Earlier today, about 300 UC Santa Cruz students led by Students Against War (SAW) kicked Army, Navy and Marine Corps recruiters out of the annual Career Center Job Fair, marking yet another success for the nation-wide counter-military recruitment campaign.

Joined by Watsonville’s Brown Berets, SAW protesters gathered for a rally at the campus bookstore and occupied the streets in a traffic-stopping procession up to the Stevenson Event Center where the Job Fair was being held. Students were motivated by fiery speeches about the racist, sexist, classist and heterosexist biases of the military, all of which are in violation of the UC Santa Cruz’s non-discrimination policies.

As the march began, a small group of students infiltrated the Job Fair and surrounded recruiter’s tables, chanting and linking arms. This small group was soon joined by more students from the march who pushed their way through front and side doors, chanting, “Whose Campus? Our Campus!� as Job Fair administrations attempted to literally shove them out the door.

Ultimately, 100 students were able to surround recruiters’ tables while the remaining 200 marchers stayed outside the Event Center, blocking the entrances and chanting in support of those on the inside.

Student negotiators struck a bargain with the Career Center Administrators after SAW protestors had occupied the Job Fair for about an hour. Protesters agreed to stop the disruption and leave the Job Fair once recruiters left the site and did not return. After all the military recruiters received a police escort out of the Event Center, protesters were granted a make-shift booth where a few representatives could remain at the Job Fair to educate students about anti-military, pro-peace options for future employment.

Student negotiators also arranged for a future meeting with Career Center Administrators and Students Against War (SAW) to discuss the future of military recruitment at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

UCSC is not the only college in the nation to take action against on-campus military recruitment. Students at San Francisco State University, the City College of New York and UW-Madison have all recently staged successful counter-recruitment actions on their campuses.

For more info e-mail: UCSC_antiwar (at) yahoogroups.com or counterrecruitment (at) yahoo.com or call (831) 459-0943.