It's a new group at Boston University, yet its members can expect to never run for an elected position. With no hierarchy, they can also expect to never receive university funding.
Since their first meeting last week, which drew about 30 students, the BU Anarchists and Anti-Authoritarians said they want to share their views of equality and democracy with the community.
"People are so brainwashed with the idea that you need someone ruling over you to maintain order," said College of Communication freshman Patrick Campbell, one of the group's four founders.
The group is not registered with BU through the Student Activities Office because SAO policy states each club must have a designated president, vice president, secretary and treasurer -- and anarchists are non-hierarchical.
"Just because you don't have hierarchy doesn't mean there is no organization," Campbell said.
Campbell said an example of this is a citizen's arrest, in which a person who is not an official law-enforcement agent makes an arrest.
"When it comes to anarchy working as an organized system, it would be community-based," he said.
The founding members, who have been developing the group's concept for more than two months, want to build community among BU students, said co-founder Andrea Gersh, a University Professors Program senior.
"BU is a real apathetic place to go to school," she said. "People don't want to get involved, so we were really surprised [with the meeting's turnout]. Also, [we] are realizing that there are a lot of people who are interested in getting involved in activism and activity groups but just haven't found that avenue to get involved with."
Campbell said anarchist groups work as a community and make decisions based on the consensus of the people. He compared them to the city-states of ancient Greece, which were community-based and socially organized.
Campbell, who is involved with anarchy groups around Boston, including the Allston/Brighton Collective for Popular Assemblies, said he formed the BU group because "there needed to be more solidarity on campus with people's struggles."
Group member Catherine Schwab, a College of Fine Arts sophomore, said she joined the Anarchists and Anti-Authoritarians because she hopes to connect with other students at BU who share her beliefs.
"[I want] a network in which to engage in direct action against the exploitive, power-hungry, war-mongering capitalist system," she said in an email.
The group is interested in building community at BU and also being involved with activism, Gersh said. Because it is not BU-sponsored, the group can take part in more activities and events because they do not need to be pre-approved by BU.
"Anarchism reflects my belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person," Schwab said. "Justice, equity and compassion in human relations . . . the interconnected web of all living things."
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