Columbia minorities stage sit-in

Columbia University minority student leaders staged a sit-in at College Dean Austin Quigley's office yesterday. The approximately 30 students who participated said they would not leave the office until the administration agreed to their demands for changes in a curriculum they called "racist" and "Eurocentric." Included in the students' demands was the creation of Asian American Studies and Latino Studies curriculum -- programs that students have asked for since 1969, according to Columbia spokesperson Fred Knubel. At one point in the afternoon, Columbia Security would not allow anyone to enter Quigley's office. But the sit-in, which began at 11 a.m., ended three hours later with students leaving, having made an agreement with the administration that further discussions between the two parties would occur within a week, according to Knubel. "The dean and his staff engaged the students in lengthy dialogue during the course of the afternoon and are ready to continue these discussions," he added. And last night, students held a candlelight vigil to support the minority leaders in their cause. Although the sit-in primarily involved the Latin and Asian communities at Columbia, several members of the African American community joined in the requests for comprehensive ethnic studies. No disciplinary action will be taken against the students since no university rules were broken, Knubel said. Last week, students at Dartmouth College rallied to express outrage over two separate incidents of racial slurs written on the dormitory doors of Asian Americans. One student is under disciplinary review for the first incident. The second incident is still being investigated, as no suspects have been found. During the 1970s, female students at Penn staged a sit-in at College Hall to protest the lack of response from the administration after numerous rapes occurred around campus. As a result of the four day sit-in, the Penn Women's Center was established and several University services such as PennEscort and blue-light phones were created.