While hundreds of students sat down for their daily feed a truly worthy distraction in the form of The March for Tibet's Independence helped them procrastinate further as to when they would start studying for their finals, In the middle of their 4th day of walking up from Indianapolis en route to China's Consulate in Chicago, The Tibetans Marching for Independence pleaded to the Purdue Student Body for support. When they arrive in Chicago on the eleventh day of a 220+ mile journey, they will be met by hundreds of other supporters, part of a world wide campaign to finally force China's hand in returning Tibet to its rightful owners- the Tibetans.

Ngawang Norbu, Passang Passang, Ngawang Lobsang, Tenzin Jamyang, and their leader Jigme Norbu held court in the Union Market and lobbied for the immediate release of the Panchen Lama- the world's youngest Political Prisoner- who was kidnapped within days of being identified by His Holiness the Dalai Lama back in 1995, and Tenzin Delek Rinpoche- a Tibetan Monk and community leader- who is scheduled to be executed for false charges of terrorist acts. Ngawang Norbu stated that he is "...dumbfounded when I think of how China thinks the world will believe that a peaceful Tibetan Monk would be the 'mastermind' of a terrorist bombing campaign." Lobsang Dhondup- one of Tenzin Delek¹s followers- has already been illegally tried, convicted, and executed of the charges set before Tenzin Delek, and although his death sentence had received a suspension this past year, he is feared to be executed sometime within the next thirty days. Supporters wearing T-Shirts adorned with Tenzin Delek's face and the words 'Sentenced to Die! You can save my life. www.savetenzin.org' gathered in a comfortable corner of the Union along with Olga Kildisheva- current President of the Purdue Students for a Free Tibet Chapter- and other organizers such as Dave Raymer- an artist and co-owner of the Renaissance Academy in Lafayette- who walked with the Tibetans into West Lafayette.

Carrying on his father's legacy, Jigme Norbu, is leading his fourth action for Tibetan Independence in an effort to expand the American public's knowledge of the Tibetan situation and request for its support. With nearly fifty thousand students, Purdue seemed like the best possible place to carry out this mission but the group did expect there to be some opposition. A large population of the student body at Purdue is of Chinese descent, and many are on programs studying abroad. It has long been rumored that these students have been indoctrinated with a completely different story about Tibet, and not only do they agree with what they have been taught but they also have gone to the trouble of promoting the Chinese view in their new temporary home. Much like the way we as Americans were spoon fed a story about the way the west was won, the China¹s government, which strictly controls the educational system, has been brainwashing its own people into thinking that Tibet has and always will be part of the 'Motherland.' The Walkers were ready for a debate they knew they could win simply because truth was on their side. Assuming there would be a large group of protestors at the event, the group decided to hold it inside the Union Market so that there would be witnesses to the hypocrisy as it spilled forth. However, nothing negative occurred past many students turning a blind eye and deaf ear to the presentation, which lasted a little over an hour.

The basic points of the Tibetan story were touched upon but once each Walker assailed the podium their personalized tales of frustrations, heart ache, and loss turned the anticipated rowdy showdown into a somber hour of reverence. Those who listened and asked questions were rewarded with pertinent information about how they can help the Tibetans in their struggle for independence, and those who chose not to pay attention to what was right in front of them may one day remember the afternoon that this group of seriously dedicated Tibetans came marching through their world with a message that they should have been prepared to receive.

Olga Kildisheva- President of the SFT on campus voiced her frustrations at the low level of interest in getting involved in the actions that her organization works hard at bringing to fruition, but she felt ever so motivated by the lack of assistance and feels that the extra work she sometimes has to do is worth every drop of sweat, and inconvenience. "People are dying and it's unacceptable. Back in my home country of the Ukraine my fellow students are rising up to make their voices heard about the future of their nation. I am grateful for being here in America studying and advancing myself as an individual, but I wish I was back there to be a part of this monumental time in my nation¹s history. It's when I think of the strides my nation has made that my focus swings toward Tibet and wish to work towards making this same situation a reality for the Tibetan people inside Tibet and the others that are scattered around the world right now." She joined the Walkers the next day for several hours and got a chance to voice her opinion about something she feels serious about as well as grasp a bit more understanding of what its like to fight for someone else's cause. She hopes that this event coming through her campus will have a positive effect on the community and generate more interest in the Tibetan plight in the near future as she feels that without the support of the international community this and many other situations around the globe will not be peacefully resolved.

This is certainly not the last time that ITIM will be bringing the Tibetan message to the door steps of those at Purdue, and with faithful supporters like Olga and her small yet determined chapter of SFT willing to give their all for the cause we will succeed.