The University of Massachusetts Amherst Students for Justice in Palestine gathered outside the campus center on Feb. 26 in collaboration with UMass Amherst Dissenters and the UMass Amherst Sunrise Movement to protest the return of the Engineering Career Fair.
While Raytheon has been the main target of protests in the past, these student organizations were looking to expose other war profiteers that may be unfamiliar to students.
“General Dynamics, Raytheon, Leonardo DRS, Draper and Charles River Analytics are manufacturers of weapons and surveillance technology,” Eric Strong, a SJP member, said.
“We want to shame these companies for showing up — not make it hostile for them to be here,” Strong continued. “We don’t want our students funneled into the war profiteering pipeline and hope to prevent this by informing them as to which companies are doing this type of work and which companies are building towards a more sustainable future.”
As some protestors alternated between picketing outside the campus center and in front of the escalators leading down to the engineering career fair, others went into the fair to canvas. Members handed out flyers titled “How Do I Find A Job Outside The Defense Industry” with information about job boards, alternative occupations and even resources to verify if companies have ties to military funding.
“We want them to understand the predatory tactics that these companies use to lure them in, like simulators, free merch and promises of financial security,” canvasser Gillian Krugman said. “I’m hoping these flyers give them an opportunity to see that the defense industry isn’t the only sector for STEM students. There are so many opportunities in green technology, in corporations, and non-governmental organizations that will benefit the community as opposed to destroying countries abroad for general political gain.”
Samuel Whalen, another member of SJP, talked to prospective interns as they handed out flyers in front of RTX Collins Aerospace, a parent company of Ray Film. “Ray Film is an arms manufacturer whose biggest revenue stream is from selling and distributing weapons, bombs, fighter jets and drones to domestic and foreign militaries,” Whalen explained. “These students often don’t know this information, so we want them to know there are other pathways.”
Though most of the companies present at the fair and those running the event refused to comment on these claims, Charles Hill, a UMass alumnus currently employed by nonprofit
engineering company Draper, commented briefly. “I graduated from UMass in 2018 with a mechanical engineering degree. We’re looking for every sort of engineering degree from biotech to mechanical and electrical assemblies. We do some work for the Navy, Air Force and missile defense companies.”
However, when asked about the protestors and his knowledge about Draper’s involvement in the Gaza War, Hill didn’t seem to have any knowledge of how the two were connected. “I try to stay apolitical,” he said.
Reactions to the flyers were often mixed, as Whalen and Krugman received comments from students ranging from enthusiastic to apathetic. “I would say I get one of two responses,” Krugman said. “One response is a hesitant, ‘Okay, I’ll look into it.’ The other response, a strong, reactionary response, is, ‘Of course I know what this company is doing.’ Obviously, that’s disheartening to hear. All I’m asking is for curiosity around the work that they’re committing themselves to.”
Whalen said that students were unsure if they could have a profitable career and work for a company outside of the defense industry.
“For some people it’s difficult to get around the sentiment of, ‘I just want to make money,’ ‘I want to have a way to provide for my family’ or ‘I’m concerned about getting a job,’” Whalen said. “Just because UMass chooses to platform these companies doesn’t mean they can’t find sustainable organizations that want the same skills and give you an opportunity to make a living.”
Hailey Furilla can be reached at [email protected].
