A workshop Thursday night brought students and St. Louis community members together to discuss nonviolent protests, their historical role on campus and broader applicability.

Though a guard stood outside the campus’ Bank of America branch on Friday, the five Washington University students protesting the “corporate greed” of big banks that day didn’t require police restraint. The students were calling on their peers to boycott large banks and move their accounts to small, local banks or credit unions.

Although the Washington University Investor Responsibility Advisory Committee (WUIRAC) was endowed with a formal charter in March, its two faculty positions and one of two administrator positions have yet to be filled. The group is able to cast proxy votes on resolutions for the University’s investments.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has come to St. Louis and members of the Washington University community are getting involved. The movement originated in New York City last month as a protest of corporate greed and the nation’s current economic policies. St. Louis residents have claimed Kiener Plaza, in downtown St.