Bonjour à toutes et tous,<br><br>Je vous transmets un extrait de message envoyé par un militant à l&#39;université Cooper Union, à New York. <br>==<br><span class="messageBody"><span class="userContent">[...] 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&#39;ve held an occupied space in our school since Monday around noontime,
 and it continues, with non-violent actions and creative protest 
outside.<br><div class="text_exposed_show"> <br> 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:<br> 1. the administration must publicly affirm the university&#39;s commitment to a free education<br>
 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<br> 3. the president of the 
university resign due to mismanagement of the crisis at our school 
(which he didn&#39;t start, but has not done enough to prevent or try to 
end)<br> <br> I&#39;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.<br> <br> As soon as it is possible to send a letter of this kind, would be amazing.<br> It can be sent to me, via Facebook or via email - <a href="mailto:saardaga@gmail.com">saardaga@gmail.com</a>, OR to <a href="mailto:cooperunionSOS@gmail.com">cooperunionSOS@gmail.com</a> .<br>
====<br><br>L&#39;exécutif de l&#39;AFESH a répondu avec ce message:<br><br><span id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2]"><span class="UFICommentBody" id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0"><span id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[3]">On behalf of the Faculty Association of Social Sciences of the University of Quebec at Montreal (AFESH-UQAM), we state that;</span><br id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[4]">
<br id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[5]"><span id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[6]">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. </span><br id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[7]"><br id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[8]">
<span id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[9]">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.</span><br id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[10]"><br id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[11]">
<span id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[12]">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.</span><br id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[13]"><br id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[14]">
<span id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[15]">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. </span><br id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[16]"><br id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[17]">
<span id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[18]">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.</span><br id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[19]"><br id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[20]">
<span id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[21]">Truly yours in solidarity,</span><br id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[22]">
<br id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[23]"><span id=".reactRoot[42].[1][2][1]{comment415888058484548_415901945149826}.0.[1].0.[1].0.[0].[0][2].0.[24]">The Executive Council of the AFESH-UQAM.<br>
===<br><br>Je crois qu&#39;il serait un beau geste si d&#39;autres associations pouvaient envoyer du support aux militants de Cooper Union. Rappellons-nous qu&#39;ils et elles militent au même titre que nous en faveur de la gratuité scolaire!<br>
<br>Solidairement vôtre,<br><br>Benjamin Gingras<br>Secrétaire aux finances<br>AFESH-UQAM<br></span></span></span></div></span></span><br>