Will students take action?

I really enjoyed writing this column on student activism towards the tuition increase at the U of O. Its interesting how you can learn so much from absolute strangers. Just goes to show that those behind the scenes are sometimes, if not most of the times, a lot more wise than we give them credit. Enjoy

http://www.thefulcrum.ca/blogs/blog/38619

Will students take action?
by Katherine DeClerq

Published: Nov 24

AT THE NOV. 22 Board of Governors (BOG) meeting it was decided that tuition would increase by an average of 4.3 per cent for the year 2011–12. Was this a surprise to students? Absolutely not.

Students from all faculties and programs gathered in the audience to watch as their representatives pleaded with the BOG to stand up to the government and not follow the precedent of increasing fees. Most of them held a sign that read “Tuition fees are too damn high”. With cries of “shame”, these students watched as the necessity of institutional finances outweighed the needs of the students.

After the meeting, I had a nice chat with a man who was operating the camera for the BOG. He looked at me with a smile, shook his head, and said in an accent, “If this had been done in my country, we all would have been in the streets and in front of Parliament. We would not have took it, especially with an election coming.” And with this, the wise gentleman proceeded to pack his equipment and leave.

As I walked home, I realized he was right. Yes, we have protested in the streets, courtesy of the Nov. 5 CFS “Drop Fees” rally—but that was an organized activity in which less and less students took part. Now, we are participating in a campaign that gets students to sign petitions in hopes that a list of names and email addresses will be enough to change the government’s mind. At the BOG meeting, those signs that students held were only used twice, and it was in silence.

And so, I ask you: whose fault is it that our tuition is increasing? Is it the administration, who is trying to balance a budget? Is it the government, who is not paying attention to the student generation? Or is it the students, who are too lazy to get the government to listen?

The man with the camera is right. We have an election coming. Are you really ready to take a stand, or is complaining enough for you?