A protest outside SF State's library Tuesday afternoon prompted Campus police officers to bar students from entering the building for 20 minutes.
The demonstration was held by 60 supporters of the School of Ethnic Studies who displayed their anger about being prevented from attending an Academic Senate meeting in session on the library's fourth floor.
Meanwhile, several students attempted to enter the library.
One demonstrator who managed to get inside the door was pushed out by a Department of Public Safety officer.
"The decision was made before not to have a demonstration put on inside the library," said John Sehorle, director of DPS.
"That just disrupts the flow of business." DPS Lt. rim Walble said, "The protesters' loud voices and chants would have disrupted students in the library and the Academic Senate meeting.
"We just wanted to sit in on the meeting," said Gloria Alonzo, 35, a freshman reentry student majoring in education. "Nothing weird. We were willing to abide by their rules and the fire code. We would have sat in the hall."
Juan Avila, a representative of the Educational rights Commission said, "It's our library. It's our right to go in."
At the senate meeting, four members of the ERC -- a coalition of SF State faculty, students and Mission District community members formed to repeal General Education revisions within the School of Ethnic Studies -- persuaded the senate to place the issue on Tuesday's agenda.
The sign-carrying protesters marched in a circle in front of the library chanting, "'85 Ethnic Studies will survive," referring to the 1968 69 student strike on campus which called for establishing the School of Ethnic Studies.
The demonstration was preceded by a rally in front of the Student Union against Ethnic Study revisions, apartheid in South Africa and racism.
The group then moved to attend the Academic Senate meeting.
"They have their right to demonstrate, but we have a right to study," said student Bill Canon. "Their rights shouldn't take precedence over anybody else's."
Canon was one of about 40 non-protesting students waiting to be allowed into the library.
When Provost Lawrence Ianni was allowed in, the crowd fervently yelled, "Ianni let us in.
Ianni let us in, now! Moments later ERC members Andy Wong and Febe Portillo, a La Raza lecturer, emerged from the library to announce the addition of the ERC on the May 7 agenda.
Effective this fall, revisions in Segment 11 of the General Education requirements, which make up the bulk of the G.E. program for students, will cut those Ethnic Studies courses at Segment 11 from 47 to 34, said Jim Okutsu earlier this semester.
Okutsu, assistant to the director of the School of Ethnic Studies, said of about 3,000 students at the school, 2,300, or 80 percent, take Ethnic Studies GE Segment 11 courses.
Under the current requirements, all nine units can be taken at the School of Ethnic Studies.
But in fall, six out of the nine units must be taken in "lead" or traditional schools of Humanities, Science, Creative Arts or Behavioral and Social Sciences.
The revisions were passed by the Academic Senate and signed by the late president Paul Romberg in May 1983. ERC members said the revisions would cap enrollment in Ethnic Studies, force enrollment back to the lead or traditional schools, and limit students' choices because they are racist and specifically prohibit students of color from taking all nine units in the School of Ethnic Studies.
In a brief but spirited speech to the crowd Tuesday, Portillo said closing the doors to the Academic Senate meeting was "closing the door to education.
"It's an overreaction on the part of the administration.
I'm glad to see they're scared because we mean business," she said." We won't allow them to implement the lead school concept.
"She urged the supporters to move to the plaza in front of the Student Union and to "do your politicking and homework before May 7.
"In a cracking voice, she suggested they detour the march by President Chia-Wei Woo's office so "'he'll understand we don't want this to be continued.
"At an ERC and School of Ethnic Studies supporters Mission District meeting in March, Woo defended the revisions.
He said the chances (?) yard at the back entrance to the building.
"We want Woo, now" they yelled.
As the chant grew quicker and louder, with one student keeping beat by banging a garbage can with a large empty plastic bottle, windows and the building opened and raised fists of onlookers inside emerged.
"Education is our right, give it back or we will fight," and "If he (Woo) doesn't deal with us he is through," was repeated by the group for about 10 minutes.
Ultimately, Penny Saffold, dean of Student Services, selected ERC members Armando Denys, Molly Strange, Victor Rios and Andy Wong to meet with Tom Spencer, Woo's aide, in the president's conference room.
There Spencer instructed the members to write a formal request asking Woo to attend the meeting which is to be held Tuesday in the Barbary Coast.
Spencer said the Academic Senate meeting was closed because the room was too small.
[ back to Golden Gater Online May 2, 1986 ]
[ back to top ]