Thousands of protesters across the country came together in a fight against corporate greed and social inequality last month, with the movement spreading to the University of Maryland campus last week.
The Occupy Wall Street movement began in Zuccotti Park in downtown New York City in late September, and has spread to over 95 cities and 80 countries since then.
According to the organizers’ official website, the main idea behind the movement is that “we are the 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%.”
For some business majors at the UMD, Occupy Wall Street brings up conflicting emotions between solidarity and the possibility of a future career.
“As a business major, I feel like we should be on the Wall Street side,” said Yvonne Shiau, a junior finance major. “But I’m really for the protest.”
Organizers of the protest believe everything should operate through general assemblies, which are purely democratic and focus on the idea of a collective group dynamic.
One criticism levied against the movement is the lack of a clear end date, given that the list of demands involves a complete overhaul of the economic system.
President Obama expressed his support for the movement, saying it is a representation of the widespread frustration and resentment most Americans have been feeling during difficult economic times.
At last count, the movement had spread to over 100 different colleges in an attempt to make the demands more student-specific, now including the University of Maryland.
The Occupy UMD movement began Friday, Oct. 28, with a group of 30 students who marched on McKeldin Mall in solidarity with the protesters in New York.
Though campus organizers of Occupy UMD told The Diamondback they hoped the movement would grow to thousands from the five who spent the night sleeping on the Mall, some students expressed disbelief that the localized protest would have any effect.
“It’s ridiculous,” said Sam Williamson, a junior history and government and politics major who has participated in many activist causes on campus. “They just want to be a part of something, instead of working toward actual changes.”