TheV oice Newsletter of the Association of Part time

TheV oice Newsletter of the Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students Vol. 60, No. 3, Aug/Sept 2008 www.apus.utoronto.ca APUS Celebrates 40 year anniversary with hundreds of supporters 40 YEARS OF APUS PAST, PRESENT AND 40 YEARS TO COME This year APUS celebrates 40 years of representing part-time students at the University of Toronto. And we have a lot to celebrate! Before the inception of APUS in 1968, part-time students had no representation on any committee on campus and no central organization advocating for their issues. There was no organization on campus holding events and organizing forums, workshops or meetings specifically geared towards part-time students, no dedicated space for part-time students to strategize and socialize and no forms of mass communication such as the Voice. In early 1968, a few part-time students decided to form a group to improve the situation of part-time study at the University of Toronto. ‘Word-of-mouth’ spread and 46 people turned up at the first meeting. A questionnaire was distributed in all classrooms and 80% of part-time students responded “yes” to the question “Do you want an association similar to that which the full-time students have?” By fall of that year, the first Executives of APUS (at the time APUDS) were elected from an Assembly of 69 Class Representatives. By 1973, APUS had acquired dedicated space for part-time students directly on campus; from this historic win remains our current Student Services office at 1089 in the Sidney Smith Building (currently open evenings until 7 pm, Mon-Thurs to accommodate working folks). After that we were on a roll! A year later, due to continuous lobbying by APUS representatives on the Governing Council, Woodsworth College was formed specifically to provide a home for the growing part-time student membership on campus. APUS acquired administrative offices in Woodsworth and over the years supported the growth of the college. APUS, for example, gave a large donation of $100, 000 to Woodsworth to make the courtyard renovations possible and our members have contributed millions of dollars in fees to the college. This also secured us our office, originally on the third floor of Woodsworth College (now in the Margaret Fletcher Building). Continued on page 2 Letter From the President Dear Part-time Students, As the President of the Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to all who have continued to support and improve the APUS community. I hope that you are enjoying your courses and that summer in Toronto has been treating you well. APUS is a grassroots organization with its directions set by and for part-time students. We form a community which understands and tackles the many concerns that part-time/mature students face during their time on and off campus. APUS represents and advocates on behalf of over 6000 part-time students in the Fall/ Winter terms and over 11, 000 part-time students in the summer, across all three UofT campuses. We know as a part-time student you likely have many responsibilities keeping you busy, but any student willing to contribute time to helping out is sure to find relevant and interesting projects with which to become involved. The University of Toronto can sometimes seem like a large and isolating place, therefore being part of a support network, such as APUS, that understands the part-time/ mature student experience can definitely help. APUS is your organization and your input is invaluable in assisting us with addressing the critical part-time issues. Continued on page 2 Sit-Ins and how they have Transformed the University of Toronto By Jennie Liss Ohayon While forty years later the Berkeley sit-ins are still being celebrated for entrenching the free speech movement in the academic sphere, there needs to be a greater awareness of the historical impact of sit-ins at the University of Toronto. On March 20th over 40 students held a sit-in in Simcoe Hall against fee hikes at UofT. This sit-in ended several hours later when campus police intervened. As a result of this demonstration, 14 students and supporters are facing criminal charges and 12 are being threatened under the University’s Student Code of Conduct. When these students walked into the UofT governance building asking to speak with their President, they were not alone in their approach. Actions such as these have had a significant historical influence on the structure and functioning of the University’s policies and practices. In 1967, five women entered the all-male lunch room at Hart House to call for extending all Hart House facilities to women. At the time, the male students hurled garbage at the women. They were approached by staff members, the Hall Porter and the then-SAC President who all asked them to leave and stressed a “need for going through proper channels.” This discussion of “proper channels” still rings true to discussions about sit-ins and other direct action tactics. In hindsight, however, it was sit-ins by a few brave women which catalyzed an end to long-standing gender discrimination at Hart House. As an honorary speaker at an allmale Hart House debate, with several women protestors present, John F. Kennedy commented “It’s a pleasure to be in a country where women cannot mix in everywhere.” While it is now taken for granted that women are welcome in Hart House, the sit-ins raised awareness and shifted the traditional and well-established dialogue. Continued on page 3 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 40 Years of APUS............................................ pg 1, 2 & 5 Sit-Ins: How they Transformed UofT............... pg1,3 & 10 President’s Statement...................................... pg 1 & 5 CIUT set to move............................................ pg 3 UofT Inability to Support Diverse Abilities.... pg 4 The Politics of Schooling................................ pg 4 & 5 Finding a Home at UofT.................................. pg 6 Services on Campus........................................ pg 6, 7& 11 Childcare Debt and Duty................................. pg 6 & 7 York U Disestablishes Atkinson...................... pg 8 & 9 Stop FT Takeover of PT Union....................... pg 8 & 9 Poetry Corner - My Sister............................... pg 10 CKLN under Illegal Control........................... pg 10 Need for Student Space at UTSC................... pg 11 FT raid of PT members at UTM...................... pg 11 UofT Proclaimed Guilty by Activists.............. pg 12 Thanks to everyone who helped out with this edition of the Voice. Please contact oriel.apus@utoronto.ca if you would like to contribute articles, photos or artwork in the future. Editing Team: Alvin Gudani, Rick Lee, Yolisa Dalamba, Joeita Gupta, Jennie Liss Ohayon & Oriel Varga Production Team: Oriel Varga & Jennie Liss Ohayon Photo contributions from: Abdi Osman & Tzasna Leal Art by Oriel Varga 40 YEARS OF APUS... continued from pg 1 Advocacy, Lobbying and Campaigns Over the past 40 years APUS has developed into what it is today: a dynamic grassroots student union that focuses on lobbying, advocacy, programming and walk-in resources for part-time students at UofT. We have staff, board members and class representatives working on part-time issues. APUS provides public forums such as working groups around accessibility, financial aid, anti-oppression and mature students. We have worked tirelessly to improve conditions for part-time students on campus through representation on committees such as Governing Council, Faculty of Arts & Science and the Council on Student Services. APUS has always addressed the lack of financial aid options for part-time students on campus, both from within the University as well as from provincial and federal sources. We have consistently campaigned for part-time students to be covered under the UTAPS funding guarantee at the University. While this larger challenge continues, in 1998 APUS secured financial aid opportunities geared towards part-time students with the Noah Meltz Program. Also, recognizing the lack of funding, APUS offers a number of scholarships and need-based bursaries to part-time students. In the late 1990s, the Progressive Conservative government disqualified part-time students from being eligible for OSAP and since then APUS has lobbied for OSAP reform, while simultaneously calling for “grants not loans” and being a strong advocate for the free postsecondary education movement. We have organized Free Education Week orientations, created and disseminated literature, as well as engaged in coalition-building with other on and off campus organizations (CFS, ASSU and UTSU have now also stated support for free postsecondary education). APUS has also been vocal about expanded course selection, accessible daycare, full access for disabled students and attention to mature students and diverse student populations. Wins by APUS include the expansion of evening and summer courses (we are working on getting UofT to further increase the number offered, as well as add weekend courses) and the right for students to study part-time at the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. APUS has been pressuring the University to adopt an Affirmative Action Plan and has spearheaded several anti-racism campaigns. The Justice for Dr. Chun campaign led to the Canadian Association of University Teachers urging universities across the country to act on several recommendations, including adopting affirmative action hiring policies and recruiting and providing financial and other supports to students from diverse racialized communities. We have also worked hard to ensure that parttime students have access to a full range of services. In 2003, we secured discount TTC Metropasses for part-time students. APUS offers one of the only health and dental plans for part-time students in the country, which is a huge achievement. geared towards students at UTM and UTSC. For years APUS has transferred funding to the suburban campuses for programming and has offered scholarships specifically for students at UTM and UTSC, pushed for and organized part-time student conferences (including a 2006 conference through CFS at UTM), as well as academic supports for individual students including appeals and advocacy. Happy Birthday APUS “The largest role in its conception belonged to the students…if the college has a founder, it is APUS.” Principal Arthur Kruger at the tenth anniversary of Woodsworth College Our Research Initiatives There is a surprising absence of research which addresses the specific needs of part-time students. From Stats Canada research, we know that there has been a sharp decline in mature part-time enrolment across the country (e.g., from the academic year 1991-1992 to 1999-2000 enrolment decreased by 31.2%). This coincides with cuts in Government transfer payments and subsequent cuts in supports for our members. To help identify key part-time student issues, needs, and demographical trends to better represent and advocate for part-time students, we have held focus groups and several large-scale surveys. Research surveys were mailed out to our members in 2004, 2003, 1996 and 1991. From these results we know that for most part-time students (over two-thirds), financial aid did not meet their needs and over 1/2 of those surveyed reported having trouble finding evening classes. Our 2002 and 2003 surveys indicated that the majority of part-time students are employed (79%), with about 1/3 of respondents employed over 50 hours per week. As well, 35% of students indicated that family responsibilities are a main reason for choosing to study part-time. As part of our broad research initiative and to complement our quantitative research, we have also engaged in an exciting interactive forum for part-time students to ‘talk back’ to the issues that impact them. Over the span of two years (2003-2005), APUS brought together students through the Anthology Project titled “Students Coming 2 Voice”. The APUS Anthology showcased parttime student experiences though creative writing and visual art which were displayed in exhibits and compiled into a book (copies are available for review at APUS). Live ‘Open Mic’ evenings were held, where students brought life to experiences though art, music, poetry and performance. APUS Summer BBQ 2008 “I would be up at 6:00, off to work at 7, teaching kids, working with the community, meetings, everything straight through until 8 in the evening, and then you’ve got some class to prepare for, some essay due, maybe 6:00 you’ve got to rush to some class and you’re surrounded by people who’ve got no sense whatsoever about the work-a-day world.” A part-time student participating in an APUS focus group UofT tries to