Friday, October 05, 2007 (00:17:31)
Source: infoshop.orgOur university has been experiencing events of considerable political and social importance, that exceed far beyond the confines of this university. We are experiencing a social and political transformation, in which the very constructs of hierarchy, of freedom, of democracy and of purpose are being challenged within the university, from below. These challenges leveled at the authority of the university did not emerge out of a vacuum, or of the mismanagement and poor choices of one man. It is the university governance system, that does not meet, and cannot meet the needs of the community in which it claims to serve. Like many systems built on corporate liberalism, instead of the system serving us, we, the passive observers, serve the system.
Athens SDS chapter unites with local union
The first article has a video
thepost.baker.ohiou.ed.../02/21513/
www.athensnews.com/iss...y_id=29411
www.dispatch.com/live/...ml?sid=101
athensmessenger.com/ma...tionID=273
A speech from the protest followed by the list of demands:
Will Klatt
A community in crisis,
Our university has been experiencing events of considerable political and social importance, that exceed far beyond the confines of this university. We are experiencing a social and political transformation, in which the very constructs of hierarchy, of freedom, of democracy and of purpose are being challenged within the university, from below. These challenges leveled at the authority of the university did not emerge out of a vacuum, or of the mismanagement and poor choices of one man. It is the university governance system, that does not meet, and cannot meet the needs of the community in which it claims to serve. Like many systems built on corporate liberalism, instead of the system serving us, we, the passive observers, serve the system.
This reversal, and contradiction of purpose can be seen throughout the infrastructure of the entire university. The democratic decisions making bodies, like the faculty and student senates, serve in themselves a contradictorily function. In the place of serving the purpose of making actual decisions, the senates are constructed to rubber stamp the creations of the administration and the board of trustees.
In our university, we sit in a position in which students must ask permission in order to engage in political discourse on our campus green and in which dissent is treated as a threat to the entire social order of the university. Faculty and students votes are treated as nothing more than a nuances, to the continuation of the production, and vision of our modern university. This vision that was constructed without the participation of the very people who must live, work, study and create within its boundaries. The administration attempts to isolate us, tempt us with promises of compromise and reform, only to turn around and dismiss the very system they set up when it does not supply the conclusion to they had hoped to construct.
In the administrations vision statement document it speaks of building a democratic spirt on campus. well there is no democratic spirit here. It has been killed, bludgeoned and dragged through the mud, for us to observe and to take warning from. The administration believes that in denying the existence of our rights, that they can convince us, that they are too powerful, and us too weak to seize our own destiny, our own future.
But I come to you today to speech not of what we have lost but of what we can win. we the community can win control over this university. we can no longer submit, we no longer except the reality for which this university operates under. we demand our rights and we are going to get them. The future is ours, but no ones going to hand it to us, were going to have to take it.
We, Students for a Democratic Society at Ohio University, demand:
1) We demand the immediate implementation of the free speech committee’s recommendations.
2) We demand the immediate rehiring of the 24 fired Union employees.
3) We demand the rewriting of Vision Ohio with participation from the entire university community and to reform and reorganization of the governance process at Ohio University in order to make the decision-making process more democratic.
1 – The free speech committee toiled for hours every week for more than a quarter to revise the university’s policy on free speech. It has now been 18 weeks and the administration has put forth no effort to consider its recommendations. It is apparent that the administration is dragging its feet on this issue that is of great importance to students.
2 - In addition, a public restatement of the reasons why these staff members were replaced with higher-paid administrators. we feel as though firing of ¼ of the janitorial staff is unethical and will lead to more work with no pay increase to the remaining janitors.
3 – The reformation of the governing process would give each senate veto power and the power to implement policy. we feel that universities as centers of higher learning, students faculty and workers should help govern the public institution that we live work and create in. we feel that the corporate model for with our university currently functions under, does not and can not meet the needs of the community in which it serves.
Infoshop Article
