Group morale also affected the movement and the action. The responses I
received when I asked TSAD members about morale- their morale inside of Bendetson
and their perspective of group morale- were overwhelmingly positive. Some people
suggested that it was our group solidarity that made our group morale so positive, and
without this unity and community, they could not have dealt as well with the stressful
emotions and personal demands that were part of our action. 
 Despite the general message of high group morale, many TSAD members
described morale as something that “fluctuated.” The references to low points in group
morale most often corresponded to specific times and where we were in the negotiating
process. Someone thought morale was low Tuesday night because our strategy was
unclear and then a faculty member from the outside suggested a compromise. This was
disheartening to some TSAD members considering all that we were sacrificing and how
reasonable we perceived our demands to be. Other people pointed out low points in our
constant meetings when people were just so exhausted and emotionally drained. We
knew that our consensus decision-making was essential for the very purpose of keeping
everyone involved and keeping morale high, but it was an exhausting and sometimes
frustrating process. There were times in our meetings where the individuals in the group
were “not on the same page,” and our disagreements both challenged morale and
strengthened our solidarity. By making all sides thoroughly defend why they felt the way
they did, the consensus process made everyone more aware of where other people were
coming from and made compromise easier. 
 Even examples of low points in group morale often accompanied references to
the positive impact of our group solidarity. When different individuals were having
second thoughts or getting frustrated or scared or overwhelmed, looking around at the
group and knowing that we were all in it together was a source of strength. TSAD
members felt really positive about how caring and respectful our group was to one
another, and that not only was this a nice thing, but it also increased the effectiveness of
our action. One individual recalled being stressed about the action in the context of other
concerns and stresses about stuff in her life outside of Bendetson. She said that it was
powerful to see how many people really cared about how she was feeling and that we
weren’t just physically in this together, but also personally and emotionally. In her
opinion, the movement identity and morale was “intense solidarity, but also very
personal.”
 Morale was influenced by our situation and activity. One TSAD member spoke of
our power to make noise as a tool for morale. When we made loud noise we were doing
something arguably both peaceful and aggressive, and it was something we did as an act
of solidarity, to disrupt the business-as-usual of the building, to bring attention to the
building, and to have fun! Someone also specifically credited the media for keeping our
morale up. Knowing that we had interest and support from the outside was empowering
and also gave us the responsibility of staying strong and staying focused. This was also
the effect of having such active outside support for the sit-in. Looking outside and seeing
friends, allies, faculty, and staff was empowering and let each of us know that group
solidarity extended beyond the walls of Bendetson. Doing this direct action, we knew
that we would have both support and criticism from the campus. It was important,
though, that when we were inside we had visible and vocal reinforcement from the
outside-- the impact of our outside membership was critical both to our group morale and
to the success of the action.
 Our group morale was a reflection of the difficulty and strength of our movement
and our membership. It was not always easy, in the efforts leading up to the direct action
or inside of Bendetson. But as a movement of grassroots student action, we got our
strength and our inspiration from each other. Individual morale created group morale,
and this impacted our tactics and also our dedication to being a consensus movement
where every voice was heard, respected, and had an impact.