create Barriers to APUS’ Organizing against Barriers During the last 40 years APUS has successfully highlighted the issues of part-time students at UofT, provincially as well as nationally, and achieved critical reform in areas such as financial aid and increasing access to programs of study, courses and campus services. It is, however, apparent that the battle is far from over. Instead of strengthening APUS and supporting our unique membership, U of T’s administration has imposed policies that have undermined APUS’ work. In September 2003, for example, the administration unilaterally changed the definition of parttime students, charging full-time fees to students taking 3 or more courses over the Fall and Winter academic year. This caused many students (with between 2.5-3.5 courses) facing part-time issues to have to pay $500 to $1000 more in incidental fees and resulted in a loss of 40% of APUS’ membership and funding. We have worked hard to ensure that this has had the least impact on students. However, it was a profound blow to our programming and much needed advocacy work. We lost half of our full-time staff members, as well as funding for student scholarships projects. Furthermore, office space promised to us in the recently built Woodsworth College Residence was reneged upon by the UofT admin and instead given to Commerce. This underscores a recent strengthening of ties between Woodsworth College and Commerce, despite the fact Woodsworth College’s mandate has always been to provide a home for part-time students. Soon after this broken promise, in 2006, APUS was evicted from our administrative offices in Woodsworth College (the same office APUS had been granted after a large donation to the College renovations). APUS Summer BBQ 2008 Gatherings, Shindigs and Hootenannies In the past 40 years APUS has hosted countless events for part-time students to come together and organize, learn and teach, as well as socialize. Memorable moments include Social Justice and the Law Speaker Night (2007), the three-day Part Time Student Conference titled ‘Part-Time Students, Full-Time Concerns’ (March 2007), supporting a lecture by Angela Davis (2008) and Imbizos on public education’s failure of Afrikan-Canadians and Africentric schools in Toronto (2008), among many others. We cannot forget our annual fall orientation events and summer BBQ. The most recent one, on July 10, 2008, brought together around 300 students and community members. In response to our Imbizo with bell hooks in 2004, Yolisa Dalamba, Exec. Director said “Burning within all of us was a desire to share our collective shock, pain, outrage, horror and fear about the current state of the world we live in. ... Bell offered some answers – talk to each other, forge meaningful alliances, challenge the powers that be in thoughtful ways, organize and most of all, LOVE yourselves and each other without apology because that is a radical act.” Mask making for the National Day of Action Representation at UTM and UTSC APUS represents part-time students at all three campuses of the University of Toronto, including UTM and UTSC. The Erindale Part-Time Undergraduate Students (EPUS) was formed in the mid-70s. APUS supported the part-time initiative at UTM and by 1976 part-time students had acquired a part-time student office with extended evening hours. We have, until recently, worked together to ensure basic supports are available to part-time students at UTM (please see pg --- for an update on EPUS). While our research and services, such as our health and dental plan and bursaries, benefit students across Pg 2 all three campuses, we also have events and services Space in the Woodsworth College Residence originally promised to APUS for our Programming Office A massive campaign organized by APUS and the community won us our current space in the Margaret Fletcher building. Continued on page 5 Glen Woodsworth, grandson of J.S Woodsworth (the social justice activist and politician for whom the college bears his name) stated, with regards to the eviction of APUS from Woodsworth, “The College’s recent move to a closer relationship with Commerce is not what I, or what I believe my grandfather or father, would consider to be consistent with the mandate of why this college was founded or with the Vision statement posted on the College’s Website… Woodsworth College needs to reaffirm its commitment and work towards the expansion of part-time studies.” HISTORY OF SIT-INS CONTINUED Sit-Ins and how they have Transformed UofT Continued from pg 1 The recent March 20th sit-in at Simcoe Hall, which houses the University President’s Office and Governing Council, has throughout history been preceded by several others in the same building, all of which have had a substantial impact. The first sit-in at Simcoe Hall was carried out in 1970 by several hundred supporters of the campus Day Care Cooperative. After months of fruitless negotiations with the administration regarding the lack of affordable childcare on campus, about 20 students occupied an empty building on campus, cleaning it up and repainting the centre. This led to an offer by the University to lease the centre to the Day Care Cooperative although the University refused to provide the funds necessary to bring the centre up to Provincial Safety Code standards. This decision by the administration outraged the community. In response approximately 250 students, faculty and staff forced their way through 6 or 7 campus police and flooded Simcoe Hall, many with their babies on their backs. David Depoe, a University of Toronto student at the time, remarked “we have to use our physical resource as our only resource.” The crowd, which grew to 300-400 supporters, voted to stay put until the University gave a guarantee that the renovations to the Child Care Centre would be completed. This first occupation of Simcoe Hall lasted 24 hours at which time the University conceded to provide the needed funding. Brian Johnson, writer for the Varsity in the 70s wrote, “Occupying Simcoe Hall proved to be not just a revolutionary fantasy, but a workable strategy”. Two years after the Child Care Centre sit-in, students put this “workable strategy” to test again and were victorious when the university planned to have the newly built Robarts Library restricted to faculty, graduate and fourth-year undergraduate students. This second occupation of Simcoe Hall resulted in equal access to the library stacks for all students when it opened in 1973. In the Robarts Library occupation, Toronto police were called in and, in an event that mimics the recent circumstances of this past March 20th sit-in, 14 key student organizers were targeted with criminal code trespass offences. The students charged included SAC’s president Bob Spencer and Thomas Walkom, the latter now a writer for the Toronto Star. Four out of the twelve students received more serious charges, including assault. The next day 500 supporters occupied the Senate Chamber. The importance of solidarity was demonstrated and the Acting President stated he would endorse equal access to the stacks. The University also agreed to instruct the Crown Attorney not to proceed with the charges. The determination of the protestors during these sit-ins and their refusal to be intimidated by the criminal charges set a precedent. Sit-ins during the 1980s forced the University administration to divest from the apartheid regime in South Africa and to create the University of Toronto’s Women’s Centre (now The Centre for Women and Trans People). More recently, in 1999, years of persistent activism by the Committee in Support of Justice for Dr. Chun peaked with a several day sit-in at the President’s Office. Chinese-Canadian physicist Dr. Kin-Yip Chun had been dismissed by UofT when he raised concerns of employment equity in faculty hiring. Student activism, including the sit-in, led to the reinstatement of Dr. Chun as Associate Professor. An independent inquiry sponsored by the Canadian Association of University Teachers found evidence of systemic racism and harassment towards Dr. Chun and urged all universities and colleges to act on their recommendations. These include increasing faculty from diverse ethno-cultural backgrounds through the adoption of affirmative action hiring policies and anti-racism and equity training for university decision-makers (http://www.chuninquiry.ca/). In 2000, sit-ins and teach-ins responded to administration’s inaction with regards to University of Toronto clothing originating from factories using child labour and sweatshop conditions. A ten day sit-in in the President’s Office by 20 members of the Students Against Sweatshops group helped create the first No Sweatshop Policy at a Canadian university. York University students later followed suit with a similar sit-in on March 2008 which also successfully convinced York University’s President to implement a similar sweatshop-free policy. Upon demands to speak with the York President, rather than criminalizing the students, he sat down and discussed the matter with them at great length. Undoubtedly, the impact of these sit-ins on shaping the consciousness and policies of U of T’s administration cannot be understated. Sadly, the current sit-in has been met by a heavy-handed response to student dissent. The present criminal charges brought against student activists have not occurred for several decades and signal a disturbing reactionary and intolerant stance with the current leadership. Over 40 people participated in the March 20th sit-in and among the 14 arrested are student leaders, well-known for speaking out around campus and taking action on various issues. A few were previously student Governing Council members and on student union boards and committees. The selectivity in which participants were arrested has led to suspicions that certain individuals are being targeted for being too politically outspoken. The use of the University’s Student Code of Conduct has also contributed to the suppression of political dissent on campus. Threatening letters have been sent to student leaders in the past, although they have rarely led to investigations and charges. Continued on page 10 From the Varsity Archives, March 1970, photos by Gary Wieland and Errol Young CIUT set to move from 91 St. George Street to Hart House for the Expansion of Big Business at UofT By Shevan Bastian Well it’s official. After spending nearly forty years in the historic Victorian confines of its cozy 91 St. George street digs, CIUT announced its permanent relocation to Hart House in February 2009. Yet another casualty of the Rotman School of Business’ expansion plans, 91 St. George St. has served as the heart of CIUT since the station’s inception as a closed circuit station in 1965. On January 15 1987, CIUT burst onto the FM scene with 15,000 watts of broadcasting power and has established itself as a steady hub of activity for community and campus resources. In September 2007, the Governing Council, Planning and Budget Committee approved the $92 million expansion plans for the Rotman School of Business. The stately Victorian mansion currently located at 91 St. George Street is slated for selective demolition. Only its’ façade is expected to survive. Consternation followed the official response to possible CIUT locations, with Station Manager Brian Burchell questioning the University’s larger plans for the station. In response to the initial plans for relocation to south of College Street, Burchell says, “Once we evict U of T’s radio to south of (College), will it ever return to its core?” A plan to move CIUT into the impending Student Commons was also met with skepticism regarding space permanence. The decision, however, to move into Hart House appears to have placated all parties. Burchell says, “Hart House is rich in programming and we hope to reflect it on our airwaves and further include students in our broadcasting activities.” Burchell also states that during the anticipated move in early 2009, on-air broadcasting will not be affected. Hart House has designated the Map Room on the first floor and the Warden’s apartment on the second floor as CIUT’s future domain. Warden Louise Cowin feels that CIUT’s presence will positively impact the atmosphere at Hart House. “We got to thinking about the potential for CIUT here and the value of having them in our space by far exceeds the reach of having any one academic student or particular group of students and that was how the idea began.” Cowin continues, “Having CIUT come to Hart House exponentially increases the value of Hart House to a different kind of student who may or may not be already involved here…. CIUT broadcasting to you from Hart House will be one piece of reaching out to a commuter student or a student in another area of the GTA. I