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At 3:00 am Thursday, the police stormed the Vice-President’s office at Trent University and handcuffed and arrested 8 female students. The students were occupying the V-P’s office to protest the closing of the university’s two downtown colleges (see the letter from Trent students below). The students have been granted bail, so they are out of jail, but evidently one of the conditions is that they cannot associate together on campus (except at the OPIRG office) or be on campus after 11:00 p.m.! Faculty associations must come out strongly against the actions of the Trent Administration and of the police. Both the issues these students are fighting for, and the way in which they have been (mis)treated demand an immediate response. During the recent CUPE 3903 labour dispute at York, the Administration launched an unprecedented attack on the union’s right to strike by attempting to take away their right to picket on university property. The York All-Union Coalition joined with student groups, and with labour organizations across this province, to denounce this action. The union continued to picket until the strike was settled. What is happening at Trent bears close attention for what it says about the trajectory of university governance in this province. The Board of Governor’s decision to override the senate (which voted against closing the colleges) and move ahead with President Patterson’s plans to close the downtown colleges is a gross violation of the norms and procedures of academic governance. Giving our full support to these students will not only make their voice stronger now, it will help build alliances that are essential if we are to effectively resist the Harris agenda for post-secondary education. It is important that faculty associations, student organizations, and social justice groups use the media to send a clear message about how appalled they are by this action. A very serious situation has developed at Trent. YUFA has sent a letter and will be making a donation help offset legal costs. Please consider doing the same. Lorna Erwin, Vice-Chair (external), York University Faculty Association URGENT - Letter from Students at Trent We write to notify you
that eight Trent students are presently in jail. Twenty-five police
officers raided Lady Eaton College last night at 3:00am, arresting the
eight students occupying the Vice President’s office as well as the
students supporting them outside. The eight occupying students have
been charged; the remaining seventeen were detained and later released.
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