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# Students inform about war through words, not protest
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/students-inform-about-war-through-words-not-protest/
- Published: 2007-11-30T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T01:18:37.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*SMC teach-in touches on touchy war in Iraq*

Issues pertaining to the United States’ involvement in a Middle East war took center stage here on Thursday, though not in the form of a typical student protest.

Aiming to inform the student body about some of the unknown and underreported aspects of the war in Iraq, the Associated Students and the Inter-Club Council (ICC) of Santa Monica College — a collective body of 50 student clubs — organized a day-long teach-in in the campus’ amphitheater.

“We want to express ourselves and show that knowledge is power,” said Joy Marinos-Herve, the chair of the ICC. “Knowledge is key.”

The entirely student-run event consisted of numerous panels that addressed different topics related to the war, each sponsored by a different club, from the Feminist Alliance’s discussion on women in the war to the Gender Sexuality Alliance’s session on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The event also touched on issues between Middle Eastern countries, including a panel discussion on the countries of Iran versus Iraq, hosted by the Iranian Student Club.

The majority of the panelists were students, including the veterans that participated in the veterans forum that kicked off the event.

3C6,“Information is power,” said Kaya Foster, one of the organizers and the president of the Gender Sexuality Alliance. “We hope to inspire other students to stand up and be a leader.”

Though the organizers took a neutral position on the war, many of the panelists touched on troubling issues concerning the war, from reports of sexual assault of U.S. servicewomen by their superiors to the effect the war has had on women living in Iraq.

“The fear of sexual assault becomes a way of life for women in the military,” Laura Frankel, the co-president of the Feminist Alliance, said during a panel discussion on women in the war.

Attendance was at times minimal, quite noticeable in the fairly large amphitheater, which is slated for demolition in favor of a new Student Services Complex. The fate of the amphitheater is one of the reasons why the ICC chose it as one of the two venues for the event. In the afternoon, the nine-hour-long teach-in moved to a classroom.

55C,“It’s a forum for debate and it’s an open space to voice opinion,” Foster said.

The interaction between the panelists and the audience remained mild throughout the event, though at times a sensitive topic did seem to strike some nerves.

For Natalie Nastkzykova, an international student from the Czech Republic, the event proved to be informative since she was unaware of some of the issues facing women in the war.

“It was shocking,” she said. “I didn’t know anything about the rapes.”

The organizers advertised the event by handing out fliers in classes and wearing T-shirts the day of the event with the spray-painted words: “Ask me about the war.”

Maleka Parveen, who is majoring in political science, picked up a flier in one of her classes and decided to stop by because it piqued her interest in current events.

“People should know what is going on in this country and what is really happening and the reason for the war costing so much money,” Parveen said.

About 20 clubs in ICC participated in the event. It was the second teach-in organized by the ICC and Associated Students, the first being the May Day immigration teach-in during the 2006-07 academic year.

Jump hedline: Teach-in touches on touchy war

Suggested pullquote: “We hope to inspire other students to stand up and be a leader.”

Kaya Foster

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/113007-04_01.jpg)

(Photo: Special to the Daily Press)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 30, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/113007.pdf?ref=smdp.com)