Students to walk out of class Thursday

While some students may be skipping class for spring break, others will be leaving class early today to rally for educational reform.

Students throughout campus will participate in a student walkout today at 1 p.m. organized as part of the National Day of Action for Education, which is sponsored by the Occupy movement.

During the rally, student protesters will address a list of demands, including the introduction of a more diverse college environment, a democratic decision-making process within universities and full forgiveness of student loan debt. They will also protest rising tuition costs.

While some anticipate a large turnout, the Division of Public Safety said they are not making special preparations.

According to DPS spokesperson Stef Karp, DPS is aware that students may walk out of their classes at 1 p.m. DPS will maintain the safety of protesters by monitoring the flow of traffic during the walkout.

“We are aware of [the walkout] but have not taken any special steps,” Vice President for University Communications Stephen MacCarthy wrote in an email.

Penn administrators do not think the protest will be violent. Office of the Executive Vice President spokesperson Tony Sorrentino believes the interruption of class time is more likely to cause a problem than actual issues of security.

Associate Vice President of the Office of University Communications Phyllis Holtzman said the student walkout is unlikely to have any effect on future tuition costs.

The march is also advocating for more rights for University employees. In the walkout’s statement of principles, they claim the employees deserve high standards of living, benefits and union representation.

College senior Allyson Gasdaska — who plans to participate in the walkout — said AlliedBarton security guards will publicly announce their plans to unionize today at the Button.

Gasdaska, who will be in a large economics lecture in Claudia Cohen Hall at 1 p.m., is hoping to gather other students to walk out with her. She is not sure how large of an effect the walkout will have on her class.

“I’m not sure if it’s going to make a big difference,” she said. While Gasdaska is not sure if her economics professor is aware of the walkout, she knows that her professor passed her on Locust Walk as she was handing out flyers for the protest.

According to Gasdaska, some professors are issuing statements of support for the event and will end their classes at an earlier time to allow students to participate in the rally.

Students will convene at the Button to rally and listen to various speakers, and at 1:30 p.m., will march to 30th street, where they will join with other protesters from Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College and Villanova University.

From there, they will all gather in front of Governor Tom Corbett’s office at 200 South Broad Street, where they will join with students from Temple University. After another rally and host of speakers, the group will move to its final location — the Philadelphia School District headquarters at the School Reform Commission — at North Broad Street around 3:30.

While the exact number of student protesters is unknown, Gasdaska — who plans to participate in the walkout — said she is hoping for a larger turnout after positive student responses toward the group on Locust Walk.

“I think there are a very specific set of voices that get heard,” one of the walkout’s main organizers College senior Kate McCabe said in an interview on Feb. 20. “The walkout will demonstrate another group of voices to be heard.

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