The UNL Write In: A Local Success from Student Organizing
Location
Ponderosa Room D
Presentation Type
Presentation
Presentation Topic
education, history, protests
Start Date
3-3-2023 2:30 PM
Event Sort Order
43
Abstract
In 1993 a group of students at the University of Nebraska--Lincoln participated in a write in to save the Writing Laboratory, now the Writing Center, from budget-cut induced elimination. This successful campaign took inspiration from the college student lead protests of the 1960s and 70s that resulted in women’s studies and ethnic studies programs nationwide. In the Writing Lab, students had a crucial on-campus space to deepen their writing skills outside of a classroom setting. During the write in, hundreds of students wrote to the chancellor and received amble local media attention for the Lab’s wide-ranging benefits, especially for students who often did not consider themselves writers. Today, the Writing Center works with hundreds of students each semester and sponsors events for students and faculty throughout the campus. In this presentation, the speaker draws upon archival documents from the1993 UNL write to examine the historical connections among student-lead collective organizing tactics from the women’s liberation and Civil Rights era in ways that can inform contemporary strategies to protect essential on-campus community-building and learning spaces.
The UNL Write In: A Local Success from Student Organizing
Ponderosa Room D
In 1993 a group of students at the University of Nebraska--Lincoln participated in a write in to save the Writing Laboratory, now the Writing Center, from budget-cut induced elimination. This successful campaign took inspiration from the college student lead protests of the 1960s and 70s that resulted in women’s studies and ethnic studies programs nationwide. In the Writing Lab, students had a crucial on-campus space to deepen their writing skills outside of a classroom setting. During the write in, hundreds of students wrote to the chancellor and received amble local media attention for the Lab’s wide-ranging benefits, especially for students who often did not consider themselves writers. Today, the Writing Center works with hundreds of students each semester and sponsors events for students and faculty throughout the campus. In this presentation, the speaker draws upon archival documents from the1993 UNL write to examine the historical connections among student-lead collective organizing tactics from the women’s liberation and Civil Rights era in ways that can inform contemporary strategies to protect essential on-campus community-building and learning spaces.
Presenter Bio
Zoe McDonald (she/her) is a Ph.D. candidate in the UNL English Department with a specialization in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. She hopes to work in education or community outreach. Zoe would like to paddle board around the Branched Oak reservoir one day.