WEB PAGE TOOLS ~ Print this article ~ E-mail your opinion on this article OTHER NEWS STORIES ~ Conference funding lost for MSA ~ Jay Inslee talks war, environment ~ The Ebbtide awarded for excellence ~ Student Body Election Filing Open ~ This week in history: dead puppies, evil commies and the Spring Break scene ~ News Briefs Students speak out Brian Kerin A & E Editor Some might say that the only people with enough time and energy on their hands to be active enough in political debates to call themselves "activists" are students. This statement applies to everyone who attends SCC, so it's only fitting that our college held a highly successful anti-war rally March 5, with an estimated 500 students and faculty participating. Most of the credit for the events can be given to one of SCC's newest clubs, Shoreline Students Against War (SSAW). The club was only formed this quarter, yet it has demanded that its presence be felt. Members of SSAW were not solely responsible for the walkout. Philosophy professor Linda Warren was an integral force in the planning the events. Warren not only got the word out to her fellow teachers and faculty, but also recruited one of her classes to participate by conducting student-taught panels on relevant issues related to the war. The Muslim Students Association stepped in as sponsors for the event. The Ebbtide also helped to promote the event, by running a full-page itinerary of the events. The day was scheduled to start at 9 a.m. with a campus-wide walkout. For students who didn't immediately walk off campus, events were planned for the entire morning. The events included student-led panel discussions, poetry readings and a drum circle on the main lawn. Many teachers also participated by opening their classrooms to other students and changing their curriculum to war-related topics. As a less politically charged option, two hip-hop groups and three rock bands played throughout the day in the PUB. Campus events ended at 12:30 p.m., when students were directed to the bus turnaround where they could carpool or bus downtown for a rally at Westlake Center. The only disappointment for the day was the Westlake rally, which was lacking in numbers of people and good weather. By and large, most involved in planning the SCC events considered them a success. Classes where teach-ins were conducted were filled, sometimes to standing-room capacity, with students eager to learn. The campus was decorated with colorful flags, filled with the sound of drums, and enough commotion was raised to create the kind of excitement SCC needs. © 2003 Shoreline Community College™