in the press:
 COLUMBIA'S ANTI-WAR GROUP BENEFITS STUDENTS

By Cathleen Loud
Staff Writer (Columbia Chronicle)

To be honest, I don‚t know all the facts about the war. I know that the United States is fighting a "war on terrorism," as they say, but beyond that, I‚m in the dark. Maybe I deny myself the knowledge as a way of pretending it‚s not happening, in order to avoid the topic. Or maybe, as a college senior with a lot going on, I don‚t have the time to think about it all.

But in my mind, I feel strongly opposed to this war. I know that people are being killed. I know that justice, truth and freedom˜the principles this country is based on˜have been given to those with power and taken from those without too easily in the past six months. I know as both a citizen and a compassionate human being something isn‚t right. Since Sept. 11, we‚ve all been told to get on with our lives and to accept the way things are. We‚ve been bombarded with American flags and patriotic hoopla and we haven‚t had the time to stop and think about what‚s really going on in the country˜much less the world˜and how we‚ve been affected by it.

Columbia has a group on campus called CC On the Ground. Its roots were planted after a speak-out in Grant Park in early October of 2001 when a group of students decided it would be worthwhile to create an anti-war community on the Columbia campus. Now, five months later, CC On the Ground is committed not only to informing Columbia students and staff about the war and the atrocities that are taking place, but also to supporting other groups and causes.

Spencer Kingman, a junior at Columbia, is one of the many voices of CC On the Ground. He said that the group is about "creating an atmosphere of dialogue, of resistance, of plain sense, of subversive fun." He explained that the group gives students freedom to express their views and act on feelings of frustration, confusion and anger, without pressuring them to become anti-war activists.

Many students are bewildered and angry because of the war and because of the country‚s politics. Students are looking for a place to express their feelings˜an outlet where they can let down their guard without the fear of being told they are wrong.
"I wouldn‚t have been able to locate Afghanistan on a map, or tell you about the people before Sept. 11. What I did know is that I did not trust what the faces on TV were saying, and I did not want their war," Kingman said.

It‚s important that as students, we have a group like CC On the Ground because it is a community of other students with whom we can talk about our fear, anger or concerns about the war˜even if we don‚t know all the facts. In a group like CC On the Ground, everyone learns from everyone else.

The events that are taking place currently are shaping our lives. As college students, our input and action is necessary to make changes because our minds hold the newest and freshest ideas. That is why CC On the Ground is so crucial. The group allows the free exchange of the new and fresh ideas cultivated by our own minds. No matter how great or small the idea, it is the beginning of change.

"We need to recognize all of the hard work, thought and action people have given time and time again, for so many world issues. The revolutionaries. We are revolutionaries!" said senior Corrinne Theodoru, via email. Ideas and comments such as these bind the students of CC On the Ground together.

The idea of an anti-war group on Columbia‚s campus may enrage you. You may feel that this is un-American or not patriotic. You may feel the world doesn‚t need to change. Maybe you feel that we can continue as we‚ve always continued˜accepting that it‚s being done for economic, governmental or political reasons. I‚m sure there is merit in what you feel and I urge you to tell someone. Talk about it and exchange ideas with someone. Get a conversation going that will stimulate new thoughts.

"I have heard a lot of really good arguments about why there shouldn‚t be a group," Kingman said. "But the group also makes sense to me. CC On the Ground has been able to poke holes through this paper-thin "war on terrorism" stuff, even if it is just for a handful of individuals."

CC On the Ground provides an outlet for students on many levels. No matter how much time you have and no matter how involved you want to become, CC On the Ground provides a forum for those who strongly oppose the war and those who just want to get some information. The next time you see CC On the Ground at a table in the lobby of the Hokin, or if you decide to attend one of their weekly meetings, you can tell someone what‚s on your mind. Why not ask yourself, "How do you stop a war?"