A six-day sit-in at the University of Wisconsin at Madison against the Reserved Officers’ Training Corps policy that bans homosexuals ended when police dragged-out the protesters.

Beginning April 18, about 100 students sat outside Chancellor Donna Shalala’s office in an attempt to sway the university into putting a disclaimer on all UW brochures and materials naming or promoting ROTC, said Miles Orth, president-elect of the 45-member Wisconsin Student Association.

The disclaimer states, “PLEASE NOTE: The University of Wisconsin ROTC units, as a result of federal regulations, are required to maintain a policy of exclusion on the basis of sexual orientation. This policy contradicts university policies which prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, as passed by the UW-Madison Faculty Senate on May 7, 1979, and by the UW Board of Regents on April 10, 1987.”

Late Monday night, police forcibly removed 52 protesters. One student was hospitalized. No arrests were made.

About 30,000 students attend the Madison campus. More than 2,000 signed petitions urging the school to use the disclaimer.

“The chancellor wants us to work through Washington” to try to change military policy, said WSA Sen. Joel Zwiefelhofer. “Washington is not listening to us. They’re not going to change their policy so that’s why we want to disaffiliate.”

About 20 local businesses supported the sit-in by providing food and other goods, said Zwiefelhofer, adding Shalala even contributed about $20 to buy protesters pizza.

UW-Madison professors first spoke out about ROTC policy in November 1989, and recommended severing their ties with the program after four years, Zwiefelhofer said. WSA also recommended breaking ties with ROTC.

However, Shalala was opposed to cutting the ties and told The Badger Herald, UW-Madison’s student newspaper, students should work through the U.S. Defense Department to change military policy.

Several campus groups like the Ten Percent Society, Minority Coalition and Bascom Coalition, named after the administrative building, banded together for the protest, Zwiefelhofer said.