The new OU chapter of Students for a Democratic Society is growing and making plans for on-campus activism, including the publishing of “an underground newspaper,” according to members.
The group wants to take up issues important to students like protesting cuts to higher education funding in the 2009-10 state budget, pushing for the Bizzell Memorial Library to stay open 24 hours a day and fighting for increased student input in class offerings, said Sean Hughes, letters sophomore. Hughes will serve as this chapters’ president.
“I think there is great potential here, and I hope that a lot of people get involved,” in the new group, Haas said. “I expect great things from our chapter.”
They plan to start production of a new publication that will resemble a newsmagazine, with articles, artwork, poetry and essays, on March 1, Hughes said.
The original SDS disbanded nationwide in the early 1970s, said Ron Haas, expository writing professor. Haas serves as advisor to the group.
A group of students who took Haas’ class about the 1960s were inspired to revive the society, he said.
The students discovered the society had been opening new chapters since 2006 and wanted to reopen OU’s chapter, Haas said.
In the 1960s, the group focused on civil rights and protests against the Vietnam War, but the current chapter will have more freedom in the topics it covers, like supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, advocating increased financial student aid and protesting the war in Iraq, Anderson said.
The chapter meets Monday nights. Fifteen members attended the most recent meeting.
Hughes said he hopes the organization will be an outlet for students to get civically involved in a way that will have a real impact.
“If we’re strong in our diversity then we can create a strong base,” said Lauren Anderson, international and area studies sophomore. Anderson will serve as this chapter’s secretary.
“We should be working together on these issues that we will be inheriting as a generation,” she said.
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