Life in the Capitol, while spirited and invigorating, also can take its toll, especially as some of the protesters begin their second week of overnights. The lights never go out, making sleep a challenge for some. The restrooms accommodate only so many at a time. Privacy hardly exists, with strangers in pajamas sprawled along the walls and corridors, wrapped in blankets and sleeping bags. As most of the crowd slept, volunteers with the Teaching Assistants? Association, composed of UW-Madison graduate students, sat in a room together working away on laptops, sending calls via Facebook and Twitter to marshal volunteers and help distribute the massive quantities of donated food, water and coffee that have poured in daily.
Office of Strategic Communication