think it’s going to bring in a new vitality and vibrancy that is going to connect a different kind of student to Hart House.” Unfortunately, there has been a pall cast over the impending relocation of CIUT by worries that the station will experience problems similar to the ones that have impacted CKLN’s relocation. CKLN’s move from 380 Victoria Street to its current Gould St. studio has been plagued by equipment and staff problems which appear to have spilled over into its on-air programming content. Nonetheless, Burchell insists that “none of our volunteers, be they students or members of the community at large will suffer as a result of the move” and that the overall feeling is “quite positive.” Pg 3 U of T’s Inability to Support Diverse Abilities: Student Representative Blocked from UAB Meeting By Joeita Gupta At the March 25th 2008 University Affairs Board (UAB) meeting, the APUS representative, Jeff Peters, was denied entrance into the building by a line of policeman in front of Simcoe Hall. On the day in question, the weather had been particularly inhospitable, with freezing rain and biting winds. Outside Simcoe Hall, a crowd of students had gathered as part of a rally to address tuition fees and the resulting inaccessibility of post-secondary education. The representative of APUS and a student with a disability, Jeff was there to address the UAB on the issue of increasing residence fees at New College and a levy for the Varsity Stadium. Outside the building, campus police barred the way and restricted access to the meeting, which according to Governing Council (GC) documents, is “open to members of the university, the public and the press, up to the capacity of the room to seat guests.” Jeff repeatedly informed campus police that he is the part-time students’ representative and had formally requested speaking rights at the meeting. As VP of APUS he needed to introduce the vital perspective of part-time students on the New College residence fees and Varsity Stadium fee increases being voted on inside. Despite the vocal and overwhelming public support for Jeff from the protestors outside the building, the police denied him entrance. According to individuals attending the meeting, there were upwards of 30 vacant seats, a fact that was confirmed when Jeff finally was allowed entrance close to two hours later. Even after Jeff was let in, his translator was denied entrance for several more minutes. Although campus police were in constant communication via radio with those inside the building, Jeff was forced to interact with campus police until finally an administrator came out to speak with him. Campus police allowed other student representatives, who had arrived after Jeff, almost immediate entrance into Simcoe Hall. Jeff being forced to wait outside for almost two hours in the freezing rain resulted in considerable physical pain and mental distress for him. The campus police and administration colluded in the harassment and contributed to the ongoing discriminatory and ableist treatment of students with disabilities at UofT. The University’s Statement of Commitment Regarding Persons with Disabilities states: The University will strive to provide support for and facilitate the accommodation of individuals with disabilities, so that all may share the same level of access to opportunities, participate in the full range of activities that the University offers, and achieve their full potential. In this case, however, the University administration acted in ways that undermine the above commitment. It is imperative that the UofT community makes an ideological shift from simply accommodating people with disabilities, to accepting the full range of human difference and encouraging persons with disabilities to participate in the social, political and academic networks of the University. For Jeff Peters, the journey as an activist striving to make a difference in the UofT community has been marked by constant hurdles. UofT is part of a larger system that privileges middleclass, male, hetero-normative, ableist, Eurocentric thought and practice. People with disabilities, men and women of colour, mature students and LGBTTQ students are continually marginalized on campus and all too often the University merely pays lip service to their experiences to serve its own political ends. For Jeff this has meant that while he is responsible for conveying some of the numerous concerns voiced by part-time students and students with disabilities, he is repeatedly shut down at Governing Council, refused entry to meetings and not given enough time for him and his translator to adequately express himself. At a Governing Council meeting on April 26th, 2007, the Chair, Rose Patton frequently interrupted and cut short Peter’s speech. At that same Governing Council meeting, two APUS representatives with disabilities were barred for a significant period of time from attending the meeting. Ordinarily students are given three minutes to address Governing Council, although the pertaining guidelines allow representatives from major student unions speaking rights of five minutes. Three minutes are too few for Jeff to complete his speech and make the fullest use of his translator, the method of communication with which he is most comfortable. The use of a translator gives even less time than the three minutes which are, in fact, a paltry amount of time for any student. By institutionalizing ableism, a permissible atmosphere is created which sends the message to students and the University community that this form of discrimination is acceptable. A few days after the rally, some ableist remarks made their way on a Facebook message board. In a nutshell, the person making the comments alleged that APUS was using Jeff as a representative to garner sympathy and went on to elaborate his ableist views that persons with disabilities were incapable of shouldering leadership roles. The person had no qualms about using his real name and expressing these views on a public forum. It is a reflection of a political and administrative mechanism gone wrong that some people believe that they can make personally hurtful and discriminatory remarks openly without fear of repercussions. By allowing such behavior to go unchecked, UofT has supported a climate of intolerance and open hostility to any kind of difference on campus. This exclusionary attitude at University of Toronto has been routinely experienced by others who are not from systemically privileged groups. When attempting to attend a convocation meeting, PastPresident of APUS and a woman of colour, Murphy Browne, was threatened with being handcuffed and mistreated by campus police who refused to believe that she was a Governor. APUS’ letter to the University regarding this issue has remained unaddressed. This also makes the present use of a line of police officers to restrict access to a public meeting particularly unacceptable as individuals and specific communities within this University have experienced discrimination from campus and municipal police in the past. APUS is calling for a public apology and a University investigation into the proceedings of March 25th with specific recommendations for actions to be taken on the part of this institution. Blocking Jeff’s access to this particular UAB meeting has highlighted the larger question of access to the decision-making processes at this University and the equity policies that they impact. Disability, like race and gender, is a social construct and aside from the very obvious police presence, the University’s inflexible attitude denied Jeff his right to speak on the items he came to address that day. When Jeff finally was able to attend and speak at the meeting, the New College residence fee had already passed without his inclusion. A youtube video documenting the events of the day is available on the APUS website (www.apus. utoronto.ca). You will be getting constant updates as Jeff Peters is now the incoming part-time GC representative. This will be an important opportunity for the University to evaluate the structure and culture of its Governing Council. Police outside Governing Council Building The Politics of Schooling by Joanne Dillinger Rent- $650/month Phone- $50/month Cable- $30/month Food- $300/month Transportation- $200/month Average paycheck for a 16-year-old female high school dropout- $750/month Tuition $$ way more than I have! Books $$$ seriously!? That much for books!? Are you x#o@*?! kidding me!? As you can see, I was pretty hungry all the time. At one point I had two low-wage day jobs and even had to resort to dancing (stripping) after class in the evenings. I’d get home at 3am and have to get up again at 7am. It got so bad that I’d fall asleep on the subway and when I woke up, I had completely forgotten where I was supposed to be! I’d rifle through my gym bags for clues; books or heels, where am I at today?? Student/stripper/receptionist/ice-cream counter clerk/data entry clerk/waitress/shooter girl/ ringside girl for underground boxing matches, oh dear God please don’t fire me for falling asleep on break. My grades were slipping suddenly. I was working so hard and so long I grew weary, discouraged and resentful. I developed this weird defensive hatred for the full-time students and the way everyone seemed to make me feel like my part-time education was less credible despite all my pained efforts. I was failing calculus and statistics. My psychology professor didn’t even show up today. What the &%$# am I even doing here? And I quit. It wasn’t until I had figured out how to apply for scholarships that I was actually able to afford to go back to school. The partial scholarships I received were my lifeline. My godsend. My ticket back into the elitist arms of the illustrious Canadian education system. Continued pg 5 Pg 4 High school was like the ninth circle of Hell for me. I kept dropping out. So when I got to go to college- wow college, a place where professors ask for your opinion from time to time and you can even record your classes if you can’t make it to one!- I think these people are actually treating me like an adult. Sweet. I was finally good at school. It made me want to go more. It made me driven. And I had to be motivated, especially being that I could barely afford to continue my education! I was living alone at the time, so a full-time college education was not an option. Pg 4 Message from the President Continued from pg 1 I invite you all to get to know our Board of Directors, our staff, and our services. You are always welcome at APUS events and campaigns as a volunteer to see how APUS is ensuring the part-time experience is a full and beneficial one. You can also actively participate in APUS by becoming a class representative; this will allow you to have the opportunity to bring students’ needs and concerns to our attention and to convey APUS’ initiatives and events back to the students. If you enjoy writing, drawing, or photography, we encourage you to submit your work to our Liaison Officer, Oriel Varga, to be published in The Voice, our on-campus newspaper. Finally, we extend an invitation to everyone to come to either our Sidney Smith Office (Rm. 1089) or Woodsworth College Annex Office (100 Devonshire St.) to get information on available resources and services or just to say “hello”. We recently hosted our annual summer BBQ, where around 300 people came out to eat, dance, share stories and enjoy live music and spoken word. This event was particularly celebratory as it marked APUS’ 40th anniversary as vocal advocates for the part-time experience. We had dynamic speakers discussing issues of equity and access and came to know each other in a relaxed and friendly environment. Our 40th anniversary is a tribute to the many heroes who attend studies in the midst of jobs, family demands and multiple struggles to overcome the physical and social barriers put in place by the University and society at large. We thank everyone who came to our celebration for their support. As we struggle with challenges to our space at Margaret Fletcher and our part-time membership at UTM, we are reminded that APUS began with little or no resources and was successful in achieving, amongst other gains, a part-time student college (Woodsworth College), broad-based evening and summer courses, as well as financial aid for part-time students across three campuses (Noah Meltz). Indeed, we look forward to the next 40 years and are determined to achieve renewed commitments from the University to fully support part-time students/mature learners and foster increasing numbers of us for many more years to come. If you have any ideas or suggestions to improve our services or advocacy work, please do not hesitate to share them with our staff or arrange to meet with me