Student sentiment unclear on non-holiday

Controversy, cloaked in a didactic veil of justice, has once again descended on the Yale campus. The issue of whether classes should be cancelled on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day has annually divided student, faculty, and Administrative sentiment on the Yale campus.

ERIN I. LEWIS/YH Community members and Yale students flock to United Church on the New Haven Green.

Yale University is the only Ivy League institution that holds classes on King's birthday. Those who support the day off point to Yale's stand as an example of the institution's conservative past once again rearing its ugly head. Though others, equally armed with moralizing rhetoric, cherish the fact that Yale can weather the ephemeral public sentiment in favor of a consistent approach, adamant support exists on both sides of the fence. But what haunts those who foster strong beliefs on this topic is that indifference has captured the majority of student opinion.

The lack of turnout at the day's marquee event signaled this indifference. About 50 students drifted in and out of the service. Rev. Scott Marks called upon the Yale students in attendance to stand up. By the end, 20 students rose to vigorous applause. While attendance at the morning service paled in comparison to that at the day's other events, opponents of making the day a University holiday cite the low turnout as evidence that student support is not strong enough to warrant a University-wide celebration.

Sleeping through the day `on'?

In spite of minimal student participation, there was no dearth of prominent politicians at the event. A rare confluence of powerful political figures was underscored by an interfaith service. Four religious leaders from the community stood together at the podium and took turns reading from the Hebrew Scripture, the New Testament, the Koran, and the Baha'i. This collaboration struck to the heart of King's message without even using his words.

ERIN I. LEWIS/YH Yalies join hands to commemorate King's legacy on Beinecke Plaza.

Outside Yale's walls, mention of the holiday's importance and homage to King were in abundance. "Dr. King's life was about justice, and justice can learn a lot from his life," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said.

Senator Christopher Dodd chided Yale, saying "The good news is that Wallingford, [Conn.] is now celebrating. From the `W,' now we need to do the `Y.'" This last remark sparked an uproar from the crowd. Statements by Dodd, such as "Race is still a major divide in this country," and "Social injustice is not ancient history in America," were reiterated by every speaker. Dodd reminded his audience that "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a dreamer, but by no means an idle one."

After Dodd finished speaking and the applause subsided, a voice from the balcony broke the transitional silence: "If you were really dedicated to honoring the legacy of Dr. King, perhaps you would change your policies on economic sanctions on Iraq and Colombia," Steven Kolbasa, a member of the Connecticut Coalition for Peace, shouted across the hall at the senator. When asked about his decision to speak out during the service, Kolbasa defended himself, saying, "I speak to these people in power wherever they are." Kolbasa added, "It's very easy to go through the routines of celebrating [King's] work."

ERIN I. LEWIS/YH Students participate in MLK Day activities.

Among those who took Kolbasa's words to heart were student protesters who congregated in the afternoon. As one student spoke through the megaphone, the din of chanting voices could be heard from campus. The voices grew louder until attention had shifted to the marchers coming from the service at the United Church. Marks, the procession's leader, bellowed, "What do we want?" and "When do we want it?" The crowd answered, "Classes off!" and "Now!"

Student protesters at Beinecke at first balked at Marks' invitation to join the powerful chant. Encouraged by his enthusiasm, however, Yalies soon joined the Reverend. The awkward transition from Marks' message to the protest indicated a greater transition taking place. Yale students were being schooled in the art of war. Even Robert Proto, President of Local 35, told the crowd, "I will teach you. The Administration will fear the wrath of the undergraduates. I urge you to organize!"

Proto's passion lent a purpose to the protesters' mission. "We demand that Rick Levin and the Administration do the right thing!" Proto said, as he pointed the megaphone towards President Levin's office in the plaza.

Answering the megaphone's call

The question still remains whether or not the Administration will listen to the coalition's demands. The Calendar Committee, chaired by Martha Highsmith, who is also the secretary of the University, will meet on Fri., Feb. 2 to consider changes to next year's calendar. The Yale College Council's (YCC) 12-10 vote in favor of commemorating "Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a holiday by not holding classes" will prove pivotal in the committee's decision. The vote followed an hour of debate within the student community.

The meeting centered around whether the majority of students would support the resolution. Five-hundred-and-twenty-four students signed a petition in favor of canceling classes on the holiday.

"If we are questioning the support for the resolution, you can be damn well sure that the administration will question it if this resolution passes," Robert Quandt, BR '02, a college representative, said. "There are a lot of implications to this vote that I don't think we are fully considering." The quandary for Quandt, as well as for many others who oppose having the day off, is that they may be seen as ignoring King's legacy. But as Quandt responded, "Voting to support Yale's policy of treating all holidays, civil and other, equally isn't a vote against what Martin Luther King stood for."

Another dissenting opinion came from Paige Herwig, TC '01, YCC Secretary: "Nothing commemorates Dr. King's legacy more than celebrating the individual thought in one's own conscience, celebrating as one sees fit. The holiday doesn't need Yale's institutional sanction or endorsement to do that."

Some challenged even the existence of a "consistent [Yale] policy" in dealing with federal holidays. Abbey Hudson, BR '03, a college representative, stated, "I think that the idea that Yale observes all holidays equally is a bit skewed." Some say that fall recess, which happens to fall on Thanksgiving, violates the University's policy of not observing any federal holidays. Unlike spring recess, which falls directly in the middle of the spring semester, the fall break begins much closer to the end of the semester. Vidhya Prabhakaran, MC '03, argues that this displays the academic calendar's acquiescence to cultural norms.

Searching for a resolution

The Administration is moving towards more neutral ground on the issue. Levin said that he thinks "this is an issue that the calendar committee should take up if there is enough student support. I have no strong personal view one way or another," he added. "It's a matter that the faculty and students can discuss through the committee. I have no objection to changing something."

Unlike Dartmouth President James Wri-ght's support for the holiday's observance in a Valley News editorial, Levin remained neutral on the issue. Wright himself is also a large part of the reason that Dartmouth now has a 10-day celebration in King's honor.

Highsmith responded to the YCC's resolution. "I think there will be full discussion of the logistics of all the recommendations that will be coming including that [resolution]," she said. "The academic requirements have taken first place here, making sure there is enough time in the calendar to accommodate all the instructional needs and then to accommodate as many of the possible desires and needs of the complete community."

And Betty Trachtenberg, Dean of Student Affairs, viewed the protest as a positive. "Sometimes when people don't agree it creates the opportunity for a dialogue," she said. Having people disagree is not necessarily a bad thing. If we all agreed on everything, nothing would change."

The notion that change could come from this nascent dialogue has already excited many supporters of the holiday. Nevertheless, John Johnson, DC '03, a crucial player in organizing the day's protest and celebratory events, left the YCC meeting with a subdued and tempered excitement. "I am happy with the result," he said, "but I am disappointed. There is no reason that the vote should have been this close. I think it's a reflection of something."

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