University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

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PEACE MARCH. War protestors march quietly toward the downtown Fayetteville square for a demonstration on Jan. 19. The 200 protestors received a police escort. (D. ALLEN PHOTO) STANDING FIRM. Standing in a line in front of the Union fountain, the number of anti-war protestors grew each day as the war progressed. (D. ALLEN PHOTO) GOD BLESS AMERICA. Sporting a yellow ribbon on her jacket with a flag and “U.S.A.” painted on her face, Angela Jones sings patriotic songs. Jones participated in the Jan. 19 rally backing President Bush’s military action in the Persian Gulf. (D. ALLEN PHOTO) Gulf War Demonstrations 23

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TO THE POINT Demonstrations, both for and against the military action in the Persian Gulf, were a daily sight on campus. On Jan. 19, about 500 people on both sides of the issue gathered at the Federal Building. DEMONSTRATORS GOT DAILY VIGIL. Members of Students Against Gulf Engagement, armed with signs, stood in front of the Union fountain during the lunch hour each day during Operation Desert Storm. (D. ALLEN PHOTO) T HERE are at least two sides to every issue, and the war in the Middle East was no excep¬ tion. Demonstrators expressing both favorable and unfavor¬ able opinions about U.S. involvement in the Gulf were seen daily on the Union mall. Capt. Bradly Bruns, of the Department of Public Safety, said groups supporting U.S. policy were not seen at the University during the Vietnam era like they are today. “This is something new,” Bruns said. “We have not seen this side [of the demon¬ strations] before.” Debbie Vadar, who showed her support for the president’s decision by marching in front of the Union on Jan. 21, said she did not like the war but believed something had to be done about Saddam Hussein’s actions in the Middle East. “Nobody wants a war,” Vadar said. “But we can’t just let big bully countries take over smaller countries.” Students Against Gulf Engagement (S.A.G.E.) led a counter-demonstration protesting the president’s decision to go to war, but the group also expressed support for the troops. “Some people seem to perceive we’re against the troops,” Ed Qubain, a S.A.G.E. member, said. “We’re against the policy. I want the troops to come home. I think that senti¬ ment is pro-troops.” Eveiy day at noon Qubain and other anti-war protesters stood in front of the Union fountain holding signs. And, every day their numbers grew. “I will be here eveiy day until the war is over or someone changes my mind,” said Art Hobson, professor of physics and faculty adviser to S.A.G.E. “We stand in a line because it’s dignified,” Hobson said, adding that the protesters standing a few feet apart, facing the public, put across a more serious message. At the Jan. 21 rally in front of the Union, about 50 policy supporters dominated the area with speakers and American flags, while about 10 people demonstrated against the president s policy. Steve Zega, a first-year law student, and sophomore Kevin Bonner observed the rallies but did not participate. Zega said he did not agree with the reasons the United States was in the gulf since they were economic — but since the United States was already committed, he would support the troops and criticize the war after it was over. The same controversy that was growing on campus was apparent at Fayetteville’s town square on Jan. 19 when more that 500 policy support¬ ers and anti-war demonstra¬ tors gathered in front of the Federal Building. About half of the crowd disagreed with the war. Protestors carried a mock coffin with a flag draped over it and a stretcher that con¬ tained a body bag as they marched silently down Dickson Street. War supporters greeted the anti-war demonstrators with placards and slogans like “Free Kuwait” and “My sons are fighting for your right to protest.” Although the groups had conflicting opinions, both sides said that they sup¬ ported the troops and wanted them home soon. 22 Gulf War Demonstrations

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WAR FORCES STUDENT SOLDIERS TO WITHDRAW As the Jan. 15 deadline came and went, students serving in the reserves were called to duty. UA soldiers had the option of taking their grades or withdrawing and receiving an incomplete. PUTTING A CALL THROUGH. In the time of war in the Middle East, peace prevailed in the Arkansas Union as University Programs presented Redeye ’91 -- “Peace, Love and Redeye.” The theme certainly reflected the year. Jennifer Boeckmann, sophomore, uses the free WATS line to collect names and address’ for the Desert Shield FAX to Saudi Arabia. (J. BAILEY PHOTO) SOLDIERS’ GRADES UP TO TEACHERS T HE Associated Student Government passed a resolution Nov. 27 recommending that the student-soldiers leaving for Saudi Arabia have a say as to whether they will receive grades for the semester. The University’s current policy allows the students to either withdraw from the University with a full refund or receive incompletes. The instructor, not the soldier, decides whether an appro¬ priate final grade can be assigned. In contrast to the University’s current policy, the ASG resolution would defer the decision of receiving a final grade to the student, providing that he or she left for active duty after the official class withdrawal date. The resolution was introduced by Sen. Abraham Borum, a Marine reservist who left for Saudi Arabia. Gov. Bill Clinton also came out in favor of the ASG resolution: ‘It would seem appropri¬ ate at this time for each institution to evaluate its treatment of these students and to encourage its faculty to give these students the grade they have currently earned or to give an early final, if possible, or to give an incomplete and an adequate amount of time for completing the work upon the students’ return from service.” Although Clinton and ASG supported a change in the University’s policy, Lyle Gohn, vice chancellor of Student Services, was skeptical that a change would occur. The resolution, he said, was reviewed by Chancel¬ lor Dan Ferritor and passed on to B. Alan Sugg, the University’s president. Although the chancellor and the Board of Trustees had the ability to pass the resolution, he said that the decision would ultimately be made by the faculty. ‘’Allowing the students to make the decision as to whether they will receive a final grade is an academic issue, and I believe that the University will ask the faculty to make the ultimate decision,” Gohn said. Gohn was uncertain as to whether the student would benefit from receiv¬ ing a final grade if he or she hadn’t completed the course work. If the policy is changed, he said, it might be difficult to ascertain whether the student has obtained the sufficient knowledge from the course that is a prerequisite for the success in other courses. Gohn said that even if the University and staff didn ' t adopt the resolution, they do support the spirit in which it was written. “ASG was attempting to respond in a positive way to a bad situation and it was asking that the faculty and the staff do the same,” Gohn said. “The faculty appreciates this, and they are leaning over backwards to accommodate and assist these students who are being called to active duty.” Even though the ASG passed the resolution with a 99-1 vote, Gohn suggested that they did so as a spirited measure with no real inten¬ tion of pursuing the issue. However, Sen. Lisa Young disagreed. “The resolution that we passed was an ‘A’ resolu¬ tion,” Young said. “An ’A ' resolution, in contrast to a ‘B’ resolution that merely suggests a change, is a direct call for a policy change.” BY SHELLY EBERSOLE 24 Students Called To Duty