As of March 5th 2012, representing over 6300 students, when the strike was launched at Concordia:
– Women’s and Sexuality Studies Association (undergrads) (WSSA)
– Geography Undergraduate Student Society (GUSS)
– School of Community and Public Affairs Student Association (undergrads) (SCPASA)
– Fine Arts Student Association (Faculty of fine arts – undergrads) (FASA)
– Philosophy Student Association (undergrads and grads) (SoPhiA)
– Political Science Student Association (Undergrad) (PSSA)

Associations who voted to go on strike for varying length between early March and end of April*
– Urban Planning Students Association (UPA)
– Sociology Anthropology Association (Grads and Undergrads)
– Education graduate students association
– Communications (Grads and Undergrads)
– Liberal Arts College
– Linguistics
– Psychology
– Engineering & Computer Science Grads (ECSGA)
– Graduate Students Association (GSA) (launched March 12, 2012 and lasted over the summer)
– Concordia Student Union (CSU) (one week;March 19th to 23rd)

*confirmation related to length is needed, unless specified.

This record of general assemblies and strike votes is from strike votes announced on various channels, like emails to plan for picketing. Most of these can be found on the archived site of Concordiastudents.ca

Giant strike calendars that were put up in the lobby of the library building.

Initial numbers, week of March 6th, plus schedules of different general assemblies and other activities. Number of students on strike at Concordia: 6380

Week March 12th. Number of students on strike at Concordia: 9089 (number went higher later that week with more GA’s/strike mandates, but we don’t have a picture of the updated numbers)

This was practically when the movement took root at Concordia. It’s my pleasure to give credits to Matthew Brett for initiating the process and being the architect there of. I was happy to be the enabler and having believed in him and his idea. -rushdia, April 2013.

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November 2010

Open letter to students and the CSU

We, the undersigned, call for a university-wide General Assembly to rebuild Concordia’s student movement in the immediate future.

The economy faces a shaky recovery after the most significant economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Budget cuts to health care and education are being implemented here in Quebec, and the Canadian government is set to impose significant financial austerity measures well into 2014.

In reaction to these measures, francophone universities and CEGEPs here in Quebec are currently engaged in general assemblies, strikes, sit-ins and other forms of action. It’s working.

Students are converging in Quebec City this December 6, when the provincial government is scheduled to introduce a province-wide tuition hike.

But the Concordia Student Union remains largely absent from the scene. Here at Concordia, the CSU has not issued a single statement regarding the provincial budget or the financial crisis. There is something wrong with this picture.

And while our frustrations are clear, we truly desire to work together with the CSU to build a stronger student movement. It is a shame that Concordia has no visible presence in the midst of widespread social unrest.

In Britain last week, students arranged a national walk-out and protest with some 130,000 people in attendance. Academic Saskia Sassen recently praised student efforts in California, Iran, Greece and Puerto Rico.

Students there, she wrote, “are doing urban agriculture, collective cooking, environmentally sustainable practices, art, music… in brief, they are striving to build the elements of a different society.”

Concordia students and organizations are actively building upon this new society, but continued support and collaboration from the CSU is absolutely essential.

Struggles against tuition increases and the recently signed contract
with Pepsi are necessary, but just the tip of the iceberg.

Concordia’s student movement needs to come together and take measured actions if it is to have any impact at the provincial, federal and international level. It is time we work together.

We, the undersigned, therefore call on the Concordia Student Union to organize a university-wide General Assembly during the week of February 14. We also call on faculty and staff, graduate, international and long-distance students to take part in this process. Enough is enough.

VERY IMPORTANT: PLEASE write your department or organizational affiliation NEXT TO your name. Thank you.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/studentmovement/

Published here for documenting purposes.

March 9th, 2012

PRESS RELEASE – For immediate release

Concordia Graduate Students Make History by Joining the Student Strike Movement

On March 5, GEOGrads, the graduate student association of the department of Geography, Planning, and Environment, made history by being the first graduate association from an Anglophone university in Quebec to vote in favour of an unlimited strike mandate. They were followed by their peers in Engineering and Computer Science and later by the GSA, the umbrella organization representing all of Concordia’s graduate population. As of now over 6,000 graduate students at Concordia have approved unlimited strike mandates in their general assemblies.

Graduate students at Concordia have therefore joined the province-wide student movement opposing the Liberals’ funding plan for education. Concordia graduate students, especially in Geography, are extremely concerned by the shift away from public funding in favour of private funding as laid out in the plan. This radical shift in funding sources includes tuition hikes that have been largely discussed in the press, but also an increased reliance on private funding from donations and corporations. In order to meet the objectives of the plan, universities will have to increase their private donations by 50% in the next six years. Graduate students are worried about how this might affect the integrity and autonomy of current and future research. Moreover, 10-20% of the proposed new funding is earmarked for “competitive positioning” (i.e. advertising), not for direct improvements in the education system.

By voting for an unlimited strike mandate, the Geography graduate students are taking a strong stance against the commercialization of research and the commodification of education.

For more details you can contact:

Annie Lalancette: (Phone number deleted)

Tom McGurk: (Phone number deleted)

Annelise Grube-Cavers: (Phone number deleted)

gpe.grads at gmail dot com

http://geograds.wordpress.com/

Published here for documenting purposes.

PRESS RELEASE

March 4^th, 2012

Concordia Students Join Province Wide Strike Against Tuition Hikes

Thousands of Concordia University students are joining over 100,000 others on strike across Quebec who are fighting for their right to accessible university education. Concordia is the first Anglophone institution to take a strong stance against the Liberals’ regressive funding plan for post-secondary education.

Students are striking to draw attention to the large tuition hikes the Charest government are scheduled to implement this fall. These hikes will increase individual debt loads and reduce accessibility to higher learning. These changes will also adversely affect groups already facing serious barriers. The Women’s Studies and Sexuality Association adopted motions referring to the hikes as being sexist, racist, ableist and classist, effectively increasing obstacles for many to post-secondary education.

“What I find scary is a shift in the thinking of the government,” says Tom McGurk, president of the Geography Graduate Student’s Association. “A shift that is slowly trying to move education from the realm of rights to one of privilege and ownership.”

Far from being a small minority, the strike movement is spreading quickly throughout departments by way of general assemblies. Students from five departments and one faculty at Concordia have already passed open-ended strike mandates at general assemblies on Wednesday and Thursday last week, five of which will come into effect on March 5^th. This represents over 6,500 students, with several other associations set to vote this week. It is particularly important to stress that this movement emerged organically from students that wanted to organize in their own departments.

“The energy, commitment and dedication of each of the hundreds of students participating in strike activities are incredibly inspiring and mind-blowing,” says strike mobilization committee member, Irmak Bahar. “Concordia has sent a strong message that we sincerely care and will fight to protect accessible education.”

For the most up to date information about strike related event general assemblies at Concordia please go to www.concordiastudents.ca or email strike.concordia@gmail.com

Rushdia Mehreen (Free Education Montreal) (Phone number deleted)

Matthew Brett (political science graduate student) (Phone number deleted)

Concordia University students from six departments voted to go on strike effective March 5:

• Women’s and Sexuality Studies Association (undergrads) (WSSA)
• Geography Undergraduate Student Society (GUSS)
• School of Community and Public Affairs Student Association (undergrads) (SCPASA)
• Fine Arts Student Association (Faculty of fine arts – undergrads) (FASA)
• Philosophy Student Association (undergrads and grads) (SoPhiA)
• Political Science Student Association (Undergrad) (PSSA)