KENNESAW, GA- Campus activists, responsible for a petition opposing Kennesaw State’s reorganizing of campus resource centers and cutting of several majors, took to campus today, standing outside of the Recreational Center, encouraging those who passed by to sign the petition.
Simran Mohanty and Sabastian Wilson held small posters with a QR code leading to the petition, as well as the phrase “TAKE A STAND, DON’T SHAKE THEIR HANDS,” which they also wore on their shirts.
The phrase is part of a movement the group has been trying to build among those who have graduated and walked the stage this week.
Typically, as graduates walk across the stage, they shake the hands of a line of administrators, including President Schwaig. What Mohanty and Wilson asked of graduates is that they refuse to shake hands as they walk, instead placing “their hands over their hearts.”
Mohanty emphasized that seniors refusing to shake the hands of administration could be their contribution to a “movement that’s beyond them.”
Wilson, highlighted that a key goal of theirs was the dissemination of information.
“We’ve met a lot of people that didn’t even know [about program cuts and resource center restructuring], a lot of people that haven’t seen the news articles, the court case files or the lawsuits,” Wilson said.
Mohanty and Wilson stressed the urgent nature of their demands, “We’re not looking for compromises, we’re not looking for behind the door meetings…We’re asking for immediate action.” They said.
On top of the main demands regarding reinstatement of the black studies and philosophy majors, as well as a reversal of changes to resource centers, Mohanty also called for increased investment into the programs.
“…[administration is] trying to cite a low enrollment for black studies and philosophy particularly, except those programs are underinvested in, they’re understaffed, and they can’t cite low enrollment when they have not invested properly in these programs compared to other majors at this school,” Mohanty said.
Wilson explained that the organizers had met with multiple members of faculty and administration who seemed to support their cause, even if they couldn’t be as straightforward about their position due to ties to the university.
They believe that those who struggle to openly support the petition will be more likely to champion its cause if more people join the movement and openly advocate for its principles.
Additionally, Wilson called for greater protections for students without citizenship, who they claimed could remove them from their on-campus housing by Immigration Customs Enforcement, and students’ right to dissent on college campuses, especially in Georgia.
“If it’s not in policy, you’re not protecting me,” Wilson said.
