Diamondback Online - The University of Maryland's Independent Daily Student Newspaper

Issue date: 4/13/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Seyed Jazayeri

A student meeting in front of the student encampment on McKeldin Mall yesterday resembled more of a picnic than a protest rally, as student leaders had previously called it, but demands for more student housing are now better focused, leaders said.

The Student Government Association planned yesterday to bolster student concerns with a petition bearing 10,000 student signatures, making clear a wide swath of the campus community supports housing for future seniors.

More than 600 students next year - mostly seniors - won't be living on the campus, Resident Life announced last week, prompting calls for student action and a last-minute scramble for housing downtown.

Supplied with sandwiches and energy drinks, students yesterday sat in a circle under the watch of Testudo, discussing strategies to better spread their message and effect change. Concerns ranged from price gouging to parking woes, but even as weary protesters saw no signs of resolution, the meeting was more focused on solutions than complaints.

"I feel like this is bringing attention to the issues, not just a bunch of kids crying," junior government and politics major Sarah Abedi said. "Had we known this was going to happen, we would have looked for someone to pull us in. We don't want to live in a house off-campus in a random place because we could get mugged."

Aside from a petition student leaders plan to circulate, the idea of creating a documentary spotlighting students' housing struggles drew serious interest, and SGA President Emma Simson pointed out such a production could generate media interest. But junior Andrew Friedson, who is the SGA director of governmental affairs and a candidate for SGA president next year, said students should also focus on an upcoming Board of Regents meeting.

"No matter what we do, we have got to get a proposal prepared that the board is compelled to accept," Friedson said. "That will be our priority right now."

The Regents, who govern the University System of Maryland's 11 colleges and universities and approve major construction projects such as new on-campus housing, will meet today. But although Simson said students will show up at that meeting, Friedson has his eye on a May 17 finance committee meeting, where Regents will likely decide whether to recommend moving forward on a slew of building and renovation projects at universities across the state.

Today, as Simson heads to the Regents meeting in Solomons, the McKeldin Mall protest will have closed for the week, and students will have rolled up the tents. Her remarks today will paint a clearer picture for the board of the current housing situation on-campus, she said.

"I want to talk to them about why students are out here," Simson said. "I'm going to explain to them about the situation and what we would like to see for the future."

Simson plans to spearhead the movement by meeting with representatives from the university, the county and the Board of Regents to make the voices of the protest heard.

The few protesters highlighted the need to increase student involvement.

"That's the goal behind the petition and the documentary: We want to get students involved and more mobilized," Simson said.

Contact reporter Kristi Tousignant at tousignantdbk@gmail.com.

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