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Renison College students aren’t the only ones frustrated with the dragging on of the firing dispute as they have now found a suffering comrade in UW president Burt Matthews. ( Matthews told the Federation of Students’ council Monday that he’s as “frustrated as anyone else about the Renison situation”. However, he felt “progress is still being made and that. there’s still hope”. He also added that both the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) and Renison have accepted his proposals on the “they’ll have to meet face-to-face to resolve the dispute, and now, matter.” Matthews didn’t elaborate on the specifics of his proposals. But although Matthews sympathized with the students protesting the dismissals, he didn’t agree with the sit-in staged Monday by the Renison Academic Assembly (RAA) in the UW dean of Arts’ offices. “The sit-in won’t do-one bit of good as the student demands can’t be met by the university,” Matthews said. (The RAA, a body of students set up Oct. 3 1 to protest the dismissals of social science professor Jeffrey Forest and academic dean Hugh Miller, arranged the occupation in an attempt to hasten a decision on the dispute). Matthews further stated that he’d be willing to discuss academic sanctions against Renison with the students as the university has the power to deny degree granting status to the college. Matthews was asked to clarify his stance on the matter, moments before council backed, with no dissent, RAA’s demands and actions. A communique released Monday from the “occupied zone” and brought to council’s attention by RAA spokeswoman Janet Steele, states ‘that: “The purpose of the occupation of Dean Minas’ and the associate Dean’s offices is to create motion on campus and to carry forth our demands to all sympathetic individuals and groups.” The student demands, according to the communique, are: “That Renison agree to binding arbitration according to CAUT procedures immediately; and that there be no preconditions as to the outcome of the arbitration.” ‘According to Steele, one of the preconditions that Renison wants before going to binding arbitration is that Forest agree not to teach at the college, even if the verdict says he’s been wronged. Instead he’d receive a leave of absence with pay, she said. Steele also told councillors that after five months of campus politicking with the UW senate, the Arts faculty council, the students societies and the federation, RAA “hasn’t gotten far and the situation is getting critical.” In addition, Steele pointed out that graduating students may be penalized by other academic institutions (i.e. their degrees might be held in question) if the dispute isn’t resolved soon. (Steele alluded to a motion passed Jan. 2.1 by the Carleton University’s school of social work which noted that: “until such time as academic freedom is restored, the qualifications issued by Renison must be held in question,” When contacted by the chevron social work chairman Martin Loney said the motion only applied to incoming I students for autumn 1975). When queried by math rep John Long as to the number of students involved in the sit-in, Steele stated that it didn’t really matter how many were involved in the occupation as what is needed is greater outside support from the campus community. The sit-in ended Tuesday after9 noon when RAA held a rally to promote its cause. Meanwhile, other councillors expressed concern over the militant action of RAA and the possible repercussions if the federation were to support it. - Departing federation president Andy Telegdi warned council that the action taken by RAA had been endorsed only by the steering’ committee and not by the body as a whole. Therefore he felt councillors should be- “wary of the occupation tactic” and pass a motion supporting RAA’s demands but not its actions. Telegdi was propped up by creative arts chairman Dave Kallay who averred the federation would risk losing its credibility if it supported the sit-in. However, both Telegdi and Kallay were slammed by publications. co-chairman Terry Harding who asked: “How can we express concern over inanimate offices when professors have been exorcized?“. “It seems people are more concemed‘with pieces of furniture than with the academic careers of the students and the fired professors,” the hirsute co-chairman stated.
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In Gher business, council endorsed federation president John Shortall’s 1975-76 executive pick: vice-president, Alan Kessel; treasurer, John- Long; entertainment chairwoman, Niki Klein; education perennial, Shane Roberts; dreative arts chairman-, Dave Kallay ; ,cooperative services chairman, Larry Pearson; and publications cochairmen Randy Hannigan and Terry Harding. There was considerable discussion in council on whether to appoint Niki Klein as entertainment chairwoman or stick to current GOordinator Art Ram. Most councillors felt “new blood” was needed in the board to spark innovative social events, and Klein seemed to fit the bill as she worked one year as social co-ordinator for Ryerson’s student , union.
Photo by randy. hannigan
Federation president john Shortall warned sttidents’ council Monday grave dangers posed by the current reviews of /ntegrited.Studies and Relations by l3W secate committees. “The federation must ensure reviews aien’t made solely on an economic basis,” he said. Informed disclosed Wednesday that Human Relations might be absorbed Psychology department. -z
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Students plan pokal war Some 200 students from across Ontario met at Brock University last weekend to develop plans for a political war against the Bill Davis government in the face of its cutback on university and college financing. Meeeting for two days of workshop and general debate, representatives of almost every political persuasion, running the gamut from Progressive-Conservativethrough to the Revolutionary Marxist Group, hammered out strategic and tactical proposals.
