University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

Controversy sparks campus protests by Christi Mance External factors also played an impor- tant part in the life of UT students this year, affecting the outcome of the race for some. The first thing to affect most students were the state budget cuts for higher education. The cuts sparked many student protests, the largest of which was the march on the capital on Sept. 23. By far, however the longest lasting protest centered around the Shanty on the West Mall. The Shanty was first built in the early fall by Democracy in Academia. It was a symbol of the plight Jim Sigmon EMPHASIS: Jesse Jackson speaks to a packed auditorium of students on April 22. Jackson stressed the need for greater awareness of minori- ty problems. REBUILDING: A student repairs the Shanty after it was destroyed. In all, the Shan- ty was destroyed 1 5 times this year. EMOTION: A student takes part in the " Red Hands " protest on Oct. 21. The protesters wanted the University to divest its holdings in companies with interests in South Africa. of the blacks in South Africa. DIA vowed not to destroy the Shanty until the University divested its holdings from companies involved with South Africa. Other students had something different in mind however. Throughout the year, the shanty was destroyed 15 times, the last on April 20. It was always rebuilt. Usually bigger and stronger. Despite the controversy, student opin- ion of the Shanty varied widely . The most protest filled day of the year was Oct. 21. At 7:40 a.m., 16 students entered the President ' s office and bar- ricaded themselves inside. The students demanded that the Regents approve a divestment policy by 5 p.m. Oct. 23. The students were removed 20 minutes after the demonstration began. Later that afternoon, in a protest against UT involvement in South Africa and the ar- rest of the " UT 16, " hundreds of students rallied on the West Mall for about three hours. Many dipped their hands in red paint and pressed them to the Main Building as a symbol of apar- theid. No arrests were made that after- noon, but two students were later ar- rested for criminal mischief because of the red hand prints. Jim Sigmon 12 Still on Track