Jessica Estrada
Contributor
Twenty-five years ago, an apartheid was taking place in South Africa. The white minority had all the power and restricted the rights of the black majority in South Africa.
Students Against Apartheid Organization, a program at CSUN, was taking part in putting an end to the apartheid. The SAAO adopted a resolution that called for the disinvestment of all economic ties between CSUN and companies operating in South Africa.
American companies had contracts with the South African government because labor was cheap. However, the SAAO said the South African government would only take action when they were financially hit.
The SAAO said they wanted companies to withdraw their investments in South Africa and stop supporting a racist government. So the SAAO began collecting signatures that called for campus disinvestment. The SAAO’s resolution was later reviewed by the Associated Students (A.S.) Senate Committee.
Some students said that campus disinvestment would not make a difference, but others said that it would encourage other universities to disinvest as well.
The SAAO also urged students to put pressure on their senators and legislators to force corporations doing business in South Africa to disinvest.
Also during this week, scientific fiction and fantasy author Ray Bradbury visited CSUN. Bradbury’s most famous books include “Fahrenheit 451,” “Illustrated Man,” and “Something Wicked This Way Comes.”
The event was sponsored by the A.S. and the CSUN School of Education Adopt-a-School program which assists elementary and junior high schools.
Bradbury lectured CSUN students at the University Student Union (USU) along with 200 students from junior high and high schools that were part of the Adopt-a-School program. Bradbury told students to trust their hearts because it will come back and repay them someday.