by telephoning our APUS office at (416) 978-3993. We certainly need your help to put forward part-time student demands in order to ensure that we continue to have a strong place at the University of Toronto in the coming decades. On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff, I wish you all a great summer term. Do come and visit us soon. 40 YEARS OF APUS... continued from pg 2 We have since transformed the Margaret Fletcher into a beautiful space with offices, meeting space, garden and a kitchen. In an immense revitalization project, we planted a garden in the long-neglected front space of the building which includes numerous plants and colorful tables where students, faculty and staff can relax in the shade of the large trees while eating lunch, talking with friends or completing schoolwork. Our garden also boasts a vegetable plot - come take some lettuce and tomatoes home for a great pesticide-free salad! January 31, 2007 marked the APUS House Warming Event, which hundreds of supporters attended. Not long, however, after the decorations came down from our House Warming gathering we were handed a letter stating we will need to vacate our new home at Margaret Fletcher. Well over a thousand people have signed our online and paper petitions and around 30 student associations and unions from around the country have sent letters in defense of APUS’ space permanence. Furthermore, we are also currently in court challenging an illegal referendum held by the full-time student union at UTM to raid our part-time student membership (see article on pg 11). APUS Garden at Margaret Fletcher Hell No, We Won’t Go This July 10th, 2008, we kicked-off our 40th anniversary celebration series with our annual summer BBQ. About 300 people came out to have fun, network, eat healthy food, enjoy local artistic performances and support APUS in our call for space permanence. Over the last 40 years, APUS has created a legacy of changing lives and we are proud of our accomplishments! We must ask ourselves what about the next 40? We are committed in the coming decades to building an even stronger APUS. We will aim to guarantee, in the very least, part-time students are fully-funded by the government, implement affordable and accessible childcare on campus, as well as increase equity-based programs at the University for working folks, racialized students, adult learners, disABLED students and those with family responsibilities. We would also like your participation in helping us determine and advance part-time students rights. In referencing the definition change to partBest regards, Terry Buckland, time study in 2003 (where many part-time students President of APUS 2008-2009 were redefined as full-time), Helen Choi, APUS exec member, said “we are going to fight for the redefinition so every student facing part-time or mature issues do not have their needs neglected or brushed aside for the University’s continued from pg 4 business interests. Part-time and mature student representation has In retrospect, I don’t think I’d change a thing outside of the been going strong at UofT for the past outrageous tuition fees. I still carry this great pride and sense of 40 years and will continue.” accomplishment with me for having received a degree at all. It We wish to thank those who was something I had to fight to the teeth for simply because I have helped build APUS over the wasn’t born entitled. And my familiarity with the pressures of years and all those organizations, student groups, volunteers, staff and school and work has given me huge respect for students today. board members, past and present, who have worked alongside us to continue If there’s one message I’d like to give to students going through to foster part-time student advocacy similar trials, it would probably just be, “Don’t get discouraged!” and ensure we have a critical place at the University. My degree has gotten me all sorts of amazingly cool opportunities Article by Jennie Liss Ohayon In response to our eviction from Woodsworth College, Murphy Browne, APUS President at the time stated, “Part-time students founded this college, we funded this college and now we the student union representing parttime students are being thrown from the house we built by an administration that continues to ignore the plight of part-time students on this campus”. APUS Summer BBQ 2008 all over the world. I’ve traveled, lived and worked in Canada, the US and Africa. I currently run my own design studio out of my home, make wages that rival those earned by the men in my field, have the freedom to do pro bono work a couple times per year and get all the sleep I could possibly require. APUS HEALTH / DENTAL PLAN 2008-2009 The APUS Health/Dental Plan automatically covers most part-time undergraduate students. It includes 90% prescription coverage up to $2,000 per benefit year as well as various health services, including up to $500 per benefit year for dental services. For complete information about the plan and deadlines please check out www.apus.utoronto.ca Single Premiums: Health and AD&D Plan $63.36 per / yr Dental Plan $56.56 per / yr Family Opt-in Rates: Health and AD&D Plan $119.66 per / yr Dental Plan $48.96 per / yr Opt-out or Opt-in Dates Mon., August 25 to Friday, October 17, 08 To all the hardcore, sleep-deprived, part-time city college and university students who are living on ramen noodles as we speak (I know you’re out there pluggin’ away), peace and props brothers/ sistahs! Every dog has his day. Pg 5 Finding a “Home” in the Vastness of the University of Toronto By Jae-Jae Ladrillo Finding a ‘home’ at UofT was not an easy task. Being a few years older didn’t help. Having two jobs that kept me running around didn’t help. Having a hard time relating to anyone in my classes didn’t help. Having gone through some pretty tough heart surgeries certainly didn’t help. As if looking around my enormous first year classes wasn’t intimidating enough how was it that everyone else already knew each other? Uh oh, 10 minutes to the end of class! Need to run out to work before I’m late! It wasn’t until I discovered APUS and went to their annual summer BBQ that I felt this incredible relief and excitement of meeting other students who understood the frustration of struggling to compete academically within your program and make a living at the same time. APUS - Programming Office up the walls next to it. This is a great place to read while enjoying the peaceful sound of the flowing water. If you need to spread out on a desk but still want to look up from your books and relish in the view take the elevator or stairs to the lower level of the library where a long glass wall overlooks the waterfall and garden. E.J. Pratt Library Waterfall University College (Accessible from North side parking lot) The courtyard area inside of University College really takes you back in time with its archways and ivy covered stone walls. It feels like Robin Williams might pop out at any moment quoting poetry, “O’ Captain, my Captain!” There is seating all around the perimeter and if you are there on special days you can take pleasure in listening to the Soldiers’ Tower Carillon being played. This is one of my favourite places to sit before class in the fall to enjoy the changing colours of the season. SERVICES ON CAMPUS UofT Clothing and Food Bank (Accessible), New College, Wetmore Hall, Room 50 (Basement), St. George Campus 416-978-8201 Fridays 12-3pm On top of providing non-perishable foods, they also have perishable items available such as milk, eggs and fresh veggies. Their clothing section also includes accessories. You just need St.George Food Bank to register annually in the fall and it is open all year long. Returning students do not have to be registered over the summer terms to have access during the summer months. During the holiday season they even have toys for the kids! Any donations are welcome to be left in front of the doors during off hours. The support I found in the APUS community was so important to me that I began to volunteer as a class rep and help out at different events. Eventually I became a clerk at their Sidney Smith Student Service location (Room 1089, 416-978-3993, accessible). I have to say that finding APUS, being welcomed so openly by them and having their support has helped me stay strong and determined to complete my education. I am now entering my 7th and last year at UofT and I know that I couldn’t have done it without the APUS community’s ongoing support. So if you are in the neighbourhood, stop by the Sidney Smith office to use the computers, photocopier, microwave, or just to hang out on the couch and read or have a friendly chat with the clerks. ______________________________ St. George Campus Centre for Women and Trans People (accessible via Bancroft Ave.), 563 Spadina Ave., Room 100, 416-978-8201, www.womenscentre.sa.utoronto.ca Mon.-Thurs. 11am-6pm, Fri. by appointment only This fun, welcoming and friendly space is child friendly with an unsupervised area with toys, books, crayons and more. There is also a nursing corner where, if you wish to have privacy, you may draw the curtain. Their drop-in space has a lounge area with couches, two computers and a kitchen area where students and the community are welcome to prepare and eat food. During the school year they host “Spice” every Thursday at 3 pm and monthly in the summer time, a free community cooking class where you can learn how to cook nutritious lunches together. The Centre used to be one of the primary locations for the UofT Clothing and Food Bank so they have maintained a “Community Cupboard” where you are welcome to take anything you need... Women & Trans Centre FOR A MOMENT’S PEACE Even if it’s only 5 minutes between work, class or picking up your kids, here are a few of my favourite spots on campus to enjoy the summer sun and a moment’s peace away from the busy city streets: APUS - Sidney Smith Office Earth Sciences Building (Accessible) Tucked into the center of the Earth Sciences Building is a little forest with a gravel pathway that leads to a clearing complete with log benches. I spent many hours here during first year to help motivate me while prepping for my bio labs, but quite often I would lose myself for a few minutes and daydream that I was taking a rest while on a great hiking adventure up North. E.J. Pratt Library (Waterfall area is unfortunately not accessible, although the library is accessible) In the back of the library is a beautiful waterfall with ivy running continued on pg 7 Childcare: Debt and Duty By Shelanda al-Saquaf In investigating the state of childcare availability for student parents, I placed an ad on Craigslist seeking other part-time student-parents who struggle with these issues. Chloe, mother to a one-year old son, was one of my parent peers who replied. One of the first things Chloe said to me was, “It’s not so much about managing your time, changing diapers and keeping up with my family’s needs.” When I ask her to elaborate she said, “Well, it’s the lack of respect amounted to women, mothers… people ask me constantly…why are you studying now? Why not wait? Take a break with the kids...” Chloe’s words trail off as she rolls her eyes in the last sentence. She tells me that her husband, a restaurant manager, gets Pg 4 similar questions, but this time related to his wife not being at home. It turns out Chloe knows more about the child-care fiasco than I did. Over the phone she made it clear that Canada’s Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB), introduced in July 2006, had done next to nothing to help families. She noted that the benefit of one-hundred dollars a month per child was ridiculous. In her words, “a way of ensuring that you never fully get your foot out the door… you just pray for your kids to get past the daycare age…then what?” When I commented that $1200 was better than nothing, she agreed, but reminded me that not only does UCCB provide a minuscule amount compared to the true cost of childcare, but the program is restricted to children six and under. Chloe told me that we, as parents, always have to keep our eyes and ears open hoping for a change. Canadians, who believe in the development of an inclusive childcare plan, advocate that all children under 12 years should have access to childcare services, regardless of their parents’ participation in the Canadian workforce. Thus, they encourage a carefully planned system that would be of social and economic benefit to all Canadians. Many students I spoke with about UCCB were unaware of its policies. Some student parents seemed to believe that this was a fully inclusive program for Canadian families. When I explained to them that particular aspects of the program still made it difficult for some parents, they were shocked that many families were still struggling. I was surprised at their astonishment, considering the high cost of childcare and the limited subsidized spaces available on and off campus. One respondent, a single student-parent with a 7 year old daughter, was outraged that anyone would even consider having an allinclusive childcare program. “That’s silly,” she exclaimed, “give me a break”. When asked, who cared for her child while she attended school E.J. Prat Waterfall from inside Find a Quiet spot at the UTM Pond Pg 6 Continued from pg 6 Child Care Centre. It provides care to children of students, staff and faculty on a full-time and part-time basis for children up to 5 years of age. Unfortunately, the convenience of having a daycare on campus comes with a hefty price! Although the student prices are discounted in comparison the staff and faculty rates, it is still a whopping $1390 per month for an infant and the waiting list is approximately 2 years long! So for those of us who cannot afford double our rent money nor put in our waiting list application the day after conception, there is a place to go to get advice on further resources. The Family Care Office, housed in the Koffler Student Services Centre at St. George Campus (main floor, 416-978-0951, www. familycare.utoronto.ca, accessible) has information on other daycare options, financial aid, workshops, and information and resources for the care of adults and seniors. Another great place for student families is the Family Resource Centre attached to the St. George Campus Early Learning Centre on 7 Glen Morris Street (416-946-0228, accessible with entrance through the Early Learning Centre). On Mon. & Wed.