Alison Hearn on 28 Feb 2001 14:31:16 -0000 |
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[Nettime-bold] In defense of Cultural Studies - literally: Student Occupation atTrent University |
Here at Trent we are fighting for our space and our future as a site of free inquiry. University administrators - fueled by provincial interests in increased privatization of the college and university system - have literally 'ordered' the closure and dissolution of two colleges of the university. It is by no means an accident that the first college slated to 'go' is Peter Robinson College - home to the Cultural Studies Program, it's graduate program "Methodologies for the Study of Politics and Culture" and the graduate program in Canadian Studies - All centres for politicized learning. These two town colleges are also home to faculty who have been central labour organizers and have led Trent faculty out on strike twice in the past 10 years. This is clearly a politically motivated and punitive move. Mackenzie - Does this action count as "actual people's wants and desires"? Best - Alison Hearn. ________________________________ Trent Students Need Your Support Monday morning, eight Trent University students took over the office of Vice President Academic, Graham Taylor. The students are protesting recent moves by the University administration to close two of Trent's downtown colleges and to centralize all services onto the suburban campus. This plan will lead to the privatization of services at the University, decreased student spaces, the relocation of departments to unsuitable locations, and the disintegration of Trent's unique college system. This occupation comes after a year and a half of protests and attempts at dialogue with the administration, by students and faculty. In 1999, Trent President Bonnie Patterson, announced the "Capital Development Strategy" as a way to obtain provincial funds for the University. Since then, decision-making with regards to the Strategy, has not respected due process. Furthermore, the Capital Development Strategy has been challenged for its lack of financial, academic and administrative feasibility. Because protests and attempts at dialogue have had little effect thus far, the students occupying the Vice President's office hope their action will force the administration to change the current course of its plans. STUDENT DEMANDS: * Because students, faculty, staff and community members of Trent University have been excluded from meaningful decision-making processes concerning this institution; * Because the current administrationšs plans endanger the academic and cultural integrity of the college system at Trent, as well as the financial viability of the university as a whole; * Because the autonomy of Trent University - particularly regarding courses offered, curriculum content, research opportunities and use of public space - is threatened by increasing private control of University space and resources; WE DEMAND that the Administration of Trent University: 1. Strike a committee to reassess the findings of the Final Report of The External Review of The Administration of Trent University (The Arthurs/Lorimer Report), with the mandate of taking concrete steps towards the improvement of decision-making processes at Trent, and focusing on issues of openness, transparency, and accountability to the Trent Community. This committee should be constituted as specified below.* 2. Maintain and enhance Peter Robinson College and Catherine Parr Traill College at their present downtown locations and revise the Capital Development Strategy to reflect this goal. 3. Guarantee that there will be no renewal or negotiation of new contracts with companies seeking to purchase advertising space at Trent University (including Zoom Media) until there has been a TCSA-facilitated student referendum on the issue; and that only with a majority of student approval will such contracts be signed by the administration. 4. Develop an official policy which declares all partnerships with private companies seeking use of university space and/or resources to be an academic issue subject to approval from Senate. This policy must also include criteria for assessing whether the company adheres to ethical and environmental standards domestically and abroad. 5. Recognise the administrationšs culpability in the process leading up to these demands and grant legal and academic amnesty to all students involved in the current protest actions. *This committee will consist of nine people. It will be composed of four members from Senate and four from the Board of Governors with equal representation from administrators, professors, staff and students. Senate and the Board will be responsible for appointing their four delegates respectively. The ninth member of the committee, the chairperson, will be a member of the Peterborough community external to the goings-on of Trent. The chairperson will have to be agreed on by both Senate and the Board. It is suggested that the chairperson be familiar with Trentšs history, consensus decision-making and conflict resolution. This committee must hold an open forum to gather insights on mending the governance process at Trent. The committeešs process will be made accountable by: * Creating a space on the Trent web-site to post ALL comments presented at the open forum, as well as ALL e-mails and correspondence which provide relevant input to the process as defined above. * Advertising the forum and web-site in community publications, through widely circulated public memos and by publicly displayed posters. After the committee has reviewed and compiled all relevant information, it will present its findings to the Board and Senate and the appropriate steps will be made to implement its recommendations. Please email all letters to the following addresses: trent_revolution@hotmail.com anupgi@yahoo.com bmpatterson@trentu.ca (Trent's president) If you have any questions or need further information on letters, please contact anupgi@yahoo.com. If you would like updates on the situation, please look at http://www.geekunity.com/trentaction Thank you very much!!! _______________________________________________ Nettime-bold mailing list Nettime-bold@nettime.org http://www.nettime.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nettime-bold