"The tradition of the oppressed teaches us that the ‘state of emergency' in which we live is not the exception but the rule...There is no document of civilization which is not at the same time a document of barbarism. And just as such a document is not free of barbarism, barbarism taints also the manner in which it was transmitted from one owner to another. A historical materialist therefore dissociates himself from it as far as possible. He regards it as his task to brush history against the grain."
Walter Benjamin, "Theses on the Philosophy of History."

Eric Fawcett

ALARM!

Subject: Ontario universities now at risk

Please distribute this to your colleagues, and to protest the Carleton closure e-mail Arnd Bohm SOON.

item:- This past Wednesday Premier Harris addressed a summit on the future of the universities. On that occasion he said that he sees little value in academic degrees in the humanities, geography, and sociology, in which "The graduates have very little hope of contributing to society in any meaningful way." (Globe & Mail, Nov. 21, Toronto Star, Nov. 20)

item:- On Thursday, November 20, the Dean of Arts and Social Sciences at Carleton University convened a meeting of the School of Languages, Literatures and Comparative Literary Studies to announce that he would recommend to Senate the closure of all graduate and undergraduate programs in: German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Comparative Literature and Classics.

President Van Loon said in a press conference the same day, "The cuts must be made and job losses are inevitable. Some teachers who lose full-time jobs could return as sessional instructors, who will play a larger part in teaching at the university. This would be a big cost saving, since a sessional instructor is paid $7,000 to teach one course, while a tenured professor making $70,000 a year might teach two courses."