-Fri. from 9-12:20pm, parents, relatives or caregivers can come with their children for free and spend time with other families from the UofT community to have fun together and help create a social support network. The children can enjoy the space and activities complete with daily circle and snack time (basic snacks provided). Toys, books and resources in the facility are available to be borrowed Early Learning Center and there are also workshops for parents that are run throughout the year. They also provide an emergency and shortterm child-minding service. A recent survey was conducted by the Center to help provide information on which hours would best serve students, faculty and staff, so be sure to check for hours that may better suit your schedule. and many Voice articles during this time. While the administration did not see the absence of accessible childcare as an urgent matter, we, the students, decided two years ago to create our own child minding services. Since 2006, students with dependents have been using the fully student-run Childcare Centre inside the UTM Student Centre. “Community Cupboard” no questions asked. For savings on fresh produce check out their “Good Food Box” program where you can order different baskets of produce (even organic) at discounted prices and they are delivered to the Centre every two weeks. There is also the “Dr. Chun Resource Library” run jointly with OPIRG where you can find resources and books on anti-oppression and social justice issues. They really encourage people to make this space their own and their peer support group topics are chosen based on the issues on which people would like to work. Right now you can join them every two weeks for the “Trans Inclusion Group Movie Screenings”, for a free film screening, free snacks and free talk! Child Minding Center at UTM As a result of our efforts, UTM administration has finally recognized the need for onsite childcare and has constructed a new Early Learning Centre located beside the Leacock Lane residences on campus. The centre, which will take 26 children, opens January 2009. While this is a major win, the price of sending your kid there will be just as high as at the St. George campus. This means we need to continue to advocate for childcare subsidies. It will also be important to ensure spaces specifically for children of part-time students, as well as evening hours, and expand the numbers that can enroll. To get on the UTM Early Learning Centre’s waiting list email early.learning. centre@utoronto.ca ASAP. The student-run Childcare Centre will remain open during the fall term, but is currently at capacity. See http://www.utm.utoronto. ca/319.0.html for more information. UTSC: The N’sheemaehn Childcare Centre at UTSC was established in 1990 and is nestled in a wooded area at the northeast corner of the UTSC campus, 1255 Military Trail (an unfortunate address for a daycare). According to the website (http://www.utsc.utoronto. ca/~childcare/index.html), the name comes from the Anishinabe word for chickadee known for its distinctive cries that remind parents, guardians and the community of their responsibility to care for their children. Call (416) 287-7624 or email childcare@ utsc.utoronto.ca for information on space availability and rates. Alas, the N’sheemaehn Child Care Centre at UTSC charges $1118/month for infants. Women & Trans Center Swap Shop 416-946-5711 Sept-May: Wednesdays 12pm-2pm Located in the basement of the South Borden Building, 487 Spadina Avenue, St. George Campus. The main entrance may be found off of Russell Street. Although it is unfortunately closed for the summer, this hidden gem can be a great place for students to furnish their apartments for free! Re-opens September 10, 2008. U of T identification is required. UTM: Erindale campus students, along with APUS, the Erindale Part-time Undergraduate Students’ Association (EPUS), the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU), and the Students’ Administrative Council (SAC) fought for many years to obtain daycare space on the UTM campus. APUS worked hard to keep parttime students informed and wrote letters of support ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES UTM AccessAbility Resource Centre www.erin.utoronto.ca/access/index.html (905) 569-4699 South Building, Room 2047 Hours: Mon-Thurs: 10 am-4:30 pm and Fridays 10 am-3 pm (Closed daily 12 am-1 pm) DAYCARE ON CAMPUS: St. George Campus The Early Learning Centre (7 Glen Morris St., 416-978-6725, accessible) replaced Margaret Fletcher Day Care Centre and Nancy’s Part-time part-time and worked as a waitress on the side, she noted that without her mother she would have collapsed many years ago. I was interested in speaking to more single parents and called my friend Alicia who is raising her 11year old daughter while finishing her postsecondary degree. When I asked her how she deals with studying, child-care issues and everything else that comes our way, she tells me what I already know having both been part of a mutual and supportive community of parents in Student Housing. “It’s been unconventional”, she said, “there are clear barriers there and I just couldn’t seem to break through”. Alicia studied part-time and cared for her daughter, without the help of her parents and no support from an absent father. I shared with Chloe my own reality as a student-parent paying high tuition fees and having increased anxiety about loan repayment. I also noted my feeling that all the UTSC AccessAbility Services www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~ability/ (416) 287-7560 (Voice/TTY) Science Building, Room S302 Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs: 10 am-4 pm; Wed: 10 am-4 pm/5 pm-6:45 pm; Fri: 10 am-3 pm thousands I had put into childcare for my two daughters in the past could have been extremely beneficial to me now as a student or for their future postsecondary studies. How many parents cannot attend postsecondary education because of the high cost of childcare? And in turn how many people unable to attend university remain impoverished and then cannot send their children to university? Chloe jokingly tells me that I had depressed her and that the greatest problem with inaccessible childcare costs is the ignorance of society which believes, “not having enough” is just a phase rather than a cycle of poverty. My own 10-year old daughter Kiara-Imani, a product of subsidized daycare, still does not fully understand the issues surrounding the high daycare costs, but questions why the government would not ensure full access. When asked how and what she would tell the Prime Minister, she said “Daycare is important; it was an experience that a lot of kids might not have if they can’t pay for it. Every child needs to have a chance”. She comments, “what if you save money to send the baby to daycare, but then you don’t have money to do anything else…where would that leave them (the family)? The government is not fair.” Organizations such as the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care (OCBCC), which “represents the voices of over 500 members including organizations, agencies, childcare centres, and individuals across the province advocating for universally accessible, high quality, non-profit regulated child care in Ontario” are continually working on campaigns and encouraging groups to join locally and strengthen the call for an affordable childcare system. You can find out more information at: www.childcareontario.org. St. George AccessAbility Services www.studentlife.utoronto.ca/accessibility. htm (416) 978-8060/ TDD (416) 978-1902 Robarts Library, 130 St. George Street, Main Floor Hours: Mon - Fri: 8:45 am – 5:00 pm Adaptive Technology Resources Centre www.atrc.utoronto.ca (416) 978-4360 (call to make an appointment) Robarts Library, 130 St. George Street, First Floor The ATRC assists students in choosing and effectively using assistive technology to achieve their personal goals. Continued on pg 11 Pg 7 York University Disestablishes Atkinson The erasure of a radical initiative in Adult Education By Oriel Varga When York University’s Atkinson College opened in 1960, it was a radical new concept in learning. Geared entirely to the needs of mature and part-time students, it catered to a population made up largely of workers, students with families and those with a multitude issues outside of school. At this time Atkinson had a minimum age requirement of 23 years or older to attend. This past April 2008, however, forty-eight years later, the York University Senate voted to make moves towards disestablishing Atkinson, taking out ‘Atkinson’ from the name altogether. Student representatives on Senate, such as Graham Potts, CUPE 3903 student rep, opposed the move to rename the program to “Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies.” He says the new name is “indicative of the consultative process or lack thereof.” It also speaks to the fact that, “Senate is acting as a rubber stamp rather than being able to challenge, with very few people making decisions.” The process and transformation is much more than solely a renaming of the college, but there has been an erasure of the history of Atkinson College as a forward thinking educational initiative, built around the needs of the part-time/mature student. A document titled “Business Programs at York University,” that defines the restructuring in Nov 2006 states, “Atkinson’s mandate and distinctiveness can no longer rest solely, or even primarily, on its traditional mission of serving part-time mature students.” The Atkinson Student Association (ASA), concerned about the move away from this original mission, spoke at length against it at Senate a few years ago. In an interview with this year’s President, Mian Mohsin, he said that, “Despite the Association’s repeated attempts to try to stop it they could not.” Historically, Atkinson College helped galvanize the movement of part-time/mature students at U of T. In the mid-late 1960s, shortly after Atkinson was created, part-time students mobilized, organized and were successful in forming APUS (APUDS at the time) which in turn founded Woodsworth College as the part-time/mature student college at UofT. By the mid-1970s, part-time students were understood as an essential component of postsecondary education. A Toronto Star edition on adult education in 1976 titled, “The Knowledge Seeker”, stated that “There’s 250,000 of them this year from high school dropouts to great grandmas, all flocking back to school to learn… More students than ever are choosing to earn a degree part-time because it’s easier financially, allowing them to study and earn at the same time”. It features Woodsworth College which at the time was offering over a hundred courses for part-time students and praises Atkinson College for having graduated a record number of part-time students. All across the country, as well as in Ontario, these access-based colleges were built from the ground-up, with institutional supports geared to part-time/mature learners. These included large numbers of evening and summer courses, financial aid and