By Lauren Sliver

Throughout the last year, University students may have become acquainted with the club Students Against Injustice (SAI). SAI describes itself as a non-partisan collection of students whose main goal is raising awareness of social issues. These issues include recycling on campus, Coca-Cola’s monopoly on school beverages, the war on Iraq and the presence of Citibank on campus.

SAI’s stated goal is to provide an avenue for many like minded students to get together. They have an estimated 25 active members.

“Before SAI there was no sort of activist, progressive group on campus,” Hugh Anderson, an SAI member and senior film major, said.

The organization focuses on social and environmental issues, including the Iraq war and recycling on campus.

SAI frequently collaborates and shares offices with the Student Organization for Animal Rights (SOAR), Women of Action (WOA) and the University chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). They have also worked with PRISM, the College Democrats and the Muslim Student’s Association.

The club used to be known as Amnesty International on campus, but claims to have no affiliation with the national organization. The organization changed its name to SAI in the spring of 2001 after a large protest that culminated with the blocking of the Lord Unispan.

Anderson said that they changed the name from Amnesty International because “[SAI] was not affiliated with Amnesty.”

There was controversy with the anti-war protest. Some students, who claimed to have been acting independently, disrupted classes during midterms, urging students and professors to join in their protests.

One SAI member, Peter Seltzer, a sophomore TV/Video major, said the event was “improperly timed.”

“As students and not as a club, we found that we couldn’t let daily activity continue when there were people dying half way across the world,” Seltzer said.

SAI also maintains that the anti-war protest on the Unispan wasn’t officially sponsored by any specific club.

Some students were bothered by the events at the Unispan.

Kathleen Hunker, a junior history major, said, “The protesters are not considering the consequences of their actions…all [the Unispan protest] resulted in was endangering the lives of students who had to now cross Hempstead Turnpike and hindering handicapped access to the North Campus.”

Hunker herself had thought of joining SAI, but was scared off, feeling her opinions on injustice wouldn’t be tolerated.

SAI said that they “encourage that if you have a differing opinion, to come to talk to us about it.”

Nevertheless, SAI says its main concerns are the global community, though Seltzer asks, “How are you supposed to care about Saddam if you don’t care about yourself?”

To this effect, SAI has taken on environmental issues, including alleged abuses by Citibank and the use of Styrofoam in the cafeteria. Through letter writing campaigns and phone calls to administration that went virtually unnoticed to the general public, SAI gave students a “choice” in banking. Unfortunately, some students, especially those from out-of-state, have had difficulties, as they had switched to Citibank specifically because it was on campus. Without easier access, these students have had a harder time making financial transactions on campus.

SAI claims that students notice when they stage protests. This may lead some to wonder why they don’t get as noticed otherwise.

SAI’s members assert that the response from students has been “overwhelmingly positive,” but say the administration “tries to brush us off.” They say they are worried about their budget, that SAI won’t be given the proper funding by administration, but earlier in the meeting a young woman announced the group has “unlimited funds.”

On the agenda for SAI this year, as it was last year, “is to end the exclusivity contract with Coca-Cola,” Anderson said. SAI believe that Coke has committed human rights violations, and are upset by their monopoly. SAI have taken it upon themselves to try and end that contract, much the way they did with Citibank.

“What do they want on campus? Pepsi?” Bradley Smallberg, a senior accounting student, said. “There are totalitarian dictatorships who kill people for speaking their minds…now the United States finally decides to stand up to one of these dictators, his name happening to be Saddam Hussein, and SAI…block people from walking over the Unispan.”

It’s clear that students’ views on injustice differ, and it may be the case that one club is unable to speak for the University and the student body as a whole. One thing is clear- with some of their more brazen acts, SAI has come into the spotlight, though not everyone agrees with the organization’s agenda. Is it more unjust that Coke and Styrofoam are on campus, or that people are suffering overseas or that students have difficulty accessing their funds? Perhaps splinter groups will form to address individual issues. Perhaps no one will notice. SAI will, however, continue its agenda to stamp out what it considers to be unjust, within and outside of the University.

For more information about SAI: Contact them: Extension 3-5198,Visit them at room 263 Student Center for their meetings on Monday nights, Contact Student Activities