IMF World Bank walkout fizzles
In the spirit of last weekend's massive protests against the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington D.C., University students planned an 11 a.m. walkout yesterday. But with yesterday morning's dreary rain, the political statement did not draw many students away from their classes.
The idea, according to event organizer and second-year College student Michael Freedman-Schnapp, was initiated by student organizations at colleges across the nation.
"This was part of a much larger movement," Freedman-Schnapp said, adding that all organizations involved wanted to hold the walkout at 11 a.m. in each time zone.
Freedman-Schnapp said the event wasn't as successful as he'd hoped.
"If you look outside, you'll see why," he said.
Many University students joined Washington D.C.'s approximately 14,000 protesters over the weekend, demonstrating against the policies of the IMF and the World Bank - some braving tear gas from police decked in riot gear.
Because of the poor turnout at yesterday's walkout, Freedman-Schnapp said he plans to reschedule the Lawn walkout for this Friday at 11 a.m.
"We're trying to start a dialogue," he said.
Lecture with an Egyptian flavor
Today at 11:00 a.m., Egyptian ambassador to the U.S. Nabil Fahmy will lecture in the Dome Room of the Rotunda.
Holding this post since last year, Fahmy's eclectic career includes serving as Egypt's ambassador to Japan and serving as a political advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
His area of expertise is arms control; he has participated in the Madrid Peace Conference's Regional Security and Arms Control working group.
The topic of his lecture is "The Middle East in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges of Peace and Globalization."
The lecture is sponsored by the Middle East Studies Program and is open to the entire University community.
Compiled by Adam Justice
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