childcare, making it possible for a growing number of parttime and mature students to attend postsecondary studies. As a result, after the 1970’s a significantly growing population of part-time students, mainly mature women, were able to attend post-secondary education. This dramatic expansion was documented in a report by Belanger et al in 1982 which predicted that by 2000, part-time study would be the wave of the future. However, contrary to these expectations, by the year 2000 in Ontario there was a major shift towards focusing on full-time enrollments. The double cohort, created by the elimination grade 13 (OAC) by the Harris Government, had a major part to play in this substantial institutional shift as universities sought to accommodate the influx of full-time students. York University established a variety of degree programs geared largely towards full-time enrollments. York University’s five-year plan in 2002 documents the sudden exponential increase in fulltime student enrolment in Atkinson College, “As a result of secondary school reform our OAC intake is slated to increase: Atkinson is expected to take seventeen percent of York’s high school target in 2003-04 which translates to just over a one hundred percent growth increase over the Faculty’s 2001-02 OAC intake.” Part-time Unions Should Represent Part-time Students APUS - DECADES OF ADVOCACY ON PARTTIME ISSUES The Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students (APUS) represents 11,000 part-time summer students and 7,000 winter students across the three campuses and has almost 40 years experience representing and advocating for part-time/mature students. STOP FULL-TIME TAKEOVER OF THE PART-TIME UNION ! STOP the Full-time Union’s Raid of Part-time Members! An Illegitimate Referendum The Full-time student union (UTMSU) claims they ran a referendum asking part-time students to become part of the Full-time union. • The Association of Part-time Undergradutate Students (APUS) was never consulted or informed. Is this what passes for democracy at UofT? • Only 57 students voted - this hardly represents the population of almost a 1000 Part-time students at UTM. • Only APUS can run a referendum regarding its own members! APUS is a fully incorporated union representing the needs and issues of part-time students. APUS is Critical for Part-time Students Part-time students at UTM are part of the Association of Parttime Undergraduate students a union which provides services across three campuses and has been representing part-time students for almost 40 years. APUS offers: • Health and Dental plan for part-time students • Political lobbying on part-time issues • Bursaries and funding for part-time students on all three campuses • Part-time student research, & conferences • Academic supports for individual students including appeals & advocacy • And many other services APUS’ - RIGHT TO REPRESENTATION Only APUS can run a membership referendum regarding its own members. This is a direct attempt to undermine a vocal and outspoken union working on part-time issues. Who Voted to Fold EPUS? • Only 3 execs voted to shut down EPUS All are (past or present) representatives of Full-time students (i.e. full-time reps on the Erindale College Council or executives of UTMSU the full-time Union). • Only 8 students voted at the EPUS Assembly on the critical question which would move towards closing down the part-time organization. Again several of these students were full-time student representatives. The Erindale Part-time Undergraduate Students Association (EPUS) is in existence since 1976 and has a proud history of representing part-time students. The decision to shut down this organization was hardly representative of the entire membership. Undermining the united strength of APUS is a huge loss Part-time students are often mature, working full-time, have families, are students with disabilities and typically balance multiple priorities. Full-time unions often do not understand these unique part-time issues. The Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students is a vital union with a specific mandate of advocating for equal access of part-time students to post-secondary education. We need to be able to continue to represent our members. APUS’ - DEMOCRACY UNDERMINED APUS was not notified about the full-time union’s (UTMSU) attempt to raid part-time members at UTM. A referendum about APUS members without notice to APUS is illegitimate and undemocratic! Part-time right to Representation APUS is the result of an extensive struggle for access to education for part-time and mature students. This is a direct attack on the right of an autonomous union to exist. THIS WAS NOT A DEMOCRATIC PROCCESS! Pg 8 APUS across campuses - Celebrating 40 Years of advocacy for Part-time Students This large group of younger students obscured the original mandate of Atkinson College, which had originally been “established to provide a quality education to non-traditional students: adults who work, have family and/or child-care responsibilities, or cannot otherwise access full-time, daytime higher education.” On April 26, 2007, the York Senate merged all the programs in this college with ones in the regular Arts faculty. They stated they were addressing the apparent similarity between programs within general Arts and Atkinson as well as the apparent duplication between Atkinson’s commerce program and the Schlrich business program. At the time of its creation, however, its asset was precisely to offer similar academic programs to part-time students, but have them be structured around the unique needs of the mature student learner through offering mostly evening courses and professors that geared their program to a mature, part-time student population ASA President Mohsin pointed out that the York administration played a major role in this move away from its mandate by ensuring that parttime students are “no longer concentrated in one college”. Programs such as the School of Infomation Technology were added to Atkinson with large numbers of full-time students. As this major part-time college engages in the process of being transformed out of existence, in 2006 York University created a centre mandated to advocate for part-time and mature students. The Atkinson Charitable Foundation, who gave a sizable donation of almost a million dollars towards the founding of Atkinson College, agreed to the use of their name for the new “Atkinson Centre for Mature and Part-time Students.”They stated, however, they were not aware of any concerns regarding the extreme shift in Atkinson College’s mandate and mission. Certainly an organization with two staff and an approximate operating budget of $25,000 is not the same as a whole college created solely to cater to the educational goals and needs of parttime and mature students. Today as large numbers of the double cohort have now moved through their undergraduate studies, it is arguably an opportunity for universities and colleges to renew their commitments to lifelong learners. When asked about union representation, Moshin said, “There is no part-time student union at York University. Past attempts to start one up have been shut down.” Although the ASA was originally a part-time union, he noted that since “the majority is now full-time students, ASA as such could not focus just on part-time students.” Although, they are still planning this year’s campaigns, he admits that last year there was “not a single campaign on part-time issues.” The president noted that despite the restructuring Atkinson still has a large number of part-time students. Compared with our neighbors in the south, the U.S. does not show a decline in part-time student numbers over the last two decades. In fact, the parttime population, made up largely of female, adult, racialized and disabled students, has grown to almost 50% in the U.S. In Canada, in the early 1990s, post-secondary education transfer payments were cut by the Federal Government which likely had an immense impact on access programs, affordable childcare and evening programming. APUS has been advocating for years for the University of Toronto to extend its financial aid guarantee to part-time students, as well as lower or eliminate tuition fees. Universities in Ontario should consider as a model Harvard’s recent initiative to offer a year of free education for low-income students. Toronto has a large portion of immigrants who have earned postsecondary degrees in their home countries. Supporting mature students to continue with their studies would capitalize on people’s talents and past education. Grace-Edward Galabuzi, who sits on the Atkinson Charitable Foundation Board, has reported extensively on the growing economic gap in Toronto with large numbers of racialized people experiencing systemic barriers and living in poverty. The racism and ableism created by the ‘SafeSchools Act’ has been well-documented by professor Dr. George Dei at OISE/UofT. The alarming numbers of racialized youth who have been pushed out of the high school system are also noted by the Ontario Human Rights Commission (i.e. Report 2004). Within the spirit of equity, fairness and redress for systemic oppression, these individuals who do not move directly from high-school to postsecondary education should have access to a substantial support-based adult student environment in order to be able to continue their studies. Colleges such as Woodsworth and Atkinson are vitally important to the process of strengthening and implementing programs for adult and part-time students. Rather than turning away from the rich over 40 year history of struggles by colleges and student organizations, such as Atkinson College and APUS, there needs to be support from postsecondary institutions for the rights of part-time students. A STRONGER PART-TIME UNION MEANS GREATER REPRESENTATION ON THE UNIQUE PART-TIME ISSUES Keeping EPUS’ doors open • For years APUS has transferred funding to EPUS to ensure services and representation of Part-time students at UTM. • The definition change of part-time students from 3.5-2.5 credits by UofT in 2003 impacted both EPUS and APUS, since we lost 40% of our members (to the full-time Union). • The last few years we were in the process of negotiating stronger ties between EPUS and APUS which sought to include greater staff and office support for EPUS. • This year, while the new executive was working to fold EPUS, APUS, concerned about part-time students at UTM, contacted the EPUS president multiple times. We even offered to staff the office! Calls and emails were not returned. APUS’ achievements for Part-time students across campuses Financial Aid for Part-time Students: Part-time Student Health and Dental Plan: APUS offers one of the only health and dental plans for parttime students in the country (of only two). The health & dental plan may be undermined for all part-time students at UofT if we lose more members. A major barrier for part-time students to attend university is the lack of financial aid. APUS has consistently worked to lobby for financial aid for part-time students. • Successfully lobbied UofT OSAP reform position paper (June 2003), to include the statement that all students with financial need regardless of course load should have access to OSAP. • Successfully negotiated the only part-time student funding by UofT, the Noah Meltz financial aid program available across three campuses (1998). • Lobbied at numerous governing council meetings for the inclusion of part-time students in the financial aid guarantee of the university (i.e. UTAPs). • APUS advocates against tuition and incidental fee increases and works toward the implementation of a Universal PostSecondary Education Act. Post-card Campaign Comments by UTM part-time Students Research on Part-time Issues: There is a virtual absence of research on part-time studies (most existing research focuses on younger full-time students). APUS has done years of research and Membership Surveys (i.e. 2004, 2003, 1996, 1991). “Part-time Students need to have their own voice and home. Joining with the full-time union may have unity, but we won’t have individuality.” “I have received NO information requesting any vote from UTMSU on this matter. I am a parttime student, I work fulltime, I’m a home owner and mother. The parttime union understands my needs!” Part-time Conferences: APUS successfully advocated for a Part-time student conference at UTM on student issues - 2006 (through CFS). Services for Part-time Students: APUS considers the needs of our members and offers unique services and supports. APUS On All 3 Campuses - Celebrating 40 Years of struggle for Part-time Student Representation Pg 9 POETRY CORNER My sister By Neena Saloiya You were in cold blood slain. I am enraged that you had