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Daytona Danielson Editor-in-Chief This quarter two new antiwar groups developed out of SCC: Puget Sound Students Against War (PSSAW) and Shoreline Students Against War (SSAW). PSSAW began as a project for Interdisciplinary Studies 107, "So You Say You Want a Revolution? Global Justice and Social Activism," taught by Kenneth Lawson and Troy Wolff. The students were assigned to form simulated social reform groups seeking to address an issue of global influence. Wolff thought it would be an academic exercise that would later inspire students to take action, but several groups turned their projects into actual organizations. "Several of us said, 'Simulation? Screw that! We want to do it for real!'" PSSAW president Jacqueline Passey said. Wolff thinks the enthusiasm may have to do with the current socio-politically climate surrounding a possible war with Iraq. "There's such a spirit of activism around the anti-war movement," he said. PSSAW is an umbrella organization, Passey said, designed to connect campus antiwar groups, and to help form groups at colleges that don't have them. They will also work on coordinating multi-campus activities. Passey hopes that through PSSAW, the groups will be able to share resources like speakers, videos and activities with each other, as there is no need to reinvent the wheel. "If it works at one school it will probably work at another," she said. Currently, the primary goal is to get everyone in contact, Passey said, as PSSAW is in a formative stage. SSAW also began this quarter, founded by a subset of Worldly Political & Dismal Scientists Society (WP&DSS) members who wanted to have a politically active club that did take an anti-war stance," Passey said. Early in January the members of WP&DSS, the political economy club at SCC, discussed whether they should take a stance on a possible war with Iraq. They decided that the club should remain politically neutral and make all people with all viewpoints feel welcome. "A whole lot of people wanted the club to happen," club president Kendra Brown said. "It probably is an issue that concerns most groups on campus." "We organize actions against the war," Brown said. So far, they organized the January 24 rally, a carpool to the rally February 15, and now are organizing the walkout on campus on March 5. Brown said they do not have ideas what the club will do if a war occurs. The members have not thought that far, she said. SSAW is affiliated with Sound Nonviolent Opponents of War (SNOW, a coalition from Puget Sound working to prevent war). PSSAW voted Wednesday to affiliate with SNOW and Not in Our Name (a project to strengthen resistance to the U.S. government's action after Sept. 11), Passey said. © 2003 Shoreline Community College™ |