Occupy Denver, Occupy Wall Street (OWS), and perhaps even an Occupy DU movement were the hot topic last Wednesday, November 9th at a panel put on jointly by the Center for Rights Development (CORD), the Middle East Discussion Group, and the International Studies BA Program.
Moderated by Human Rights Professor Claude D'Estreé, the panelists, consisting of faculty and students, all supported the movement. Ranging from discussions on alternative media, responses to criticisms of the movement and lists of grievances, the overarching message was one of action for DU Students.

"My message is for those sitting on the bleachers," said Professor Robert Uttaro, a lecturer in the Josef Korbel School undergraduate program.
A panel of students and faculty discussed their involvement in the Occupy Movement and advocated for change in the social, political and economic systems. Inequality and the inability to keep politicians accountable were major themes. While the statistics were powerful, each panelist still had to grapple with the criticism of movement cohesiveness.

"The irony is that we are being criticized for not going through the system to enact change, when the message is that system is broken," said Associate CORD Director and Korbel Student Nicole Judd-Bekken.

A comparison by an audience member of OWS to the Tea Party movement as another example of popular movements, with obvious different aims, though similar methods of popularism, set off a round of contentious responses. "Any comparison between the movements ends up discrediting both," said Undergraduate Lecturer Sasha Berger Bush.

A core of the movement is consensus building between members, including a hand gesture to show approval or disapproval. While many of these idiosyncrasies define the movement's message of the need for societal equality, they have also drawn a barrage of internet jokes and sarcasm over the efficiency and lack of concrete options.

"We need to talk about the who, what, when, where and why," said Judd-Bekken. This next step has become the focus of a movement sorely needing concrete aims. Currently, Occupy Denver is drafting a statement of purpose that includes a refining of goals.

While many agreed with the overall grievances, some audience members wondered whether the tactic was working. The sit-in approach represents an occupation of physical public space, the idea being that protestors can no longer be ignored in a political system built on corporate funding that happens behind closed doors and in the ephemeral space of 'transactions.'

The Occupy Denver movement, an offshoot of the larger Occupy Wall Street movement, has been the focus of media both as an example of protestor's endurance and for some of the violence that has on the whole been rare. Some Korbel students went downtown on Saturday to join the movement and get a taste for activism.

"I wanted to see what it was like for myself... I think students need to, especially us with all of our policy and human rights focuses. We could do a movement like this a lot of good," said Sajay Menon, an International Studies MA Candidate. As the movement grows, students from Korbel are lending their knowledge and leadership.

- Sarah Crozier, MA Candidate, International Development