to suffer such needless death and pain! Why? Why?! My heart screams again and again Did this man who was cruel, heartless, and deranged Do a terrible, heinous deed to you? There is no reason the soul can comprehend This abuse of women, daughters, friends and wives must end! We must work together to make the world without abuse and better. So, by remembering you, We join our hearts together. You would have been great women! We mourn the sad fact That on your virtuous, noble career ambitions You cannot act. We solemnly salute you. On a different note written plain We shudder, as we remember The beautiful, kind women Who live in our hearts forever Who the pain of abuse and trauma endure. The cruel words, the slaps punches, and brutal blows From perpetrators evil hands flow. Culminating in great despair and woe For the lost dignity. the feeling of safety and security Is gone without a moment’s notice In to a horrible abyss. As the abuser seems the victor And you dear woman seem the defeated. May the good deity you worship Give you the strength to escape The senseless, criminal’s clutches By whom you’ve been violated Stand, please, run while you have time! Do not let this unconscionable perpetrator’s crime Hold you hostage from living your life. You are meant to be a happy daughter Sister, friend, mother and wife. So, triumph! And live! You have so much to give! You’re special, sweet and important Don’t let anyone tell you different. Be yourself. You can do it! Join together with your friends CKLN under Illegal Control Help get progressive programming back on air By Richard McKergow Instead of packing up their personal belongings after being dismissed at a special meeting vote in February 2008, CKLN interim Station Manager Mike Phillips and interim Program Director Tony Barnes have brazenly kept their posts. They have done this with the help of Toronto Police officers. On February 23, approximately 150 members of CKLN voted 90 percent in favour of removing Phillips and Barnes and gave a vote of non-confidence to the non-student members of the Board. In April and May, a new and legitimate Board was elected. However, despite these results, the station’s board and management have remained in power and dismissed roughly 30 socially progressive volunteers and radio hosts, many whom have been at the station for a decade or longer. Police have assisted in barring these volunteers from CKLN. Those left at the station have been made to sign constricting “volunteer contracts,” or else not receive access cards into the building. As a result former hosts and volunteers are denouncing the station as being illegally controlled since February. “There is no more democracy at CKLN. This is a crisis,” stated anti-psychiatry activist and host/producer of Anti-Psychiatry Radio, Don Weitz. His show has run for the better part of 12 years. The February meeting was called after a series of unilateral decisions were made to take the station in a more corporate direction and away from its mandate. In January, for instance, Norman “Ottis” Richmond was replaced as coordinator of Afrikan Liberation Month. Richmond had done the ALM programming for several years in a row. The program’s title was subsequently changed to “African History Month,” removing the elements of liberation and resistance. “The station’s mandate serves those people whose voices are not given as much attention in the mainstream media. CKLN is where they find a place to talk about their issues, struggles and challenges,” stated Susy Alvarez at a weekly picket. Alvarez is one of the locked-out volunteers who hosted Friday’s Word of Mouth News, focusing on international social justice issues. “The quality of programming at the station is going down,” she added, noting that during the Pride celebrations in July this year, the station did nothing. Traditionally CKLN has aired hours of programming around Pride, as well as hosted booths at the event itself. Carmelle Wolfson, Sunday morning host of Radio Cliteracy, was eventually stopped from entering the station by police a month after receiving a letter stating her services were no longer needed. We’ll do whatever we can To help you through it! Sit-Ins and how they have Transformed UofT Continued from pg 3 In 2000 during the TA strike, several student leaders were sent Student Code of Conduct letters in response to a protest by 200-300 students who blocked administrators inside Hart House for several hours. The Code of Conduct charges brought against these students were later dropped and the strike ultimately brought about funding packages for graduate students. The students and community members who support the 14 students arrested, dubbed “the Fight Fees 14”, are calling for three demands: 1) Free Education, 2) Parity on our governance structure with equal representation of students, faculty and staff, and 3) Dropping of all Code of Conduct charges and an end to the policing of dissent at U of T. These demands are especially timely given the recently announced ‘Towards 2030’ initiative, which could result in reducing student numbers on Governing Council, as well as deregulating tuition. Joeita Gupta VP internal of APUS says, “Free Education is our right! We will strive for it just as we have accomplished the right to free health care and free secondary education. This transformation of thinking will happen through continued activism and student involvement.” Please visit www.fightfees.ca to find out more. “They’re running it into the ground,” she noted. “A lot of people have stopped listening.” The takeover has been just as disappointing for listeners as it has been for volunteers. With music and dead air replacing the array of programming, many have tuned out. “It’s a disaster, and the quality of the station has deteriorated,” said Owen Sankara Leach, a long time listener on CKLN. “I noticed around 10am one morning for a half hour the station was going on and coming out again. I phoned the station and no one answered the phone.” Not surprisingly, the current management cannot seem to garner the support of listeners or members. At a July 16th meeting, a vote to elect new volunteer reps failed, with a much smaller turnout than the meeting in February. Two Toronto Police officers blocked entrance to the meeting to only those with the management’s permission to attend. Their only claim on the station is a physical one (i.e., through the police presence and controlling access cards to the building). The real voices of CKLN and those who should be coordinating the station are not able to do so, only because of a small group of people have managed to convince Toronto City Police to block entrance to the station and certain meetings. The facts do not point to any kind of prevalent student or community support for this small group, rather they are controlling the station illegally. Currently, there are two pickets a week, on Fridays at 7 pm and Sundays at 12 pm outside 55 Gould St. at Ryerson University. These pickets are organized by the legitimate volunteers and community. People are also encouraged to sign the online petition at http://www.takebackourradio.blogspot.com. Pg 10 SERVICES ON CAMPUS FINANCIAL AID OFFICES UTSC Financial Aid Office www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~registrar/finaid/ index.php (416) 287-7001 New Arts & Administration Building, Room AA142 Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs: 9:30 am–4:30 pm; Wed: 10 am - 4 pm/5pm - 6:45 pm; Fri: 9:30 am–3 pm UTM Financial Aid (at the office of the registrar) www.utm.utoronto.ca/320.0.html (905) 828-5399 South building, Room 2122 Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 9 am-4 pm; Wed: 10 am-4 pm St. George Admissions & Awards www.adm.utoronto.ca (416) 978-2190 315 Bloor Street West Hours: Mon, Wed, Thurs and Fri: 9.30 am-4.30pm; Tues 1pm-6pm CAREER CENTERS Career Centre@UTM www.utm.utoronto.ca/careers (905) 828-5451 South Building, SE3094 Hours: Mon-Fri 10 am-4 pm (hours may be extended) UTSC Acad. Advising & Career Centre www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~counselling/ (416) 287-7561, Room AC213 Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs: 9 am- 6 pm; Wed: 9 am-7 pm; Fri: 9 am-3 pm St. George Career Centre www.careers.utoronto.ca (416) 978-8000 Koffler Student Services Centre, 214 College St., Main Floor Hours: Mon-Tues: 9:45 am–6:00 pm; Wed- Fri: 9:45 am – 4:30 pm HEALTH SERVICES UTM – Health and Counselling Centre http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/2636.0.html Health Services: (905) 828-5255 South Building, Room 1123 (Around the corner from the bookstore) Hours: Mon- Fri: 9:00 am-12 pm/1 pm- 5 pm (hours may be extended) Counselling & Psychiatric Offices: 905-828-5255 (call for appointment) The offices of the psychiatrist and two counsellors are located outside of the main Centre to provide privacy. UTSC Health and Wellness Centre http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~wellness/ (416) 287-7065, Student Centre, SL-270 Hours: Mon - Fri 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. Tues & Wed; Personal Counsellors available by appointment until 7:00pm St. George Health Services www.utoronto.ca/health (416) 978-8030 Koffler Student Services Centre, 214 College St., 2nd Floor North Hours: Mon, Thurs, Fri: 9:00 am – 5pm; Tues, Wed: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm St. George Counselling & Learning Skills Services www.library.utoronto.ca/calss (416) 978-7970 Koffler Student Services Centre, 214 College St., Room 111 Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00 am–5:00 pm, Tues 9-7 Students can drop in for initial assessment any day. St. George Psychiatric Service www.psychiatricservice.utoronto.ca (416) 978-8070 Koffler Student Services Centre, 214 College St., Main Floor (Call to make an appointment) Hours: Mon -Fri 9:00 – 4:30; Tues 9:00 – 6:30 Dentistry Patient Clinic www.utoronto.ca/dentistry/patientclinic/ patientclinicmain.html (416) 979-4927 101 Elm Street, Toronto Hours: May-Jun Mon–Fri 8:30 am-5:15 The Faculty of Dentistry offers a full service dental facility which performs fillings, dentures, braces, bridges, implants, children’s dentistry, extractions and more at reduced cost to students. WOMEN’S CENTRES UTSC Women’s Centre http://www.scar.utoronto.ca/~scwc/ (416) 287-7024 Student Centre, SL277 (2nd Floor) UTM Women’s Centre http://home.utm.utoronto.ca/~ecewc/ (905) 569-4605 North Building, Room 131D St. George Centre for Women & Trans People http://womenscentre.sa.utoronto.ca (416) 978-8201 North Borden Building, 563 Spadina Avenue, Room 100 Hours: Mon-Thu 11-6; Fri by appointment only FAMILY INFO & RESOURCES Early Learning Centre at UTMscheduled to open January 5, 2009 www.utm.utoronto.ca/319.0.html UTSC N’sheemaehn Child Care Centre 1255 Military Trail, Scarborough, (416) 287-7624 Family Care Office www.library.utoronto.ca/familycare (416) 978-0951 Koffler Student Services Centre, 214 College St., Main Floor Hours: Mon – Fri: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (7:00 pm on Tues) The Family Care Office offers advice and assistance with child care and elder care support and access to programs in the community for students with families. See website for a complete list of child care on campus. Family Resource Centre e-mail: family.resourcecentre@utoronto.ca 7 Glen Morris Ave., (416) 946-0228 Campus and Community Co-operative Day Care Centre 56 Spadina Road, (416) 979-2133 St. George Early Learning Centre 7 Glen Morris Ave., (416) 978-6725 Kidspace Day Care OISE, 252 Bloor Street West, (416) 926-4702 Compiled by Jae-Jae Ladrillo, contributions from Carmelle Wolfson The Need for Student Space at Scarborough Campus By Jae-Jae Ladrillo Various students at UofT’s Scarborough campus reiterated the same opinion when asked about student space: ‘There simply isn’t enough’. Being a parttime student with few free moments, either between classes or after work, time becomes so valuable that not having a quiet place to sit and read takes away from the experience of pursuing an education on campus. The main place students usually congregate is in the food court of the student centre, but its loud and bustling atmosphere is not conducive to providing a place for students to review notes and read. This expensive building costs part-time students astronomical amounts in levies, and will require payments for many more years, yet it lacks the much needed quiet space. Aramara, a part-time student at SCSU pointed out that “It’s not like downtown where you can walk five minutes to different restaurants and places, so it’s important to have student spaces here.” The administration definitely realizes this lack of space and tries to compensate for this during midterms and finals by opening classrooms for students to