Friday, August 26, 2005
A Lawrence-based group took over Wescoe Beach yesterday to protest military recruitment on campus.
With police around for security, Lawrence Counter-Recruitment members held up signs reading “We will not fight your wars” and “Military recruiters off campus”. Members young and old gave speeches broadcasting their intent to end military recruitment on campus and calling for an end to the wars overseas as a petition circulated through the crowd,
The petition says the group, which includes University of Kansas students and faculty and Lawrence residents, feels the military’s presence on campus takes away from the learning experience and allows the war to continue.
According to the petition, the group also feels the military policy of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” discriminates based on sexual orientation and goes against the University’s discrimination policy, according to the petition.
Katy Andrus, Lenexa sophomore and LRC member, said military recruiters demonstrate a military presence on campus.
Erica Goddard, Lawrence sophomore, said she felt her rights as a homosexual were being violated.
“Even if they change their ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy to allow queer students to fight for them, it’s not going to change my opinion,” she said. “I want them off my campus.”
One student said he didn’t agree with the group’s arguments.
“I think their logic is flawed simply because this is a University funded mainly by the government,” said Sean Collins, Garden City senior.
Collins said he believed the military recruiters represented the government and had a right to be on campus.
For Army officer Donald Hughes, the protest provided an opportunity to see other opinions concerning military issues. Hughes is stationed at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and said he heard about the protest and wanted to hear what people had to say. He said he didn’t agree with the group, but he said he understood that the demonstration was just a credit to his duty.
“I totally respect their opinions. That’s what I fight for: So that people can have the opportunity to voice their opinions and speak about what they are against,” Hughes said.
He said the group members should realize the soldiers did not make the decision to start fighting in Iraq.
“It hurts to see them call us murderers and violent. It’s not the soldiers’ fault we’re fighting a war, it’s a government issue,” he said. “It’s nothing to do with the soldiers.”
While LCR has its opinion, it hopes its actions bring opinions from both sides of the spectrum when it has other functions.
Andrus said she just wanted people to begin talking about the issue.
“Just engaging each other, which is really important, or coming to the events whether they agree or not, just so we know how other people feel and what their active opinions are,” she said.
The group plans to have discussion sessions and more rallies and to keep in contact with University officials until its goal is met, Goddard said.
“We’ll do whatever it takes to get recruiters off campus,” she said.
LCR has another meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Jayhawk Room in the Kansas Memorial Union.
—Edited by Patrick Ross
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