1996 Ethnic Studies Demonstrations

Hamilton Hall during the strike

1996 Ethnic Studies Demonstrations were a series of protests and demonstrations in the spring of 1996, culminating in occupations of Low Library, Hamilton Hall (which graffiti branded "Ethnic Studiz Hall"), and a hunger strike. The primary demand of the demonstrations was the creation of a Department of Ethnic Studies, a proposition that had been previously rejected as unfeasible by university president George Rupp. The situation was successfully ended following a weekend-long mediation session led by law school professor Carol Liebman.

Timeline

April 1, 1996 - April 15, 1996

People

Began with four strikers, although the Chronicle cites three strikers, since one of the strikers (Heather Starr) was hospitalized after the first three days of the hunger strike.

1. Marcel A. Agüeros, a senior majoring in astronomy
2. Michael Maldonaldo, a Columbia College senior;
3. Heather Starr, a senior at Barnard College;
4. Joaguin Ochoa, a graduate student at Columbia Teachers College

6 Negotiators:

1. Othniel Harris CC'98
2. Elbert Garcia CC'97
3. Jennifer Duran CC'97
4. Tomio Geron CC'96
5. Sharod X CC'96
6. Jane Bai, Ph.D. Student

Organizers: Jane Sung E Bai

Protesters: Estimated at 125 by the Chronicle, and "around 200," by students present at the time. The number of occupiers at a given time fluctuated.

Fallout

In 1999, three years after the protest, the administration created the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race in partial fulfilment of the strikers' demands. The center coordinates several vaguely ethnic studies-ish majors, and is located in Hamilton.

The protest also inspired the 2007 hunger strike, and the 1996 strikers issued a statement of support of the 2007 strikers' demands.

References

• Article from the New York Times
• Article from 2007 Spectator, on the reaction by alumni of the 1996 Hunger Strike to the 2007 hunger strike
• Summary of Statements by the 1996 Hunger Strikers with detailed timeline
• article from April 26, 1996 [Chronicle]
• Article from The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, No. 12. (Summer, 1996), p. 37.
• speech by a hunger striker
• pictures
• more pictures
• letter from striker's dad to then-president George Rupp
• Statement of Support for the 2007 hunger strike by 5 affiliates of the 1996 hunger strike.
• Liebman, Carol Mediation as Parallel Seminars: Lessons from the Student Takeover of Columbia University's Hamilton Hall. Negotiation Journal Vol. 16 Iss. 2 Pg. 157-182 (August 2000)