With NSPS I organized a protest to try to rid campus of military recruiters. UNR has a very specific anti-discrimination policy for companies that are going to come onto campus to recruit. In the statement that the organization must sign it says they will not discriminate. We feel that the military directly violates this contract by discriminating against homosexuals, so we rallied. The career fair was on Nov. 2 and 3rd. On the 2nd I was there early in the morning (okay, so it was 10) standing in front of the Navy recruiter table with my literature and t-shirt stating the reason I was there. Within five minutes I was approached by a school official that said it was okay that I stand their, but that I couldn't pass out my literature. Not to long after that I was told I could no longer talk to people because I was preventing people from getting information about the military. I thought this was absurd since I never once tried to prevent anyone from getting near the table. Instead I stood toward one end of it and told people why I was there. So, I just stood there. Other people from NSPS were doing the same thing as I, except they were never approached by school officials. We were prepared for opposition from the administration so we had an ACLU legal representative at the demonstration. At noon people began showing up(this was when we scheduled our large movement). There were media all over the place. I ran outside looking for some more of our members when I ran into a large Republican protest. I was impressed that people cared enough to show up and counter us. All of us students walked into the career fair with our signs and literature. I then proceeded to give a speech about why we were at the career fair and why we thought it was not fair that the military have recruiting presence on campus.
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Here are some articles about the event:
Restraining order filed
College Republicans looking to prevent protests at future fairs
By: Nick Coltrain
Issue date: 11/8/05
Section: News
The university's College Republicans filed an injunction aimed at stopping protests of military recruitment at Wednesday's on-campus career fair. In an official affidavit filed that day in Washoe County District Court, under the name of College Republicans member Matt Beisner, the group alleged that the Queer Student Union (QSU) and the Nevada Students for Peace and Solidarity (NSPS) "physically prevented" College Republicans from getting to the military recruitment booths. But in statements to The Nevada Sagebrush, Beisner twice reversed claims he made in the court documents. "They did not take physical action to prevent people from getting in (to the booths)," Beisner said Monday night. Beisner added: "In the time that I was at the career fair, they never attempted to push me away from the recruitment tables." The comments echoed the ones he made Saturday, two days before the suit was amended to make the restraining order permanent, in an attempt to stop future protests inside university-sponsored career fairs. "I don't believe they would not physically let people through," Beisner told the Sagebrush Saturday. "Though that possibility definitely exists." But on Monday he said the protesters were physically intimidating students from going to the military recruitment booths. "It's pretty tough to weave your way in and out of a group of 20 people with signs and cameras and banners," said Beisner, vice chairman of the UNR chapter of the College Republicans. "That's what we were trying to say, and we are prepared to argue should it come to that." Joe Ferguson, a member of NSPS, denied any attempt to block others from getting to the booths. "No one was physically blocked from doing anything," Ferguson said. "You can get around people at any time. I think it was some stupid lie to make us look bad." Preparing for Battle On Nov. 1, a night before the fair, members of the College Republicans met to discuss possible counter protest options after hearing that groups planned anti-military demonstrations. Rob Lee, executive director of the statewide College Republicans, said the group drafted the restraining order that night. The documents also accused protestors of verbally harassing members of the College Republicans. "We were told that the College Republicans outside of the auditorium were called 'fucking morons', 'fucking idiots', 'unpatriotic', and that we should 'go to Iraq and die,'" Lee said. Ferguson said there was some dialogue between the opposing groups during the protest. However, there were no personal attacks exchanged by the groups, he said. "Harassment? We weren't harassing anyone," Ferguson said. "That's completely inflammatory." Lee said the College Republicans would drop their legal action against the NSPS and the QSU if they signed an agreement that would prevent demonstrations inside university-sponsored events. Lee said he contacted the American Civil Liberties Union about working out the deal with the groups. The NSPS and QSU had enlisted the ACLU's help in their defense against the lawsuit, citing a violation of civil liberties. Career Development Director Kevin Gaw, who was in charge of the fair, said that he doesn't know if the groups broke any rules by being at the fair and did not think the protestors were blocking the military booths. "I walked through, and had some other groups walk through (the protestors)," he said. "The consensus was that you could get to the tables." Gaw said he asked the protestors not to hand out literature because the fair took place in inside the JTSU, which is not designated as a campus free-speech zone. Associated Students of the University of Nevada director Sandy Rodriguez said the JTSU lawn, the lawn in front of the Students Services Building, the Manzanita Bowl and Barnes Plaza are free speech zones. But Rodriguez said it is unknown whether the protesting groups broke any rules. "It doesn't matter if it is the career fair or a movie shown in the auditorium," she said. "The question is whether the goal of the event (bringing career information to students) was being impeded by their presence." Retaliation Ferguson said the protestors did not aim to stop people from getting information from the recruiters. He said the protestors wanted to hand out anti-recruitment pamphlets. After being informed of the suit, Ferguson wanted to respond in kind. "What we are interested in is bring a countersuit against the College Republicans and the university," he said. Ferguson said the College Republicans were harassing the protestors by filing the suit and the university violated rights to free speech and assembly by discouraging the protests. But ACLU officials denied Ferguson's request. Officials said that the university handled the situation poorly by not identifying the free speech zones on the day of the protest. But because university officials never kicked the protesting groups out or silenced their free speech inside of a free speech zone, the group has no basis for a lawsuit. "We're unlikely to get involved in an individual lawsuit against someone you don't like," said Gary Peck, executive director for the Nevada ACLU. "If they have a message you don't like, that's part of the whole free speech package." But the ACLU did help the NSPS and QSU respond to the injunction filed by the College Republicans. The Republicans said they hoped that the temporary restraining order would take effect immediately and prevent the groups from protesting on Wednesday. But Beisner said the paperwork did not go through in time. ACLU representatives said the restraining order was moot. "In order to bring about a lawsuit, it must be from the proper person," Peck said. "Not from some person with an opposing view point." Free Speech Questions George Higgins, chairman of the College Republicans, said the university was ignoring the problem, which he said was grounds to file the suit. "It is wrong for the university not to kick them out," Higgins said. "We all fall under the same laws. Any student can file that suit especially if the university doesn't do anything about it." Higgins said he believes the university didn't enforce the rules equally and said the protesters should not have been allowed to protest inside the career fair. Lee said the suit's purpose was to protect the university. "The precedent that these organizations have set is that any university function can be demonstrated against inside of the function," he said. "Obviously you can see the danger in setting such a precedent." Ferguson said he feels the heart of the issue lies in the First Amendment and that the College Republicans and university officials denied those rights. "If they are really that against free speech on college campuses, then they are not truly in the spirit of democracy and free speech in the country," Ferguson said.
