Hundreds of students and faculty stormed the administrative offices at UMass Amherst today. They were protesting the honorary degree that will be given to former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card. "We have shut down Whitmore, we've shut it down."

With the UMass Chancellor's office now vacant, the students and faculty protesting Andrew Card's honorary degree decided to take their message to the Dean of the Graduate School. Card, a native of Massachusetts, served as White House Chief of Staff under President George W. Bush, and previously served as a Massachusetts State Rep. Protesters say his involvement in the invasion in Iraq makes him an inappropriate degree candidate.

"We will not have this man at our commencement," yells a protester.

"Every major representative group at the university has declined this petition," says Graduate Student Manuel Matos.

"I find it really insulting that they're giving somebody who has very little ethics, if any ethics at all, this honorary degree," says Grad Student Dickie Wallace.

Once at the door of Graduate Dean John Mullin they found another vacant office. Police were called to disperse the crowd, which they did without incident, before marching back to the Chancellor's door. The Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs followed the crowd and made a statement on behalf of the University Administration.

"The decision made by the President and the Board of Trustees remains the same," says Vice Chancellor Michael Gargano.

A decision protesters say leaves them no choice but to demonstrate at the ceremony, despite the consequence for graduates.

"It does a disservice to the people that are graduating to have not just a controversial issue, but a steadfast refusal to listen," says Matos.

Wallace agrees, "I want a nice ceremony, I don't want a big protest and I don't want all of this nonsense screwing up my graduation."

Card is scheduled to receive the honorary degree at the graduate student commencement on May 25. A university spokesman says an emergency board meeting could be called between now and then to rescind the invitation, but the university has no plans to do so.