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U of T students rally for free education Students rallied toward Provincial Parliament Building demanding elimination of tuition fees MENNA ELNAKA NEWS EDITOR ALICIA BOATTO ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR WITH NOTES FROM FARAH QAISER FEATURES EDITOR All three U of T campuses united for a rally in downtown Toronto last Wednesday on the National Day of Action, advocating for free university tuition. Chants at the rally varied between “Education is a right, we will not give up the fight,” “Tuition fees have got to go,” “Education is under attack, what do we do? Rise up like that,” and several others calling for eliminating tuition fees. “The last National Day of Action took place in 2012, meaning that the majority of students who were involved at the time have now graduated,” wrote Nour Alideeb, UTMSU’s president, in an email to The Medium. “We wanted to reaffirm the message that students still want a free and accessible post-secondary education.”
CHEN GONG/THE MEDIUM
Some chants were “Education is a right,” and “Tuition fees have got to go.” Students continued from Sydney Smith toward the Provincial Parliament Building located in Queen’s Park, where Ryerson and York University students also joined, as well as guest speakers who supported the students’ action. “Our students in Ontario pay
the highest tuition in the country. Shame,” said UTM biology professor Linda Kohn at the rally. “Last year, for the first time, tuition fees exceeded public operations for Ontario. […] Our universities are meant to be public and supported by public funding.” “The tuition fees of the university
of Toronto are unhinged, they’re out of control, they’re rapidly rising, and they are criminal,” said Ryan Culpepper, chair of CUPE3902 at the rally. Culpepper also questioned where the student fees are going. “They’re building five-milliondollar bamboo gardens in the school
of medicine. Is that where you want your tuition fees going to? […] We got more managers than workers at this university, and that’s a shame.” Yusra Khogali from the Black Liberation Collective stated, “U of T is not a place for Black students.” “Our education is not for sale. It is not profitable. It is not exploitable. Our education is our liberation. It is not a privilege; it is a right,” continued Khogali. The rally also featured Ahmad Gaieb, an executive vice president of the Ontario Federation of Labour, Rajean Hoilett, a chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students, organizers from the Black Liberation Collective, and other speakers who supported the cause. “I do believe that free tuition is an attainable goal,” stated Alideeb in an email to The Medium. “We see countries like Germany and France providing free post-secondary education, so why won’t Canada?”
Rally continued on page 2
Town hall with the Black Liberation Collective Following BLC’s call to boycott UTSU, the union agreed to hold a town hall with them DARA SALAMAH Following the Black Liberation Collective’s call to boycott UTSU for being “anti-black”, UTSU scheduled a “Town Hall to confront anti-Blackness within the UTSU” event with the BLC. According to UTSU’s president Jasmine Wong-Denike in an email to The Medium, the purpose of the meeting is to “address anti-blackness within the UTSU because of the concern that the UTSU is perpetuating anti-blackness in its operation, outreach, and services.” “We want to hear from our members ways in which we can be doing a better job to represent them, and to hold the UTSU accountable,” stated Wong-Denike. “Their response to one of our demands to hold this town hall meeting shows how anti-Black they are,” stated BLC to The Medium. “UTSU decided to post this event right before their annual
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BLC believes that UTSU’s response to one of their demands shows how “anti-Black” they are. AGM with zero consultation from Black students in order to deflect any criticisms that do come up in the meeting about their anti-black
racism.” “Black students are not a priority to this executive team in any sense since they have taken office,” the
BLC also said, adding that Black students are being “tokenized once again with no meaningful inclusion or consultation to redeem
their public image.” “While a town hall was decided on, certain logistical details were confirmed shortly before the AGM, hence why the event was posted beforehand,” said Wong-Denike. UTSU has spoken with Black student groups before creating the event, according to Wong-Denike. She added that the town hall will be “part of a series of events to critically analyze the UTSU to make it more accessible, including looking at our annual general meetings and the accessibility of our elections.” Wong-Denike also stated that there will not be an agenda in the event. “There is no predetermined content beyond confronting anti-Black racism within the UTSU,” she said, “Because it’s a space for students to air their concerns and to have an honest discussion on how to move forward.” Town hall continued on page 3