study. This of course is only a temporary quick-fix solution. To many it seems that the number of students increases with each passing year, but without adequate space to accommodate everyone. For part-time students a space designated for part-time / mature students is even more important as our needs and issues are distinct. A strong student voice must be heard by the administration; the right to quiet study spaces should be considered a student right and provided by the University without expensive levies attached. Full-time Student Union at UTM Attempts to Raid PartTime Student Members By APUS staff The full-time University of Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) and a few executive members at the Erindale Part-time Undergraduate Students Association (EPUS) are attempting to seal the fate of EPUS. EPUS was established in 1976. EPUS, with strong support from the Association of PartTime Undergraduate Students, has been a critical resource and voice for parttime students on the UTM campus. For many years, APUS helped keep the EPUS office open through transferring funds to the part-time college. Over the last few years, APUS was working with EPUS to create stronger ties and offer greater staff and office support for EPUS. APUS did this to ensure UTM part-time students could access the essential services we offer to all our members, such as bursaries, scholarships and a health and dental plan oriented towards part-time students. APUS has also worked with EPUS on issues of political representation specific to UTM’s part-time student needs. Unfortunately, a few executive members at EPUS, in collaboration with UTMSU, decided last year to close the EPUS office and shut down the organization entirely. A number of these execs were previously or are currently representatives of full-time students. UTMSU claims it held a referendum February 6-7, 2008 asking part-time students if they would want to pay fees to the full-time union and take away members and fees from APUS. However, only 57 students (out of almost a 1000) voted in this referendum. It is questionable how far the membership was informed; as one UTM part-time student parent noted, “I have received NO information requesting any vote from UTMSU on this matter” (full quote on pg 9). APUS has held frequent referenda over the past few years and each time a mail-in ballot was sent directly to the homes of all UTM part-time students. APUS has a strong history of membership research and knows that many part-time and mature students are busy with work, family, study as well as numerous concerns outside of school and thus are less likely to be on campus. Any such changes, particularly those which result in the elimination of a part-time organization, must be done through direct contact with the membership. APUS maintains that this was not a legitimate referendum, since any attempts to take APUS’ membership must be done: 1) following APUS’ bylaws 2) with the active participation of our part-time student organization 3) with widespread membership support. In this instance, UTMSU even neglected to inform us they were holding the referendum! There was therefore no official ‘No’ campaign and APUS was not even given the opportunity to provide full information to its members. As such, this was clearly a full-time student union raid of the part-time student membership. APUS has proceeded with a legal case to challenge this illegitimate process and keep the union (APUS) and organization (EPUS) dedicated to part-time students in existence at UTM. APUS sought an injunction to prevent the University from passing UTMSU’s request, (on the basis of this illegitimate referendum), to close EPUS altogether and take our membership at an April 29, 2008 meeting of the University Affairs Board. Although the courts did not decide in time to grant the injunction, the University of Toronto has agreed to abide by the judicial decision on the legitimacy of the referendum to be made by the courts in August. APUS maintains that it still continues to represent and provide services to part-time students on ALL three U of T campuses. It is vital we have a union which speaks to the unique needs of part-time students which includes mature students, working students, students with disabilities and students with families. We remain committed to serving our membership at Erindale. We need all your support to ensure the part-time/mature student issues continue to have strong representation at UTM. Please sign the campaign postcards or contact us for more information at 416 978-3993. Also, look out for our Outreach Organizers on campus at UTM. Pg 11 The University of Toronto Proclaimed Guilty by Activists UofT Pursues Charges against Students and then Evading Responsibility By Richard McKergow and Jennie Liss Ohayon The University and President David Naylor’s credibility has been called into question with the arrests of 14 student activists. This past March 20, around 40 students and supporters entered Simcoe Hall, where U of T’s senior offices are housed to protest escalating fee increases. This includes a 13 to 20 per cent hike in New College residence fees. The demonstrators staged a sit-in with the hopes they would be granted a meeting with U of T President, David Naylor, stating the University has consistently ignored student demands. “We barely have 12% representation on Governing Council,” said UTSU president Sandy Hudson. “The university has demonstrated that they are not at all interested in a critical process, and we need our voices heard.” The two sides disagree on the events that took place during the sit-in. Students say the protest was peaceful, but individuals were aggressively removed from the premises by campus police on the orders of senior administrators. The University has accused the protestors of intimidating staff members and not allowing them to leave the building. Despite administration vehemently denouncing the protestors, there have been moves by the University to distance itself from the criminal charges laid against protestors stating it is a process with which it has no involvement. However, according to the Toronto Police, it was the University’s police force that carried out the investigation for which the charges were laid. By April, the University began investigations under the Student Code of Conduct and called Toronto Police, who then laid criminal charges against the 14 students and supporters. According to Det. Mike Leone, 52 Division, “This investigation was done by and large by U of T police. We reviewed the investigation and laid the charges.” The charges include forcible confinement, forcible detainer relating to illegal use of property and mischief. One of the defendants is being charged with uttering a threat. Additionally troubling is that the University has repeated unsubstantiated allegations against the protestors to the public through Robert Steiner, Assistant Vice-President of Strategic Communications. These allegations, however, are not reflected in the charges city police laid. “I think that speaks for itself,” said, Mike Leitold, another lawyer for the accused, referring to the lack of credibility of the further accusations. Major media outlets who have published Steiner’s comments have each received a letter of libel. This is the first time in more than 30 years that criminal charges have been laid against a group of students at U of T. In the past decade alone, there were several actions that did not elicit such a heavy-handed response from previous administrations. In 1999, Students held a several day sit-in to support Dr. Kin-Yip Chun in his allegations of discriminatory hiring practices at U of T. A year later Dr. Chun reached a settlement with the University which included his reinstatement as an Associate Professor. A 10-day sit-in by Students Against Sweatshops in 2000 was followed by U of T’s adoption of a No Sweatshop Policy, the first implemented by a Canadian University. “Student activism comes in waves, and it seems like there’s another upsurge in political consciousness on campus, which is a good and healthy thing,” says Leitold. “The effect of these charges has been to interfere with student organizing. … It’s criminalizing dissent.” EVENTS TIMELINE March 20, 2008- Students and supporters hold a sit-in at the U of T administration’s offices in Simcoe Hall to protest rising fees, including an up to 20% residence fee increase. The sit-in is broken up after the arrival of campus police. March 25, 2008- Over 100 students and supporters take part in a rally outside Simcoe Hall to protest fee hikes and the criminalization of dissent on campus. The Governing Council’s University Affairs Board (UAB) votes to approve fee hikes despite the rally outside and objections voiced by student representatives inside the meeting. April 7, 2008- The newly formed Committee for Just Education organizes an open forum which proceeds to outline the following three key demands: i) Equal access to education through the elimination of all fees, ii) That U of T administration and Toronto Police drop all proceedings against students and organizers and stop the policing of dissent on campus, iii) Student, worker, and faculty parity on University decision-making bodies, including the Governing Council April 10, 2008- The Committee for Just Education and supporters rally outside of a Governing Council (GC) meeting which is voting on fee hikes. When student representatives inside rise during their speaking times to read the names of thousands of students who signed a petition against fee hikes, the Chair of GC moves the meeting to a secret location and bars students from attending. The fee hikes are approved. April 26, 2008- One of the 14 students charged, Oriel Varga, appears in court after refusing to sign restrictive bail conditions which would not allow her access to the University of Toronto campus, including her place of employment APUS, or to associate with the other accused. Varga spent a night in jail before she could come before a Justice of the Peace. In a major win for academic freedom and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, most of the conditions are immediately dropped, allowing Oriel to return to her job with APUS. Varga’s lawyer, Selwyn Pieters says “The speed at which the conditions were negated speaks to the administration’s lack of credibility...” An article featuring Varga was published in the Globe and Mail on June 21. The crown later amends the original bail conditions for the remaining 13 accused. May 21, 2008 - Over a hundred students gather in the rain outside of Simcoe Hall and at the GC meeting at UTSC, demanding the elimination of fees, parity on decision-making bodies at the University and the dropping of the charges against the 14 students and supporters. June 3, 2008 –Approximately a hundred students and allies attend a court date at Old City Hall for the 14 accused in a demonstration of support. June 25, 2008- Students demonstrate outside of UofT President Naylor’s annual Garden Party at his Rosedale mansion. Most of the guests were part of the President’s Circle, an elite club of University donors. In the past, student leaders were also included in the Garden Party, although this year very few received invites. Demonstrators urged guests to curtail donations to the University until it takes measures to affirm support for academic freedom and accessible post-secondary education. Community Outrage to Date – There has been hundreds of letters of support, as well as almost 2000 petition signatures in support of the 14 students and organizers charged and their demands for accessible education. David McNally, Chair of the Political Science Department, York University states on the online petition, “It is scandalous to prosecute students and their supporters for exercising freedom of speech and assembly. These charges are an affront to democracy and fundamental civil rights. They must be dropped” SIGN THE PETITION: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/fightfees/index. STUDENTS AND SUPPORTERS OF THE FIGHT FEES 14 MARCH FROM U of T TO OLD CITY HALL JUNE 3, 2008 UOFT GARDEN PARTY STUDENTS IN MOCK PRISON JUNE 25, 2008 Whereas in past years the U of T Students’ Union and other student unions have stood for tuition freezes, the newly formed campus group Allies for a Just Education are now strongly advocating for the elimination of fees altogether. And they have ever growing support, including the U of T Students’ Union, the Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students, the Arts and Science Students Union and the Canadian Federation of Students, as well as other unions and groups on campus and across Canada. Contribute to the APUS Voice More info at: www.apus.utoronto.ca Contact: oriel.apus@utoronto.ca Pg 12