Bonjour à toutes et tous,
Je vous transmets un extrait de message envoyé par un militant à
l'université Cooper Union, à New York.
==
[...] I transferred to Cooper Union, a school that is currently going
through a HUGE financial crisis. In case the information has not reached
Canada, we've held an occupied space in our school since Monday around
noontime, and it continues, with non-violent actions and creative protest
outside.
What we need more than ever are bigger numbers, we only have 1000 students
at our school, and many are divided on the demands of the occupying
students which are that:
1. the administration must publicly affirm the university's commitment to a
free education
2. the board of trustees must change the structure of their operations,
make their meetings and decisions more transparent and have their process
under considerable student review
3. the president of the university resign due to mismanagement of the
crisis at our school (which he didn't start, but has not done enough to
prevent or try to end)
I'm reaching out to you from a point of solidarity though, it would be
amazing if we could get a statement of solidarity from Quebec students.
Although there are seasoned organizers and activists within our student
body, the majority of Cooper students are relatively new to organizing and
we are considering some pretty intense and radical actions within the next
few days before the end of the semester, and possibly (hopefully) leading
into next semester. It would be great to get some solid encouragement,
because you all WON! I think a lot of people may be disheartened because we
are up against a huge debt crisis within our university and there is just
so much at stake and sometimes it can be scary to imagine a total shift in
what we know.
As soon as it is possible to send a letter of this kind, would be amazing.
It can be sent to me, via Facebook or via email - saardaga(a)gmail.com, OR to
cooperunionSOS(a)gmail.com .
====
L'exécutif de l'AFESH a répondu avec ce message:
On behalf of the Faculty Association of Social Sciences of the University
of Quebec at Montreal (AFESH-UQAM), we state that;
It is in the spirit of the defence of the right to accessible education
that we offer our whole-hearted support to the student militants of Cooper
Union, currently engaged in a struggle against the administration of their
university.
We consider that, in virtue of article 13 of the United Nation’s
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights that access
to free, public and accessible education to all is a basic human right, and
that it is only through the implementation of this model of education that
the unhindered advancement and emancipation of society can truly be
achieved.
The struggle that took place from the winter to autumn of 2012 in Quebec
was pursued with the intention to block a massive increase in tuition fees
which would drastically reduce accessibility to higher education and
progressively instate a paradigm change which would see education,
considered as the primary tool to the preservation and development of the
humanities as well as our collective scientific, cultural and artistic
heritage, shift towards a mercantile mechanism in the service of
corporations rather than society. It is in the spirit of defending these
values abroad that the AFESH-UQAM stands in solidarity with the students of
Cooper Union and calls on all concerned to support our fellow militants in
their struggle in favour of accessible education.
Wishing a swift resolution to the current conflict, the AFESH-UQAM calls on
the administration of Cooper Union to publicly affirm their commitment to
free education, to change the structure of the board of trustees in order
to make the decision process more transparent and to include the student
body in the actual decision-making. Finally, the AFESH-UQAM calls on the
president of Cooper Union to resign in response to his inability to resolve
or prevent the current conflict.
The AFESH-UQAM also calls on the students of Cooper Union to pursue their
mobilisation in favour of accessible education. We take this opportunity to
state that the respect of diversity of tactics, including direct action, is
essential in the establishment of a power relationship against an
oppressive administrative body.
Truly yours in solidarity,
The Executive Council of the AFESH-UQAM.
===
Je crois qu'il serait un beau geste si d'autres associations pouvaient
envoyer du support aux militants de Cooper Union. Rappellons-nous qu'ils et
elles militent au même titre que nous en faveur de la gratuité scolaire!
Solidairement vôtre,
Benjamin Gingras
Secrétaire aux finances
AFESH-UQAM