STUDENTS FACE PROBATION IN FORDHAM PROTEST

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000100390011-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 9, 2010
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: April 1, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/09: CIA-RDP90-00806R000100390011-6
ARTICLE APPEARED
oN P. 6 .,G . 7
Students Face
By John Dear, S.J.
BRONX, N.Y.-Nine
Fordham University students
were placed on disciplinary
probation by the University
Judiciary Council following
their February 13th protest
against the Central Intelli-
gence Agency's (CIA) on-
campus employment recruit-
ing drive. William Casey, CIA
director, is a graduate of the
Bronx, New York school. The
nine students sat-in at the
Office of Career Planning and
Placement to protest inter-
views by the CIA recruiter.
More than 40 students held
a vigil in the hallways out-
side. After two hours, the
University administration
decided to cancel-the rest of
the CIA interviews and asked
the CIA recruiter to leave.
The students, many of
whom were members of the
Catholic peace group Pax
Christi, were protesting "the
immoral activities of the CIA,
such as the CIA's support of
the contras' war in Nicara-
gua." Three scholastics at
Murray-Weigel Hall re-
quested to participate in the
nonviolent civil disobedience
but were refused permission.
Nine scholastics, however,
did take part in the legal pro-
test of CIA recruiting.
The theme of the protest,
inspired by the Nuclear Train
Campaign, was "Love will
stop the CIA: Accept Re-
sponsibility." The students
tried to make it clear that
they objected to Fordham
University's facilitation of
recruiting by the CIA on
Fordham's campus. "By
continuing to encourage
students to interview with
the agency and facilitating
recruiting by the CIA at
Fordham, the University
legitimates the Agency's
activities and provides a
practical endorsement of the
CIA," the protesting students
argued.
NATIONAL JESUIT NEWS
April 1986
Probation in Fordham Protest
Before t1~e inter
e...
e
v
s w
re
held, the CIA recruiter gave
an overall presentation to a
large gathering of students
interested in working for the
CIA. Student protesters, car-
rying signs and leaflets, at-
tended the presentation and
asked questions about the
morality of the Agency's
support of the contras who
are fighting against the peo-
people of Nicaragua; the CIA
backed coupe in Chile
Gua-
,
Character witnesses for the
temala, and elsewhere; and students, including Fr. Ned
reports of continued illegal Murphy, S.J. and two of
surveillance of American cit- Fordham's philosophy pro-
izens by the CIA. The re- fessors, described the stu-
cruiter, Mr. James Fitzgerald, dents as "Fordham's best and
insisted that moral questions brightest." Dr. McGowan
were "not related to em- declined to cross-examine any
ployment" with the CIA. of the witnesses who testi
Interviews with the CIA fled on behalf of the accused.
representative were ached-
uled nine students presented
led for the remainder of the two hundred pages of
day at the Office of Career almost evidence, largely from the
Planning and Placement, but World Court, demonstrating
were called off by vice pres- where, when and how the
ident for student affairs, CIA had violated inter-
Joseph McGowan
in re-
,
sponse to the sit-in.
A statement handed out The campaign to stop re-
by the nine students who sat cruitment by the CIA at
in explained the reason for Fordham began in March,
their action. "If we are ever 1985, when the CIA came to
to free ourselves from our and were met by
slavery to systemic evil, we campus student protesters. Following
must withdraw our coopera- that initial protest, which
tion from it. That is what we consisted of leafletting and
have come to attempt today:
to demonstrate that we have picketing, several meetings recognized our com licit in between
Uni
versity
the
p y
crimes.
Vice
Pres
President nounced that the University
McGowan, acting as prosec- had decided to allow the CIA
utor for the University, ar- to continue to recr
it
u
at
guedthatthestudentsshould Fordham. He said that the
be suspended for their action, University's decision was not
and expelled from Fordham based on any moral judgment
if the offense were repeated. of the activities of the CIA,
Nevertheless, Dr. McGowan but on the fact that Boston
praised the character of the College and Georgetown
accused and the "polite," University, other Jesuit
nonviolent quality of their schools, allow CIA recruiting.
action.
ministration and represent-
the injustice of our nation- atives of the protesting stu-
especially as instantiated in dents were held. These
the activities of the CIA- meetings resulted, at the
and to say that we will coop-
erate no longer. As people of protesters' request, in a tem
conscience, we can no longer porary moratorium on CIA
recruiting at Fordham. Dis-
tort' stand on the sidelines of his- cussion of the issue during
and watch the whole- moratorium was very
sale disregard for the human the intense: both sides of the issue
rights of our sisters and were debated in both a public
brothers around the world."
Two weeks after their forum and in the student
action, the nine students newspapers.
presented their case before
the University Judiciary
Council, arguing that they
were justified in their action,
that in fact the CIA should
be brought to trial for its
In late December, 1985, Fr.
Denis Moran, S.J., assistant
dean for student affairs, an-
The students prepared for
their action by following a
nonviolent discipline based
upon the philosophies of
Mohandas Gandhi and Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Their
ten-point covenant of nonvi.
olence included the pledges
"to walk and talk in the
manner of love; not to engage
in violence of fist, tongue or
heart; and to be open,
friendly, and respectful
toward all, including police
officers, security guards and
other officials."
Fr. Moran, S.J., said that
another CIA recruiter may
be invited back to Fordham
in October or November, 1986.
John Dear, S.J., is a scho-
lastic studyingphilosophy at
Fordham University in the
Bronx.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/09: CIA-RDP90-00806R000100390011-6