UMass Amherst Sit-In Enters Its Fourth Day

More than one hundred University of Massachusetts (UMass), Amherst students remained entrenched in a campus office building yesterday, after taking over the building in protest three days ago.

The students, most of whom are affiliated with the minority group ALANA (African Americans, Latin Americans, Asian Americans and Native Americans), took over the Goodell Building Monday morning to protest what they see as a lack of progress at UMass in addressing several longstanding minority student concerns.

A statement released on the students' "Takeover Web Page" said the demonstrators want "to improve financial aid funding, admissions procedures for all students, child care...and stop the discrimination...against students of color as well as poor and working people."

This week's sit-in follows five years after a similar building takeover, also over racial concerns.

The 1992 demonstration lasted a week and resulted in several agreements. Current protesters accuse the administration of backing out on pledges made during the last protest.

"We have been talking to the administration for years but they simply stall, lie about what they are doing, break agreements or undermine critical programs when they think no one is looking," the statement said.

Yesterday students showed support for the building's occupiers by walking out of classes at 10:30 a.m. to attend a rally in front of Goodell.

UMass spokesperson Patrick J. Callahan counted about 400 students at the rally.

Deputy Vice Chancellor Marcellete Williams, who is handling the administration's response to the protest, has vowed not to use force to remove the demonstrators. However, Callahan said phone communications with the Goodell building had been cut.

The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, the university's student paper, reported yesterday that students from at least four other colleges attended rallies to support the protesters.

"Students from Amherst, Smith, Hampshire and Mount Holyoke colleges walked from the town common to Goodell, chanting, 'The students united will never be defeated,' as they passed through the Campus Center," the Collegian reported.

Negotiations between protesters and administrators occurred both Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday, Callahan said university officials were preparing a detailed response to the students' demands

Deputy Vice Chancellor Marcellete Williams, who is handling the administration's response to the protest, has vowed not to use force to remove the demonstrators. However, Callahan said phone communications with the Goodell building had been cut.

The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, the university's student paper, reported yesterday that students from at least four other colleges attended rallies to support the protesters.

"Students from Amherst, Smith, Hampshire and Mount Holyoke colleges walked from the town common to Goodell, chanting, 'The students united will never be defeated,' as they passed through the Campus Center," the Collegian reported.

Negotiations between protesters and administrators occurred both Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday, Callahan said university officials were preparing a detailed response to the students' demands