Students are invited to join a journey for justice: a call for closing the School of the Americas.
Saint Louis University students will join the efforts of fighting for human rights in Columbia, Ga. in a protest to close the SOA on a four-day trip Nov. 16-19.
SOA is a military school that trains Latin American soldiers in war and torture techniques.
Graduates from the school have been credited with the torturous treatment and murders of thousands of individuals. The United Nations Truth Commission cited SOA graduates in the death of two SLU Jesuit alumni who were killed in 1989. The school is supported by more than 20 million dollars per year from U.S. tax dollars.
Campus Ministry is responsible for more than 25 classroom presentations across campus aimed at educating students and other members of the University about the injustices accredited to SOA.
At last year’s protest, SLU had the largest representation of any university, with over 150 people. This year, the University is planning on having about 200 people representing the University.
John Slosar, Faculty Senate president and a professor in the school of social work, is one of the coordinators for the trip.
“I’m proud to be an American, but I’m not proud of all the things we’ve done,” Slosar said, referring to tax dollars paying for this school.
Last year, Congress closed the school under its former name, but reopened under a new name-all within the same bill. “Basically, they changed the name,” Slosar said.
“The point of going is not to perform an act of civil disobedience; the point is to be a voice that is eard,” said Harry O’Rourke of Campus Ministry.
“While crossing the line, I am asking the government to arrest and throw me in jail,” O’Rourke said. “I believe these laws are immoral and that I need an act of defiance to support these beliefs. My response was coming from my faith.”
O’Rourke said he would like this to be the last trip needed to protest the school. “Hopefully, through the efforts of SLU and everyone else involved, Congress will realize the pressing rights and close down SOA,” he said.
However, O’Rourke will keep fighting for matters of social justice. “I pray that the spirit will continue to guide us in helping with other issues of injustice,” he said. “Even if SOA is closed, it will not be the end; the struggle for justice will continue.”
According to his assistant Bridget Fletcher, University President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., is going on the trip this year.
Fletcher encouraged students who feel strongly about this issue to attend the protest. “The more people going in support of this cause, the better,” she said. “It’s important to keep students educated about human rights issues.”
Biondi is planning on speaking at the Memorial Service held on Saturday on behalf of the Jesuits. The vigil is in remembrance of all the victims of human rights injustices performed by former students of SOA.
Slosar acknowledges Biondi’s interest in the protest. “Biondi really does have a fervor for social justice,” Slosar said. “He supports this trip both through financial and social support.”
Biondi has tried to make the trip affordable to any SLU students interested in attending the protest.
Fletcher did not say if Biondi will cross the protest line. However, she did stress the importance of the personal decision to do so.
Any SLU student considering crossing the line has three responsibilities: to tell the University, to talk to his or her parents and to attend a non-violence training seminar.
