Organizer Landon Rockwell (right), senior, and Chemistry major Anna Greenleaf (left), a junior, at the walkout.
McKenna Howenstine|Marlin Chronicle
Almost two dozen people attended a “Stand Up for Science” walkout on March 7 at noon to “support science, education and equity.” This walkout was headed by Landon Rockwell, a senior majoring in Biology, and coincided with a larger walkout occurring at the same time in DC and several other large cities.
The walkout was in protest of several federal policies enacted by the recently inaugurated Trump administration, including threatening to close down several scientific agencies generally regarded as vital to the health of the American people, like FEMA, and firing thousands of people, notably those involved in the park service.
“I’m hoping that this can foster conversation about the changes we can make,” Rockwell said. Rockwell gave a speech and said she hoped to collect support on campus, the reason that she did not go to DC for the main protest, which she had considered. Several students and faculty members spoke as well at the event when it was opened for discussion, sharing their fears and demands.
Rockwell said that she hoped the walkout would foster a community “here at Wesleyan,” and have a space to “support and uplift each other.”
Anna Greenleaf signing the poster, seen completed in the other photo.
McKenna Howenstine|Marlin Chronicle
The event was advertised through posters throughout Greer and Blocker (permission to post notes in Batten was not received).
On the list of threatened organizations are the Health Department and several other departments aligned with causes the Trump administration considers “political.” These departments have been forced to take down several pages, and funding for further research has been threatened, including a study in Portsmouth on heat that Dr. Elizabeth Malcolm, associate professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, and several students have been working on, previously funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.
Students and faculty at the event signed a poster that Rockwell provided with their demands for the government, including protecting research and keeping vital staff on the books. Rockwell said she would attempt to get permission to put the poster in a public space.
Most to all attendees were science majors or science faculty, likely due in part to the posters being placed solely in the buildings used for science.
To watch interviews with attendees and our more in-depth reporting on this issue, please see the video on our website/Instagram, with footage from Marlin Chronicle staff edited by Isabella Grosswiler.
By Victoria Haneline
vfhaneline1@vwu.edu
