Hour 320. That is how long students at the University of Mary Washington have sat in their President’s office for serious action on Divestment. It is day 14 of their sit-in and the Rector of their Board of Visitors, Holly Cuellar, has still not spoken with her students.
Divest UMW launched their sit-in almost two weeks ago, on March 26th. Since then, over 150 people, including students, faculty, religious leaders, and politicians have joined the sit-in. The students began this historic act of civil disobedience after Rector Holly Cuellar chose to silence their voices by rejecting their requests for a subcommittee to merely study the possibility of divesting their endowment from coal. This rejection came after a 2 year campaign during which 25% of the student body, 33% of faculty, and even the President himself, supported the creation of the subcommittee. After a presentation by Divest UMW members to the board, Rector Cuellar read a prepared statement thanking them and closing the issue. When students attempted to discuss the issue with her after the meeting, their questions were not answered and Rector Cuellar fled the scene.
Students had no choice but to resort to sitting-in for their voices to be heard. The Board of Visitors had not even deliberated their proposal, as Rector Cuellar ended the discussion without a vote.
Day 1 of the sit-in, 18 students poured into George Washington Hall. I found myself fortunate enough to be one of them. Throughout the day I witnessed an administration that was friendly towards the students, but hesitant. They clearly had not anticipated this when they made their way into work that morning. Students communicated with the administration throughout the day, and both parties were respectful of one another.
That evening, there was a lecture series held in the auditorium across from where the students were occupying. Theresa Crawley, a member of the Board of Visitors, was in attendance. Two students went to engage her in conversation, so as to explain how powerless they felt that they had to begin the sit-in. As the conversation developed, several things became clear:
- Mrs. Crawley actually had no idea what divestment was, despite sitting through several presentations by students to their Board of Visitors.
- Mrs. Crawley does not believe in global warming, and asked one of the students if they had ever attended a science class before.
The conversation ended after Mrs. Crawley, becoming noticeably frustrated, told the students they were being ‘pests,’ and subsequently withdrew herself from discussion. This begs the question of Mrs. Crawley: if you view genuine student passion and engagement over issues as being a ‘pest,’ why are you in higher education?
It seems as if Cuellar and Crawley’s reluctance to investigate divestment has less to do with their opposition to the cause, but rather their unwillingness to appear to have ‘lost’ to students. They fail to accept the possibility that the students aren’t fighting to ‘win’ against their administration. They are fighting for their futures.
If anything, Mrs. Crawley’s insult has only continued to fuel the students’ commitment to their cause, as 14 days later they are still camped out in George Washington Hall. They continue to be joined by students, faculty, and alumni. From candidates for the Virginia Senate to Reverend Lennox Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus joining the sit-in, support continues to swell. The community continues to bring them food, and professors are responding to emails excusing their absences and urging them to remain steadfast!
Students will continue to sit until their Board of Visitors shows they are interested in the opinions of the students for which they make decisions. If they don’t, President Hurley can expect to find a group of dedicated students quietly doing their schoolwork every morning he walks into his office.
You can follow the Divest UMW campaign on Facebook and Twitter, and on their website: https://divestumw.wordpress.com/
