Students sponsor free store on commons to fight consumerism
Posted on February 11, 2008
Junior Brian Picknally pedaled slowly as he tentatively biked around the commons Friday morning, gleefully saying, “It’s a free bike!”
Picknally’s ride was accompanied by shouts of “free stuff girls! It’s all free, come shopping!” as a nonchalant group shielded their eyes from the sun and invited passersbys to comb through jumbled piles of books and accessories as well as racks of discarded clothing.
Picknally seemed enthused about his find.
“Being a college kid with not a lot of money and finding free stuff like this is great,” he said. “And it’s on the commons, the center of campus!”
The event, a free store sponsored by Students for a Democratic Society, is characterized by the club offering items to the public free as a way of fighting against consumerism.
“We’re trying to get people to realize that you don’t have to go shopping to get clothes,” SDS member Megan Green said. “College students are usually tight for money and it’s free nice clothes, it’s not just free junk.”
In order to hold the free store, the group solicited donations from friends and other students by posting fliers around campus.
The group seemed encouraged by the large turnout due to curious students stopping by the free store on their way to class.
“Lots of people have come out and seem to like the idea,” sophomore member Jamie Corayiannis said. “We really want to spread the idea of mutual aid and helping each other out.”
Students for a Democratic Society is a relatively new group at JMU, although much of the group is comprised of members from other related JMU organizations, such as JMU Progressives, EARTH and Blue Ridge Earth First!
The group formed late last semester when the JMU Progressives decided to become a recognized SDS chapter. Despite the name change, the group still functions under the guise of both organizations by streamlining their efforts to a similar message.
Corayiannis calls it “youth solidarity to fight oppression and move toward a more democratic society.”
The organization’s message goes back to the 1960s when members preached a message of democracy and direct action. Many chapters and new messages were revived on Martin Luther King Day in 2006, as part of growing protests against the war in Iraq.
Corayiannis boiled the many themes down to a simple message of tolerance.
“It’s anti oppression across the board, no discrimination against age, sex or sexual orientation,” she said.
So far, the society has focused on educating themselves by participating in a conference in Richmond during the first weekend in February as well as becoming a nationally recognized chapter of SDS.
Currently, the group is working on planning a series of events that will occur on campus and throughout Harrisonburg’s community. In addition to holding a free store on the commons each month, the group is showing documentaries in Taylor Down Under, holding regular meetings in Taylor 302 on Wednesdays and getting ready to travel as a chapter to Washington, D.C. in March.
The group is enthusiastic about continuing to spread their message, and even received kudos from an unusual source.
“Some parents walked by earlier, and they were like, ‘What is this?’” Green said. “We told them it was free stuff and they were like, ‘Oh free stuff and SDS! What a flashback to the 60s!’”
For more information about SDS contact jmusds@gmail.com.