Out of the workshops came a host of suggestions for ways students individually and collectively could contribute to the effort to protect universities and colleges. These include study sessions, letters to city newspapers, visits to high schools to enlist support, positions, and letters to local MPPs. In addition, there was the perennial discussion of the need to find ways of working with the general public, and seeking out support from sympathetic groups outside of the universities.
The common thread was a distaste for the general attitude of the Ontario government toward postsecondary education as evidenced by its budget for 1975-76.
D,uring the conference there were various non-students including the mayor of St. Catherines, faculty members, and Paul Forder of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL). Forder touched on two concerns of the students in addition to the broad’question of university funding, the abolition of tuition fees and the democratization of decisionmaking within the institutions. Forder said OFL was opposed to “tuition fees and related costs that operate as a deterrent to postsecondary education. We oppose any suggestion that education is a privilege reserved to the few, particularly if money is to be the criteria in choosing the few”.
The 13-person delegation from Waterloo consisted mostly of members of the Popular Student Front (PSF). PSF raised a few shackles on the floor of the conference when a spokesperson delivered a position laced with what some other delegates termed as “jargon’ ’ . At the same session, PSF crossed swords with a political sect known as the RMG over the role of the Ontario Federation of Students (OFS). The RMG attacked OFS, which had contributed funds and staff to help prom-, ote the conference, but failed to contribute measurably to the development of strategy for the provincial campaign OFS has been building with student groups. PSF contributed signifi&ntly to the rest of the weekend, including its plan for the workshops on Sunday which was accepted by the agenda commit-
Similar sentiments are escalating on-the campuses’. At a previous conference this term on the topic-of the “cutbacks”, delegates from member, students’ councils directed the OFS executive to speak out for the elimination of tuition fees. Previously OFS policy placed the abolition of tuition fees as a long-range
While national newspapers reported the “historic” first videotaping of a senate meeting in Ottawa, approximately 80 women from across Canada were being taped at the first national women’s centre conference in Thunder Bay. Virtually unnoticed by the press, representatives of most women’s centres in Canada met for three days;beginning Feb. 28, in order to discuss the feasibility of a national federation of women’s centres. The idea of a national federation of women’s’ centres officially started at the secretary of state consultation in October 1974, when specific women’s centres in Canada were asked to come to Ottawa to present their views on International Women’s Year. The reaction of the women’s centres present to the government’s plans ’ was overwhelmingly negative. However, the women there did some talking among themselves and realized that they all shared some basic problems. They were: a lack of communication between women’s centres in Canada, a lack of support between the centresand the problem of government interference with grants. The plans were-set into motion for a national women’s centre conference to be held in Thunder Bay in the beginning of March. Meanwhile, the Ottawa Women’s Centre sent out an opinion survey to all the women’s centres in Canada asking for their reactions to the idea of a federation. At the opening discussions on Feb. 28 several themes, ideas and questions came out that carried through the rest of the conference. The discussion was carried on in what Can be termed a collective fashion. Most women participated in presenting and discussing their views and the views of other women in an open, collective manner. It was agreed, generally, that women’s centres did have common problems, but they were difficult to define. Some women did not want a federation that was organized on a hierarchial structure. They wanted a grassroots organization where each women’s place could deal with national issues or an individual basis. The importance of recognizing the differenees between women’ s centres in different regions came to the forefront of the discussions time and time again. This was the reason that some women wanted an organization formed that was not top-heavy or bureaucratic. The native women also voiced this concern. They had dealt too many times with the bureaucrats in Ottawa and wanted nothing of them in -the women’s movement. One question that the native women raised concerned the usefulness of them joining a national federation. They wanted to know of what good the federation would be to them. Many women’s centres in Canada are located in areas where there are substantial native populations yet few native women are found in women’s centres in these areas. - The native women have formed native and cultural centres across Canada that have been operating, in some cases, twice as long as most women’s centres. The question of having a central -clearinghouse, resource or women’s centre appeared in many of the discussions during the conference. It was felt by some that a national centre should be formed to gather information and serve as a resource to Canadian women. This centre would also organize referendums and polls on various critical issues affecting women. If, for example, a centre was being
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