Occupy AU proposed a plan to occupy an academic building on campus at its second general assembly meeting Nov. 17.
The organization may physically occupy a building on campus, pitch tents in professors’ offices and establish solidarity marches with students at other D.C. universities.
As of press time, Occupy AU has not yet confirmed its plans to occupy a building and have not decided which building to occupy.
“It’s something that is on the table, but isn’t the focus, at least not yet,” said Chris Golembeski, a member of Occupy AU and freshman in the School of Communication.
The organization is currently looking to find a central focus and to boost its membership.
During the Nov. 17 meeting, the Occupy AU facilitators asked each member to speak to friends about the cause and to find one central issue to focus on and promote as their purpose in this movement.
Assembly Facilitator Cody Steele, a senior in the School of International Service, said his personal focus is the student debt crisis.
Members of Occupy AU also proposed that the movement look into how the University uses tuition money.
To help Occupy AU grow and become part of the AU community, the organization established five committees: outreach, liaison, research, action and media.
Assembly facilitator Cody Steele, a senior in SIS, said the organization does not have a leadership body. All actions of the movement are a group effort.
“General Assemblies are a public, open forum and are meant to speak on behalf of group consensus,” Steele said.
Occupy George Washington University student liaison Eric Gallager also attended the meeting.
Occupy AU also has a committee of three liaisons in place to attend Occupy GW meetings, according to Golembeski. The Occupy AU liaisons, as of press time, are Golembeski; Kirsten Franzen, a freshman in the School of International Service; and Erin Emory, a sophomore in SIS.
Occupy AU is planning an on-campus book drive to build up the Occupy D.C.
