STAND: new RSO takes action against genocide in Darfur

Students Taking Action Now: Darfur is a new club that is expecting to become a recognized student organization this month and is working to bring an end to the genocide currently taking place in Darfur in the Sudan.

This week, the group plans to further their cause by participating in “Seal the Deal” week. The week is aimed at asking the government to enforce passed legislation dealing with Darfur. The group will ask President George W. Bush to stick to promises made, enforce United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur, and apply an All-Sudan solution and to lobby China, which has been linked in several reports to the perpetration of the genocide in Darfur, to affect change.

Jonny Leach, senior social sciences major and one of the founders of the club admits that the organization at ESU is on the smaller scale but stresses that the club can be effective in aiding this process.

“This is a window to see the rest of the world,” Leach said. “In the heartland we can get caught up in a lot of other things and this puts pressure on people to look beyond themselves.”

STAND had its beginnings in the classroom at Emporia State. Michael Smith, assistant professor of social sciences, assigned his PO 100 class the book “Not on Our Watch” by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast as part of a semester project. The book covers the subject of genocide in Darfur and the role of the rest of the world, specifically the U.S., in ending the atrocities.

Smith asked each student in his class to come up with a plan of action to end the genocide. While some students set off on individual projects, Leach decided to create a group plan. By combining several groups into one, the group was able to focus their efforts on a larger scale.

First, Leach contacted STAND’s national organization to begin the process of forming a local chapter at ESU and filed the paperwork with Associated Student Government to become a recognized student organization. Leach estimates that the current membership of the club is around 30 people.

Leach said that reaction to the club has been mostly positive and that many people were surprised an organization like this has not existed at ESU before. He admits that he has encountered some opposition but that is has been incredibly minimal.

The group cites the upcoming summer Olympics in Beijing as a focal point for action. Several STAND groups will be staging formal protests at the offices of corporate sponsors of the Olympics. The club believes that the Olympics will serve as a great time to get their message out.

“The Olympics creates a great window of opportunity,” said Stephanie Russell, sophomore art major and one of the organization’s leaders. “It’s a chance to really go to the government and ask them to make changes in what is going on.”

STAND will also host a booth in the Memorial Union this week for interested individuals to find out more about the club and the cause. The club will also provide information on Kansas government representatives and their involvement in legislation aimed at ending the genocide in Darfur, including phone numbers and addresses of their respective offices. Members hope that people will take the initiative to contact their representatives to voice the need to enforce relevant legislation.

“They have a voice and they should use it,” Leach said. “People can do something to stop this.”

As far as what the club will stand for if efforts to end genocide succeed, members are confident that the club will continue to work for human rights.

“We’ll keep a public eye on the bigger picture as far as freedoms are concerned,” said Anthony Westby, senior pre-med major. “We’ll try to educate people on things happening outside of Kansas. Ultimately, we are all part of the United States and what our government does is a reflection of who we are.”

According to STAND’s national Web site, the organization was formed in 2004 following mainstream news of the genocide in Darfur. Currently the organization has over 700 chapters in schools around the world. Each chapter is formed independently by interested parties and all programs and resources are developed and maintained by the chapters.

The national organization is focused on ending the genocide in Darfur but also encourages members to become involved in other anti-genocide movements and human rights disputes.