UPEISU

PAGE 3,CADRE, NOV.24

MEMORIAL STUDENTSOCCUPY ADMIN. BLDG.

ST. JOHN'S (CUP)—— About 1,500 students at Memorial University occupied the Arts and Administration building today (Nov. 14) to_back demands that adJE ~ ministration reverse its. position and continue ‘ compulsory collection of student union fees.

Memorial president Lord Taylor announced unexpectedly last Thursday (Nov. 9) the university would no longer collect fees for the union. The move would effectively crip- ple the student organiza- tion.

Taylor timed his move for the first day of Memorial's five-day mid- term break. So students had to wait until today before taking fully con- structive action.-

.The first move was the' organization of a general student union meeting at noon, when about 3,000 students gathered to dis— cuss the crisis. The number was considered remarkably large for the usually apathetic cam- pus, which Sports an enrolment of 7,500.

The students over- whelmingly voiced opposi— tion to the administra— tion. Although only a small minority opposed the union and any decision to occupy the administration building, more than 1,000 students marched to the building to begin the occupation.

The action marked the first student occupation of a Canadian university building in the 1972-73 academic year.

They occupied Taylor's office, as well as those of the Comptroller, Vice- President and others. They then waited for Taylor to return from a lecture he was giving engineering students. (The President, a member of the British House of Lords, still teaches. an Engineering course.)

When Taylor came back he was flanked by about 15 Engineers who said they opposed the Council of the Student's Union (CSU), the elected student government, in its present form, and supported Taylor's action.

Taylor said he WOUld allow the engineers into his office and would talk

'buildings.

with demonstrating stu— dents two at a time. They refused the offer and Lord Taylor left the building. \

A series of proposals and counter-proposals followed in an attempt to agree on a means of negotiation.

Taylor, who at first

.had allowed only two stu—

dents into his office, agreed to meet a four-

.member negotiating commit- 'tee of students, provided

the occupiers vacated the They vocifer- ously refused and the

stalemate continued, with

’_the students remaining

in the building through the night. They were pre— pared to stay as long as necessary.

Some students brought in donuts, soft drinks, coffee, fried chicken and sandwiches thrOugh the- day to feed the hungry 'demonstrators. 'A local folksinger entertained with such songs as "Get Together" and "Qower to the People." Previously, students had joined to- gether in several rousing

,rounds of "Solidarity

Forever."

The burser's office, registrar's office and several other administra— tive branches closed for the afternoon, although the vice-president's office was the only one which was occupied for more than an hour.

Outside, the univer— sity's flags were lowered to half—mast.

Local police took no immediate action, althoughL a couple of plainclothesmen were keeping a close watch' on the occupation. Campus security officers locked as many doors as possible, but otherwise did little except to observe.

A series of telegrams and phone calls of support gave the occupiers a strong morale boost. The student unions at Dalhousié" University, the University of Manitoba, the University of Prince Edward Island and the College of Trades and Technology in St. John's declared their solidarity. So did the local bus drivers' union currently on strike against St. John's City Council.

Some workers in the administration building also said they sympathized with the students' cause.

The Memorial students say Lord Taylor and the administration had no

right to decide unilate! \ally to terminate student -union fees collection. ‘No negotations had pre— ceeded the action. They feel the decision whether student union fees are compulsory or voluntary should be made by the students, not the admin- istration.

CSU executive members say Taylor treats stu- dents "like little child- ren". They accuse him of making threats, breaking promises, and engaging in "under-the- table" deals.

'Last Friday (Nov. 10) about 40 students showed up at CBC Radio's St. John's studios, where Taylor was taping an interview. The taping was interrupted once by loud student protests,

'but then proceeded.

The Human Rights Association of Newfound- land and Labrador attacked Taylor's action, terming the discontinuation of compulsory collection of student union fees an "infringement on the freedom and rights of the

students at the university."

The Memorial struggle is sharply reminiscent of the so-called Carillon crisis at the University of Saskatchewan Regina campus in early 1969.

The then-Liberal Saskatchewan government was upset with several embarrassing articles ir

the Regina campus stu— dent newspaper, the

Carillon. Through its representatives on the university board of

governors, the govern- ment tried to cripple

. the paper by ordering

the termination of com— pulsory student union fees collection. The Carillon could only survive with a union grant. ' Students mounted a strong campaign against the board's obvious in— fringement of freedom of the press. _They held an all-night general meeting in a university building, threatened occupations, enlisted the support of prominent individuals and groups across the province, and distributed a province-wide special issue of the Carillon, attacking big-business domination of the board. The students forced the administration into

a humiliating retreat and saved the union.

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The Paulists are helping to build the earth.

downtown

on the campus

in the parish

in the office building bridges working with ' the young and old spreading the ‘ Christian spirit. praying celebrating counseling

North American priests on the

‘ move throughout

Canada and . the United States.

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Paulmt' Fathers.

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