Author
marco
same old same old if you count all the berkley and amherst takeovers for the past 30 years,
but might be good current events for the newswire.
OCCUPATION AT TRENT UNIVERSITY (english)
by Matthew Beatty 6:05pm Mon Feb 26 '01
Students have taken over the Vice President's office at Trent
University in Peterborough, Ontario.
Just as the Trent University community was about to begin its first Monday back from a
week break, a group of students in a well designed and carried out action took over the
Vice Presidential office suite of Trent University. Eight students have locked
themselves into the office and are refusing to leave until their demands have been met.
In an early morning meeting with the students, President Bonnie Patterson stated that
the demands were not negotiable and that she was not willing to address them. She
immediately followed this meeting by stating to local media that the students were "not
ready to sit down" and discuss the issues. Patterson has become well known for this
sort of double-speak.
Tension has been mounting between the administration and much of the student body
and faculty of Trent over proposed college closings, an increased corporate presence
on campus, and the complete lack of transparency and democracy in the decision
making processes at the university. While police did show up, no attempt to remove
the protestors was made.
As neo-liberal agendas and decision making processes make there way into the
progressive environments of universities, students are being forced to take direct
action to get their voices heard. For its students, Trent University has become a
microcosm for the greater battle against corporate domination and the erosion of
democracy that is taking place throughout the world.
For more information please go to http://www.geekunity.com/trentaction/index.html