The contributions of students throughout MSU's 150-year history have been ignored, some students say.

So to draw attention to student accomplishments, a number of student organizations started a campaign called "150 Years of Struggle," which kicked off Friday during the university's Founders' Day celebration.

"This is about how students have contributed for the last 150 years," said Erik Green, director of racial, ethnic and progressive affairs for the Residence Halls Association.

"The campaign focuses on the accomplishments of student groups through hard work, dedication and struggle," he said.

A year-long series of events will be organized by students from the Coalition of Racial Ethnic Students, or CORES, the Council of Progressive Students, or COPS. Members of Students for Economic Justice and Movimiento Estudiantil Xicano de Aztlan also will be involved in the activities.

"We're here to recognize it hasn't been an easy 150 years," said R.J. Quiambao, director of racial ethnic student affairs for ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government.

Quiambo said students have had to fight for many of the things the university now offers. He said women were allowed to enroll at MSU because students pushed for it and the addition of the CORES and COPS groups to student government was another student accomplishment.

On Friday, about 10 students gathered inside Wharton Center's lobby to observe the event, until they were directed to leave after attempting to tape a banner reading "150 Years of Struggle" to an interior wall.

"No one can protest within 15 feet of a university-owned entrance," said Wharton Center House Manager Nina Silbergleit, who asked the students to leave. "It's a university rule, not a Wharton Center rule."

MSU police Sgt. Jen Brown said the center has a right to ask anyone to leave if they are disrupting an event.

But Students for Economic Justice member Maggie Corser said the event was only to create awareness of how students have supported positive change.

"We weren't protesting anything, we're here in support," said Corser, an international relations sophomore. "I guess students are not welcome at university events."

Corser said the group supported Simon as MSU's first female president.

She said despite their reception at the center, the group is looking forward to working with Simon to achieve their "shared goal of a socially responsible university."

After leaving the lobby, the group set up banners and posters near Wharton Center's main entrance. There they answered questions from people attending the celebration, who wondered what they were doing out in such cold weather.

"It's called a chill-in," RHA's Green said. "We're just hanging out."

Green said it was an easy way to get a presence on campus and set up dialogue about student struggle and accomplishment.

One of the interested attendees was state Rep. Aldo Vagnozzi, D-Farmington Hills.

"I applaud the students for carrying on the tradition of keeping us aware of issues we should all be concerned about," Vagnozzi said.