300 March in Anti-Apartheid Protest at UCI

More than 300 students marched and chanted slogans Wednesday during a peaceful protest rally at UC Irvine, joining in a day of anti-apartheid demonstrations on campuses around the country.

Speakers at the daylong rally in front of the Administration Building led chants calling for the University of California Board of Regents to divest $1.7 billion worth of financial holdings in South Africa. Demonstrators wore red ribbons pinned over their hearts to symbolize “support for divestment and the bloodshed” of blacks in South Africa, said Stephanie Selesnick, one of the protest organizers.

Students cheered as graduate student Erylene Mandy told them, “We were always concerned; we just weren’t loud.” Other speakers encouraged students to boycott their classes.

Monitors kept marchers moving to avoid blocking the building’s entrance. Students worked with university officials in planning the demonstration so that it would occur without arrests being made, Selesnick said. “What is the point of getting arrested if you can accomplish things through peaceful means?” she said.

There were no arrests.

One of the organizers’ main goals was to “make UCI students aware of apartheid,” said head organizer Shari Stratton. “I think that first- and second-world people should be more considerate of the Third World. Irvine’s politically apathetic. Many people have asked us what is going on (in South Africa).”

There were anti-apartheid demonstrations at all nine University of California campuses, with the greatest participation--7,000 students--taking place at UC Berkeley. Demonstrations also were held at Stanford University, San Francisco State, San Jose State and elsewhere in California.

Selesnick said that because UCI has a student population of 12,600 and many students commute and are less politically active, “things are relative. For UC Berkeley and UCLA to get 2,000 demonstrators is great. For us to get 300 to 400 people is excellent.”

UC Irvine officials praised the demonstration leaders’ organization of the protest. “From the very beginning, they worked with the faculty and administration to make this legal and orderly, and they’ve done that,” said university ombudsman Ron Wilson. “I think it has gone beautifully.”

Flyers Handed Out

Marchers were given flyers asking that they follow instructions and not block access to the building. The flyers also asked that demonstrators not talk to the press, saying that “there are spokespersons who are designated to speak to the press.”

“It’s a way to make sure we get to talk to the press,” Selesnick said. “To discourage people who are not sure (about the issue of apartheid) and are here to learn.”

Associated Students President Julie Justus said, “I’m just pleased to see the number of folks. There’s a lot of ethnic diversity. My sense is that (UCI) isn’t more apathetic, but this is basically a commuter campus.”

Justus said that student protests could force the UC Regents “to stop and evaluate their investment. I think the Regents have really dragged their feet about making decisions about what they want to invest in.”

Economics major Hilaire Brosoi said he made the decision to boycott all his classes Wednesday after spending time in the library researching the South African situation. “I can’t say that, stateside, anything’s been done.”

Student to Boycott Classes

Frank Seraidarian, a math and physics major, said he went to his early morning class but would boycott the rest of his classes that day. “I expected there would be about 20 people here, but when I saw all these people, I thought I should.”

Bud Wright, a psychology major who has cerebral palsy, said he marched for two hours because “I’ve been sitting on the sidelines too long. It’s getting pretty sickening in South Africa.”

He said he usually uses a wheelchair or drives when he must go across campus because walking causes him pain. He said when he marched, “I did have pain, but I think it’s worth it to show that this is important enough to have some pain.”