m0tive (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} m0tive) wrote,@ 2007-11-16 16:56:00 |
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fight the power
So for the last two or three weeks I have been taking part in the organisation, advertising and participation of student demonstration at my university.
We were told some time at the start of the year that there would be a large number of job cuts throughout the university. For a long time this just simmered away in the background, there was a minor UCU demonstration and a lot of apathy.
Then some stirring up took place, with the calling of an "Extraordinary General Meeting" of the Student Union to decide whether to back the lecturers in they're protest. From that meeting came firstly the plan to organise a protest on 17th Nov (this Saturday), and secondly that only the NCCA really cares. Out of the roughly 100 people at the EGM (the entire student body was invited ~16000 people?) over half the attendees were from one of the NCCA courses. As the meeting came to a close, and the motion to support and protest was passed, there was talk of holding a NCCA student meeting (something that has never happened in my time at Bournemouth). So after reading a particularly aggravating interview with head of the new job cut strategy, I decided to organise the meeting.
The meeting was a shock success. And a separate NCCA protest campaign was begun. One that concentrated on the very different situation our courses were in in comparison to the rest of the university. Bournemouth University as a whole is not that good. I don't want to offend anyone on any of the other courses, but the NCCA courses are almost a separate entity to rest of the university. Any job cuts or reduction of contact hours would have the potential to drastically alter the makeup of the place, and most likely damage it.
So the protest build up began. slow at first, but gradually building in momentum. There was a discreet, almost guerrilla tactic of poster advertisement initiated. Bazaar posters were littered all over the university, more every day, the university started to suspect something. We have for the last few days been fighting a poster war with the management. They have specifically instructed individuals to remove OUR posters. They remove them, we replace them, repeat. Hello, freedom of speech anyone?
Today was something strange. There was a very rapidly organised flashmob of the university reception. It was quite a terrible flashmob (people were loitering in mass for over 5 min before the event), but an impressive demonstration of the organisation, dedication and mobility of the NCCA. I think someone heard us.
Later in the day we had a visiting speaker present an immensely boring and soulless sample of they work (it was Double Negative). After the speaker, one of our lead lecturers stood up. He told us: the actions of the alumni, industry, the staff and the student body against the cuts has seemed to change the mind of management. There will be no job cuts in the Media School (of which the NCCA is part of).
Seems we won
But It isn't over. The university has been uninformative on issues of importance, aggressive towards our efforts to rally support for non-violent protest, and still insistent on milking the university for all the money it can make. Our protest must go on.
Apologies for the rant, but this has really made my day. For the first time I feel my actions, and the actions of my peers has made a difference. In the face of oppression we stood up. But thats just me being silly. Its not that simple. It's not oppression. To be blunt, the rest of the university needs a shake up.
More art later. Drinks now.
So for the last two or three weeks I have been taking part in the organisation, advertising and participation of student demonstration at my university.
We were told some time at the start of the year that there would be a large number of job cuts throughout the university. For a long time this just simmered away in the background, there was a minor UCU demonstration and a lot of apathy.
Then some stirring up took place, with the calling of an "Extraordinary General Meeting" of the Student Union to decide whether to back the lecturers in they're protest. From that meeting came firstly the plan to organise a protest on 17th Nov (this Saturday), and secondly that only the NCCA really cares. Out of the roughly 100 people at the EGM (the entire student body was invited ~16000 people?) over half the attendees were from one of the NCCA courses. As the meeting came to a close, and the motion to support and protest was passed, there was talk of holding a NCCA student meeting (something that has never happened in my time at Bournemouth). So after reading a particularly aggravating interview with head of the new job cut strategy, I decided to organise the meeting.
The meeting was a shock success. And a separate NCCA protest campaign was begun. One that concentrated on the very different situation our courses were in in comparison to the rest of the university. Bournemouth University as a whole is not that good. I don't want to offend anyone on any of the other courses, but the NCCA courses are almost a separate entity to rest of the university. Any job cuts or reduction of contact hours would have the potential to drastically alter the makeup of the place, and most likely damage it.
So the protest build up began. slow at first, but gradually building in momentum. There was a discreet, almost guerrilla tactic of poster advertisement initiated. Bazaar posters were littered all over the university, more every day, the university started to suspect something. We have for the last few days been fighting a poster war with the management. They have specifically instructed individuals to remove OUR posters. They remove them, we replace them, repeat. Hello, freedom of speech anyone?
Today was something strange. There was a very rapidly organised flashmob of the university reception. It was quite a terrible flashmob (people were loitering in mass for over 5 min before the event), but an impressive demonstration of the organisation, dedication and mobility of the NCCA. I think someone heard us.
Later in the day we had a visiting speaker present an immensely boring and soulless sample of they work (it was Double Negative). After the speaker, one of our lead lecturers stood up. He told us: the actions of the alumni, industry, the staff and the student body against the cuts has seemed to change the mind of management. There will be no job cuts in the Media School (of which the NCCA is part of).
Seems we won
But It isn't over. The university has been uninformative on issues of importance, aggressive towards our efforts to rally support for non-violent protest, and still insistent on milking the university for all the money it can make. Our protest must go on.
Apologies for the rant, but this has really made my day. For the first time I feel my actions, and the actions of my peers has made a difference. In the face of oppression we stood up. But thats just me being silly. Its not that simple. It's not oppression. To be blunt, the rest of the university needs a shake up.
More art later. Drinks now.
