Vol. XXXI, No: 1 November 6 – 12, 2008 - Vol. XXXI, No: 9
VS. Rage against the fees Student Day of Action makes its move THOMAS SACZKOWSKI National News Bureau Yesterday students from across Ontario rallied for the ‘Student Day of Action’ in mobilization attempts; some calling for lower tuition fees and others demanding free education. In the Toronto rally, student unions from colleges and universities across the GTA were organized and coordinated by the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). Beginning at 11:30 from Sidney Smith the students were organized and mobilized into two groups: marching through campus and in front of Convocation Hall. The main issue raised among the student groups was the increase of tuition fees. Shelley Melanson, the Chairperson for the Ontario Division of CFS, stated that “fees for students in Ontario have climbed by 250% since 1991.” These unprecedented increases have provoked solidarity in the student movement for people from diverse backgrounds to mobilize together and fight for access equality in post-secondary education The student groups converged in front of Convocation Hall to march through the city streets towards Queen’s Park. Melanson was confident that the size of the rally was “easily going to break 6,000” and also noted that the Toronto rally “is one of 13 demonstrations across Ontario... (and) right now there is a central convergence in Ottawa of 4,000 people.” The unified chanting of thousands radiated against the music blaring from the CFS truck, propelling the crowd to a climatic burst of excitement. The day saw differing views on the rally’s student turnout. Dave Scrivener, the VP External of UTSU, thought that the rally had “an amazing turnout” and commented “over 1,000 students from York, Ryerson and hundreds from UTM and UTSC” participated
For many this protest was a first. Michael Evans, a second year student at U of T, felt that the “turnout was disappointing, (because) lots of kids stayed in class. It’s not a big deal to them, but for us this is really important.” As the rally spilled onto Wellesley Street the police presence increased; roads were blocked, attracting the attention of the public. Two U of T groundskeepers noticing the crowd (and who chose to remain anonymous) stated that “it is unfair that international students pay so much when they come to U of T. There are a lot of students here, this should make a buzz. As students marched down College Street halting traffic, their chants echoed. “Education is a right! We will not give up the fight! The students united! Will never be defeated!” rang across the city. The protesters gathered in front of the Ontario Legislative Buildings at Queen’s Park and speakers from student groups and local politicians engaged the crowd from atop the CFS truck. They directed chants to politicians inside the legislative buildings, who were being protected by more than 50 police officers behind barricades. Students stood their ground - with free food in hand, provided by the Hot Yam! (U of T’s student-run vegan cafe) - until the rally was called to an end at 15:45. Back on campus, some students who did not participate in the rally gave their thoughts on the Student Day of Action. Nasir Haider asserted that “walking around in a circle will not cause any change.” One of Haider’s peers, Monica Pham, felt that “this is the curse of our generation; we are protesting for ourselves, other generations protested for bigger issues such as war and hunger. This isn’t a worthwhile cause.”
Student rallies in the recent past on the St. George campus have had a large police presence. The increased policing of campus and suppression of student dissenters have resulted in past arrests, such as the Fight Fees 14. The Fight Fees 14 is a group of students who were criminally charged for their actions during a rally at Simcoe Hall last year. For yesterday’s Student Day of Action, protest security measures were put in place at Simcoe Hall; the door was protected by a lone officer, where visitors were obligated to show identification before the officer would electronically unlock the door. Shelley Malenson replied to this issue stating that there was “an excessive amount of police presence at the rally. It seems that David Naylor has an interest in policing the campus.” However, despite the arguably excessive police presence, Malenson stated that she “did not feel threatened.” Dave Scrivener shared a similar attitude stating that “the police were remarkably accommodating.” The majority of University of Toronto Special Police officers declined to give a statement; however, Officer Melanie Measor of the Toronto Police Department was both kind and accommodating by providing her reflections on the rally and the police. Yesterday’s demonstration being her first student protest assignment, she was “surprised to hear that students feel uncomfortable about our presence. We are not here to stop the rally, safety is our primary concern.” To the best of her knowledge the police did “not have any preliminary strategies to deal with the protest, if problems arise they know how to deal with them.” UTSU and student activist groups will persist in their efforts to bring fair access to post-secondary education in Ontario. Future events and rallies can be expected on campus in the same vein as the November 5th Student Day of Action.
Photographic coverage! continued on page 4...