The Continental - Hamilton College

activism aliveand well athamiltonIn an election year, it seems as though every political event is viewedunder a red or blue light. This divisive atmosphere can be frustrating.On the Hamilton campus, however, there are plenty of opportunitiesto get involved with political issues in a non-partisan capacity.Over the past year, representatives from many student activistgroups have come together to create the Student Action Forum. LauraWright ’10, the SAV representative, believes that the “forum has provento be an efficient tool in inciting action by allowing many groups to hearof what others are doing and by providing a forum for collaboration.”In the fall, the action forum helped students get transportationto war protests in Syracuse and New York City. They also arrangedon-campus protests against the death penalty and demonstrations insupport of the Jena Six. One of their most successful campaigns wasgetting one hundred and fifty signatures in opposition to LockheedMartin’s involvement in an ethics workshop on campus.This spring has also been full of events. Democracy Matters,Students Against Violence, HEAG, and Amnesty Internationalcooperated to put together a Social Justice Week from April 12 throughthe 18 It started off with a showing of Do The Right Thing, a SpikeLee film, in KJ. Scheduled events were a sidewalk chalk expressionismday by Students Against Violence and a voter registration drive byDemocracy Matters and the Hamilton College Democrats. Tables wereset up by SAV, STAND and Amnesty International to get signaturesfor petitions and distribute information on Guantanamo Bay andTibet. Democracy Matters and HEAG both sponsored movies duringthe week. Finally, the week wrapped up with a midnight vigil for thesoldiers killed in Iraq.Wright explains that one goal of Social Justice Week was to “reachstudents who might not notice individual events by framing manycauses in the context of a week of general awareness.”After Social Justice Week, there are many chances for involvementon the Hill right through the end of finals. HEAG ’s Green Week fromApril 28-May 2 includes farmers’ markets, an afternoon of work on theCommunity Farm Garden, and a Concert for Clean Elections and aClean Environment with Democracy Matters.Democracy Matters will also be working on a huge voterengagement drive called Hamilton Engage ’08. Group leader KevinRowe ’10 hopes “to encourage students not only to vote in the 2008election, but more importantly...to create a civically conscious andactive campus at Hamilton.” Amnesty International will continueits campaign to close Guantanamo Bay; the group hopes for 200signatures before the end of the semester. They are also working oncollaborating with the Womyn’s Center to raise awareness of women’srights across the globe.Even though Hamilton’s non-partisan activism may not be asnoticeable as election debates, it is still very strong, and groups likeAmnesty International, HEAG, STAND, Democracy Matters and SAVcontinue to encourage students to stay involved. Maybe we don’t livein a bubble after all.-maura donovan ’09the continental | spring 2008 17