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Coalition Anticipates Bigger and Bolder Turnout as Their Efforts Capture Broad Antiwar Sentiment on Campus

New Brunswick, N.J., March 25, 2008 -Timed to coincide with the 5^th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq and a return to classes after spring break, students at Rutgers are organizing an Antiwar Walkout that will begin at 1:23pm on March 27^th with a rally at the Vietnam War Memorial on Voorhees Mall, on the College Avenue Campus of Rutgers New Brunswick. There will be a number of speakers including veterans, students, professors, community activists, and family members of military servicewomen and men, as well as musical performances and spoken word. Organizers anticipate a march to follow the rally.

While last week's news coverage of events coordinated by groups such as United for Peace and Justice in Washington, D.C. highlighted waning participation despite a growing antiwar sentiment nationally, Rutgers students have found the ability to capture that broad sentiment on campus. Rather than complain about new technologies hurting their efforts to get people out "on the streets," student organizers instead utilize tools like Facebook to bolster the number of participants significantly.

An innovative approach to creating social change has also been vital to the success of the event. Tent State University/Students for a Democratic Society (Tent State/SDS), one of the student organizations organizing the Walkout, supports creative projects that leave the normal realm of traditional protests, such as an electoral Ward Campaign, an educational outreach program in New Brunswick schools called Street University, and its flagship Tent State University event, which has spread to campuses internationally as well as to the Democratic National Convention this summer.

At last year's Walkout, over 400 Rutgers students walked out on their daily routine in protest of the occupation of Iraq, marched through downtown New Brunswick and onto Route 18, temporarily shutting down the major highway. Organizers for the March 27^th 2008 Walkout Against the War expect a larger, more spirited demonstration this year.

"Last year's Walkout at Rutgers was the largest on the East Coast," says event organizer Tiffany Cheng. "We can safely say we're expecting the March 27^th Walkout to far exceed last year's in terms of the numbers of participants."

The March 27^th Walkout has been coordinated by a diverse array of student organizations under the aegis of the Rutgers Walkout Coalition. Participating groups include the Arabic Cultural Club, BAKA - Students United for Middle Eastern Justice, the Central and South American Alliance, Fusion, Human Rights House, Lambda Theta Alpha, the Latino Student Council, LLEGO, Radigals, RU Choice, Rutgers Against the War, and Tent State University/Students for a Democratic Society. Coalition organizers said they have agreed to continue working together to organize the Tent State University event April [17-?].

"The Walkout has been a real unifier among students at Rutgers, and we plan to use the momentum and energy generated by the event to push forward on other issues which affect the lives of students, including combating out-of-control tuition costs and implementing local electoral reforms which will empower students," explains event organizer Timothy Horras. "Creating an alternative university during the week of Tent State has a proven track record of mobilizing students to fight for their rights."

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When asked why they are walking out, students and event organizers offer a variety of explanations.

Adriel Bernal, a Rutgers Walkout Coalition organizer explains, "[The Walkout] shows that for one day we're all willing to disrupt our everyday lives to show that there will be no business as usual until all the troops come home. The protest last year galvanized Rutgers and led to many students getting involved in campus and community organizing following the event, which just goes to show you that this sort of action has tangible effects which last well past the day of the event. At the very least it gave everybody pause and caused them to think seriously about the occupation and its consequences."

"Education is only meaningful if it translates into action," remarked Hoda Mitwally who plans to attend the March 27^th rally. "Students feel that if we take what we're learning seriously, we have an obligation to speak out. These are our peers that are dying in this war; just recently, in fact, 91 Rutgers students were recalled to active duty from reservist status in the New Jersey National Guard. Many of them will have to leave their classes as soon as late March. They will be in our thoughts on March 27^th."

"I think it's great that they're protesting," says Rafay Siddiqui, an Iraq veteran. "A lot of Marines I know have serious doubts about why they're in Iraq. Most of them just want to be home with their families."

"I know a lot of guys who are going on their third tours of duty," Siddiqui adds. "It's madness."

"Even though the Bush Administration is once again systematically downplaying the precarious security situation in Iraq, people aren't stupid," says Walkout Coalition organizer Erik Straub. "They've been lied to before and we all know the US government has no intention of bringing the troops home anytime soon. Students in particular are still very upset that after 5 years our troops are still in Iraq. They're fed up."

"Last year the students decided to take the highway," Straub continues. "Who knows what they'll do this year!"

The Rutgers Walkout is part of a coordinated series of protests and nonviolent civil disobedience actions in high schools and on college campuses across the US, such as those organized by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) last week.

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For more information, or to schedule an interview with Walkout Coalition Members, please contact info@tentstate.com.

http://rutgerswalkoutcoalition.blogspot.com/

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http://www.newsds.org/march20/