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Military recruiters at UNR draw ire
About two dozen protest 'don't ask don't tell' policy at career fair
Carla Roccapriore (
croccapriore@rgj.com)
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL November 3, 2005
Students staged a "kiss-in for justice" Wednesday at the University of Nevada, Reno to protest military recruiters being on campus for a career fair. The move was part of the National Student Walkout organized by Youth Against War and Racism. Nevada Students for Peace and Solidarity, the UNR Queer Student Union club and Act Now to Stop War & End Racism (ANSWER-Reno) co-sponsored the event that attracted about two dozen people to protest the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which prevents openly gay people from serving.
Civilian employers can't discriminate against job applicants based on sexual orientation but the military can, protesters argued. "They are employers, and they're at a career fair," said UNR student Allison Daines, 22, a philosophy major. Because sexual orientation can determine whether one will have a future in the military, protesters said recruiters shouldn't be allowed on campus. "Do you think I want to be able to go into this (career) fair and have an employer discriminate who I am in a place of educational diversity?" asked literature major Jett Johnson, 22, a member of the Queer Student Union. Protesters stood with signs around recruiter tables and handed out literature about nonmilitary career options after some members of the Queer Student Union kissed each other in front of the Army recruiting table. Army Sgt. 1st Class Randy Busch of Fairfield, Calif., said he's encountered protests while recruiting on other college campuses lately. "We do what we do so they're allowed to do what they do," Busch said. "The First Amendment is still a First Amendment." The Solomon Amendment of 1996 allows military recruiters to be on a campus that receives money or grants from the U.S. government, Busch said. Jacqi Campbell, who participated in the protest, said the demonstration helped get out the message protestors hoped to send. "People are noticing and wanting to know what the protest is about," said Campbell, 18, a music major. "I'm surprised no recruiters have come up to us. It doesn't seem like it's bothering them."
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November 05, 2005
Complaint filed over anti-military protest on Nevada campus
ASSOCIATED PRESS
RENO, Nev. (AP) - A College Republicans leader at the University of Nevada, Reno has gone to court over last week's campus "kiss-in for justice" protest against military recruiters.
In a complaint filed in Washoe County District Court, group vice chairman Matt Beiser accuses student protesters of intimidating and verbally abusing students trying to talk to recruiters at a UNR career fair. The complaint against the Queer Student Union, Nevada Students for Peace and Solidarity, and Act Now to Stop War & End Racism seeks a temporary restraining order and unspecified legal costs.
"The idea behind it was that it's not fair that those groups should be able to dissuade people from finding out about the military recruitment on campus," Beisner told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Representatives of the three groups denied the charges and decided Friday night to allow the American Civil Liberties Union file a motion to dismiss the complaint. About two dozen protesters stood with signs around recruiter tables and handed out literature about nonmilitary career options after some protesters kissed each other. They were protesting the recruiters' presence on campus as well as the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay service members. "We don't believe kissing and holding hands is a form of harassment and believe that this lawsuit is a homophobic reaction and a blatant attempt at intimidation," the Queer Student Union said in a statement. ACLU officials said the Republican group's lawsuit was flawed and moot because it merely sought a temporary restraining order. The complaint was filed Thursday, the same day the two-day career fair ended.
But George Higgins, state chairman of College Republicans, said he's hopeful a permanent restraining order barring similar demonstrations would be issued. Protesters also were accused of blocking access to recruiters' tables. But UNR Assistant Police Chief Todd Renwick said three officers were sent to the career fair and nobody reported any problems. "If they (protesters) were blocking tables, it was never pointed out to us," Renwick said.
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Now we are being sued. The ACLU says we don’t have anything to worry about, but the entire scenario is just ridiculous.
