Soundoff: Occupy Duke

Beginning with an information session at Duke Oct. 12, students have begun to rally to express solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in early September. Occupy Duke has pitched tents in what they call an indefinite occupation of the quad in front of the Chapel in a movement to address the wealth inequality prevalent in America. The Chronicle's Andrew Karim spoke with Duke students and faculty alike about their opinions on this issue. 

“I think the public demonstration of Occupy has value to the democratic principles the United States perpetrates, however I find that Duke students have some amazing opportunities that the '99 percent' would like to have. I think that we should be having discussions about the movement, however I find that the demonstration here and its small crowd doesn't speak to the cause.”

—Cameron Kim, sophomore

“Occupy Duke hopes to foster critical discussion about serious issues affecting all members of society—issues that include egregious inequality of income, and corporate influence in the democratic process. We are trying to create an open, democratic space where students can express their concerns and ideas, knowing that their views are respected and given equal weight, and in doing so present an alternative to a process that privileges the powerful at the expense of the majority. As Duke students we need to recognize our complicity in the system that produces injustice and inequality and that erodes democracy, and start thinking of ways to change our attitudes and develop real solutions.”

—Casey Williams, sophomore

“I think Occupy Duke is an awesome opportunity to work toward the change everyone nationwide is calling for. We're the kind of kids who will one day be writing policy and running companies, and I think Occupy could encourage us to do that responsibly and fairly.”

—Clare Fisher, freshman

“Occupy Duke's rhetoric is infantile, its aims are vague and misplaced, and its paltry attendance does more to discredit it than any news source.”

—Ibrahim Maali, senior

“Durham should occupy Duke, not its students.”

–Denver Dunn, senior

“Walking by Occupy Duke a few days ago was the first time I've heard a serious conversation about meritocracy between strangers who disagree at Duke. I'm of the sentiment that this conversation just doesn't happen unless you get in people's faces"

—Ian Harwood, junior

“I think the Occupy movement has an important place at Duke, a private institution with students from a variety of backgrounds. I would encourage students, especially those who decry the Occupy movement as nothing more than esoteric inaction, to stop by the encampment and engage in some constructive dialogue. I feel that this is what the Occupy movement is about - less short-term action that does not get at structural problems, and creating time and space for critical reflection, and for us to really figure out how we relate to one another and what would work for all of us, not just the 99 or 1 percent."

—Ming Jiu Li, junior

“I am not against the general sentiment of the movement as a whole, but it's curious that a consistent amount of the Duke Occupiers are students on full-ride scholarships. It's easy to complain about the woes of the world when they don't actually affect you, or not to worry about the ephemeral outcome of the occupation when you know that your privileged status will remain unscathed. They need to acknowledge that the system they're protesting against actually works very much in their favor. Frankly, I consider them to be part of the 'wealthy' graced by the 'benefits' that the Occupy movement is questioning.”

—Chelsea Pieroni, sophomore

“The Bassett Affair, a 1903 controversy at Trinity College (later to become Duke University), has been referred to as "a milestone for academic freedom in U.S. higher education," as it preserved the rights of faculty to freely express their opinions, even unfavorable ones. Since that time, Duke has consistently defended the right of every member of this University community to freely express his or her opinions and thoughts. So, whether or not one agrees with the purpose or principles of Occupy Duke, we should all be pleased and proud that our University supports everyone's right to have a voice and to share it.”

—Dean Sue Wasiolek, assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students

“Many of America's social change movements were born on colleges and universities and much progress with civil rights, gay rights, women's rights and more has been achieved through peaceful and thoughtful acts of conscience on our campuses. We may look back one day and attribute key changes to the 'Occupy' movements and to Occupy Duke as one exemplar of members of the Duke community standing up for what they believe. I do hope reasoned and reasonable discourse is enabled by the presence of Occupy Duke.”

—Larry Moneta, vice president of student affairs

“I'm glad to see Occupy Duke. I know many people are critical that the Occupy Together movement doesn't have clear demands and proposals, but I think that bearing witness to the fact that the system just isn't working in really basic ways for many people is worthwhile in itself.”

—Dr. Ruth Grant, professor of political science and philosophy, senior fellow at the Kenan Institute for Ethics

“Doing this is a way to make a world you want to live in, to start being where you want that world to be, and to find the people you want to know for this different living.”

—Wahneema Lubiano, associate professor of African and African-American studies

“At Occupy Duke, we have many questions, and we might not have all the answers and we're not discouraged by that rather empowered by our collective strive for education and social change. The foremost goal of Occupy Duke is to create an open democratic space where anyone is free to critically and intellectually engage with the challenge of understanding systematic issues that we face today and injustices that unfortunately come along.”

—Anastasia Karklina, sophomore