HMC student organization ‘Mudders Against Murder’ protests defense contractors at career fair

Harvey Mudd College student organization Mudders Against Murder held a demonstration at the Linde Activities Center (LAC) courtyard on Wednesday, Sept. 25, to protest HMC’s hosting of weapons manufacturing and defense companies at its career fair.

Responding to threats of disruption to the career fair on social media, HMC President Harriet B. Nembhard, along with several other HMC administrators, released a statement Sept. 26 regarding changes to security protocols upon first learning about the protest on Sept. 23. 

“The College made logistical arrangements to better secure the Linde Activities Center and requested additional fencing and safety officers to provide support on site as a precautionary measure,” the statement read.

On the day of the protest, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Cynthia A. Martinez denied TSL staff access to the career fair prior to the protest’s beginning despite staff having registered for the event, citing that she had promised employers there would be no photo or video inside the career fair.

An estimated 40 students participated in the protests for approximately an hour and a half, beginning at 11 a.m. All student protesters covered their faces and hair with masks, sunglasses and headwraps.

“There are 39 employers [at the career fair] and 11 of them are contracted with the U.S. Department of Defense,” an anonymous protest leader said. “There are 26 companies, 10 of which are defense contractors.”

Companies at the career fair that contributed to Mudders Against Murder’s grievances included Northrop Grumman, Honeybee Robotics and Mach Industries, among others.

“Our goal is fundamentally for the college to cut defense ties,” a Mudders Against Murder representative, who requested anonymity for individual privacy reasons, said in an interview with TSL.“The student body at large has really been very vocal about wanting more diverse work. People have consistently been speaking out about how we’re tired of the two options being big tech and defense.”

During the protest, students slowly moved from the courtyard inwards toward the entrance of the career fair. By 11:30 a.m., students were standing directly in front of the entrance tables.

“[Admin and security] are laughing and they’re looking at us but they don’t understand the consequences of their actions,” another unidentified protest leader said. “Harvey Mudd, you must cut ties, children die each time you lie.”

At 11:33 a.m., students forced themselves through Campus Security, past the entrance tables and through the LAC gates.

In the Sept. 26 statement, Nembhard claimed that the protesters’ occupation of the inner courtyard of LAC resulted in physical injury to four HMC staff members.

“At about 11:45 a.m., a group of protesters approached and pushed the registration table, pushing the table into the abdomens of the Division of Student Affairs staff members who were helping students check in to the event,” the statement said. “Another DSA staff member was briefly pinned by one of the tables due to the actions of the protesters and sustained bruises.”

However, according to footage obtained by TSL, the tables that were allegedly pushed did not make contact with the abdomens of any administration members.

When questioned about the proceeding of events recounted in the president’s update, Laura Muna-Landa, the Claremont Colleges Services assistant vice president, declined to comment. 

In response to the protesters, Campus Security used a speaker to sound an alarm and warning message.

“Your conduct is infringing upon the rights of others and is in violation of college policy,” they said. “You must stop the disruptive behavior immediately. You are trespassing and failure to leave now will subject you to arrest.”

In her statement, Nembhard revealed that the speaker being used during the protest was a Long-Range Acoustic Device (LRAD). LRAD speakers have an extremely high decibel capacity known to control crowds and cause hearing damage.

As the LRAD alarm sounded, students continued to approach the LAC building and began banging on the doors and windows. Some students exited the area inside the gates and went around to the western side of the building, banging on those windows as the message repeated.

Simultaneously inside the gates of the LAC, some students vandalized school property, according to photo evidence provided in the president’s statement. This included HMC-owned computers, the LAC building and the patio.

The representative of Mudders Against Murder who interviewed with TSL commented on the college’s emphasis on property destruction.

“It is important for people to realize that Harvey Mudd can and will militarize its campus in response to student protests,” they said. “The prioritization of property and profit over people has to stop.”

The representative from Mudders Against Murder said that the organization has not been contacted by administration, but that they are ultimately calling for HMC to set a new precedent.

“It’s about saying that a college can be a prestigious tech college and at the same time not just be selling our label to the highest bidder,” the representative said. “We can have morals and standards and push the workforce to have a different direction, to work for the betterment of humanity, to work to help people instead of harm them.”