UMass Dissenters is a student-led anti-militarism movement at the University of Massachusetts. They appeared on campus at the start of the fall 2022 semester and have been holding weekly meetings in Machmer Hall since the end of September. Their goal is to pressure UMass to “divest in war, reinvest in life and repair relationships with communities most affected by war.”
The group functions as a chapter for the national Dissenters organization. According to their website, “Dissenters is leading a new generation of young people to reclaim our resources from the war industry, reinvest in life-giving services, and repair collaborative relationships with the earth and people around the world.”
On their social media pages, UMass Dissenters state that UMass “fuels war” and “invests in death.” A common criticism made by the group is the University’s partnership with Raytheon Technologies, an American company that produces aerospace and defense technology. In April 2022, the company was awarded a $500 million contract to develop new combat ships for the U.S. Navy and modernize pre-existing naval systems.
Raytheon Technologies is partnered with several groups at UMass, including the Center for Data Science and the Isenberg School of Management. Raytheon employees can receive a 10 percent tuition discount for certain masters’ and graduate programs in the Isenberg School of Management.
“Isenberg’s partnership is an educational one,” said Anne Massey, dean of the Isenberg School of Management. “We have similar partnerships with many other companies from a variety of industries – healthcare, banking, etc.”
Raytheon also has strong and long-standing ties with the College of Engineering. In 2010, Raytheon employees met with UMass engineering students from underrepresented communities to connect these students to the engineering industry.
Dean Sanjay Raman of the College of Engineering was not available for comment on this partnership. Campus spokesperson Ed Blaguszewski said, “The college’s relationship with industry partners prepares students for professional success. Many companies that conduct defense-related research are also involved in other industrial sectors, developing dual-use applications that can have broad societal benefits.”
UMass Dissenters is not the first group to protest UMass’ connections with defense companies, or even Raytheon, specifically. The attribute that sets them apart from other campus groups is that UMass Dissenters is not a Registered Student Organization (RSO).
“We do want to focus on the fact that it is not a hierarchy. We did have facilitators at our first meeting, but going forward, we want to create a space that is about community,” said Arsema Kifle, founding member and sophomore political science major. “Everyone has a role to play.”
Group meetings provide both an educational and collaborative space for members. During their first meeting on Sept. 22, organizers gave a short presentation about UMass’ connections to the defense industry before instructing attendees to break off into groups to discuss actions items to support the groups goals.
In addition to spreading awareness on UMass’ involvement in war and pressuring administration to break off ties with companies such as Raytheon, UMass Dissenters aims to prioritize empathy, joy, hope and gratitude in their activism.
Throughout the meeting, facilitators and founding members of the group focused on the emotional aspect involved in discussion of war, and the importance of understanding how these conversations will impact everyone differently.
The initial meeting ended with a call and response between members, as they read a quote from activist Assata Shakur. “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
Izzi D’Amico can be reached at [email protected]. Ella Desmond can be reached at [email protected].
