As the massive crowd paraded across the SIU Carbondale campus, some did not join but observed from a distance.
A crowd of hundreds of people marched across campus, into administration buildings, and everywhere in between.
Some people decided to join and some people were just curious.
Freshman Nicoletta Calabrese watched the protest walk through Thompson Point on her way back from class.
“I think its great to voice your opinions and to share them I hope that what they’re trying to accomplish works I think its great.”
She also believes this might not be the best way to accomplish their goals.
“Personally I think I would try talking to somebody like in a office or the dean of students or something because I don’t know if they’re going to get what they want out of this.”
Across the street in front of the Ag Building Junior Elsie Talkington had a different opinion.
“They’re not making people feel safe because I know like in my class this morning there was only like 10 people in there out of like 30, and like a lot of people were saying they weren’t going to come today because they didn’t know what was going to happen and they were scared.”
Talkington also had a piece of advice for them.
“I think they just need to put all their signs down and be mature and be adults and go out in the real world and get a job and then pay off your student loans just like that, protesting isn’t going to give you free money.”
I spent about 20 minutes walking with the protesters to hear why they are protesting.
After over a dozen declines I finally meet Kendra Kline, a senior at SIU.
And I asked her why she’s here.
“Because we’re fighting for a cause, sexism, racism, budget cuts all that we all are affected by it.”
Before I meet Kendra I talked to Kara Carden, a senior in Nursing.
She was a little put off by the display of people walking across campus.
“It makes me feel unsafe to be honest, because there’s been a lot of calls for riots, honestly I really, I really wish I didn’t came to this school.”
I told Kendra about Kara’s reaction to the protest and how she was visibly upset at what she witnessed.
“I don’t think she should feel unsafe as you can see it’s not violent we’re just protesting, we’re just fighting for a cause she don’t have no reason to feel unsafe.”
