped it up on one of the walls. Later that afternoon, a smaller group of students snuck onto the balcony overlooking the Smith Reading Room in Olin Library where trustees were attending a student award ceremony and dinner, and threw paper airplanes containing similar messages at the trustees. They also lowered the banner with their concerns from the edge of the balcony. The speak-out, which was organized by Ashwini Mate ’03, drew a crowd of over fifty students, many of whom expressed concern about the breakdown of communication between administration and students. At Downey House many members of the meeting looked on at the students silently. Chairman of the Board Alan Dachs ’70 stood up and warned them that he would have to call Public Safety if they would not leave. “The concerns we have are legitimate,” said Katherine Dominguez ’03 in response to Dachs. “We’re not trying to bust up your meeting or say that you’re not committed, but please listen.” As the room became quiet, Dominguez illuminated the points on the list, which included all of the major issues discussed at the speak-out. All students except one left shortly afterwards. Public Safety officers forcibly removed Zachary Goldstein ’05, who stayed behind. “I had no intention of making a statement when I went [into the meeting], I just wanted to see what the administration was discussing,” Goldstein said. “It’s ironic that the point of the speak-out was that the administration wasn’t listening to us, which was illustrated when they decided to remove me from the meeting.” The Board’s agenda on Friday and Saturday was composed of a number of meetings with different campus leaders before their exclusive executive meeting, most focusing on financial issues. On Saturday morning, Dean of the College Freddye Hill invited certain student representatives to meet with the trustees. “[The breakfast was] a more productive conversation between trustees and students,” said Director of University Communications Justin Harmon in light of the previous day’s interactions between students and trustees. “We made an effort to include students whose interests ranged quite broadly–– including queer students and students interested in foreign policy issues. [The trustees] will provide written summaries of the students’ concerns to the administration, and we will keep them apprised of whatever actions we take to address them.” Many students at the speak-out were offended when trustees passed them by as they left North College on their way to Downey House. Speak-out emcee Una Osato ’04 requested the passers-by to stay and listen. All except one kept walking. This is what many said prompted them to interrupt the meetings. “They didn’t stop at our meeting to listen so we had to go to theirs,” said Matt Montesano ’05 who rallied students to go. The one trustee who did stop, Shola Olatoye ’96 said she stayed because it was a good opportunity to hear student voices. “I haven’t really heard that much about the chalkings yet,” Olatoye said. Elizabeth Jaeger ’04 asked Olatoye about the best way to get the Board’s attention. “Write a letter to the chair, or to me or to any trustee. You’d be surprised; we talk about a lot of student issues at our meetings,” she said. WSA trustee Emily Polak ’05 who attended the dinner and the breakfast also said that one of the best ways to communicate with trustees is by writing a letter. “Some trustees picked up the paper airplanes and read the messages, some didn’t, but there was no way for them to ignore what happened,” she said. Montesano said he and other students snuck into the library through the Public Affairs Center and then walked up the stairs in the stacks to reach the balcony. He described watching Dachs at the podium facing the balcony. When Dachs saw the students he fell silent and then the whole Board turned around and looked up curiously, Montesano said. “Wesleyan is trying to depoliticize our community, but political activism is Wesleyan’s history. We have to remember that privileges like Women’s Studies were created because students fought for them and formed collectives. We can’t divide activism and the classroom. I’ve learned more by organizing than anything else,” Osato said.

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