Just a Reminder to the New School and any other forms of authoritarian structure imposed upon us: We stand together, We have Solidarity, We do what we do because of love for each other and love for our future; You are impersonal, You cannot stop us, You will never jeopardize our movement through crack-downs and other inhospitable actions. Our Solidarity
cannot be broken by false accusations and extreme counter-revolutionary action. We will win because We stand together no matter what befalls us, You will lose, because you can punish us as individuals as much as you like, but you cannot break our collective will!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Student Strike at Technological Institute of Puerto Rico, Manati!
Just received the press release below, issued by students who have been on strike for 10 days at the Technological Institute of Puerto Rico in the city of Manatí. They have an "encampment" in front of the campus 24 hours a day. One of the main issues is "the closing of sections that some of our students need in order to graduate," together with having "too many students per section." They are facing threats of repression and a virtual blackout in the press. Developing international solidarity among different struggles is crucial to our own. I am hoping to get more information soon from friends in Puerto Rico.
COMUNICADO DE PRENSA
Los estudiantes del ITPR de Manatí, representados por el consejo estudiantil y con el apoyo del 100% de nuestros estudiantes declaramos la huelga. Llevamos 10 días de lucha y resistencia con un campamento establecido frente a la institución las 24 horas. Nuestros reclamos, que no son nada nuevos, sino que se vienen arrastrando de semestre en semestre sin que se presente una solución real y definitiva, son varios.
Entre los diferentes factores que están creando malestar entre el estudiantado e incluso entre la mayor parte del personal docente están: la notable falta de materiales necesarios para los respectivos laboratorios de nuestras diferentes tecnologías, entre estas:
· INSTRUMENTACIÓN
· ELÉCTRICA
· ELECTRÓNICA
· CALIDAD AMBIENTAL
· RADIOLOGÍA
· QUÍMICA
· SISTEMAS DE INFORMACIÓN
· ENFERMERÍA
ENTRE OTRAS
No siendo suficiente esto también enfrentamos problemas con el cierre de secciones necesarias para que parte de nuestro estudiantado pueda graduarse, se suma a esto la falta de profesores a nuestros salones lo que provoca que haya demasiados estudiantes por sección sin contar con las facilidades necesarias. Es también notable las pobres condiciones en que se encuentran nuestras facilidades incluyendo salones, baños, áreas recreativas entre otras. Hay que recordar que nuestro instituto ofrece cursos técnicos y grados asociados para los que se requiere completar ciertas horas de práctica, esto nos trae otro problema y es la falta de una coordinadora industrial que sea eficiente y tenga un interés genuino por conseguir que nuestros estudiantes puedan realizar las mismas para cumplimentar sus estudios.
Por último y no menos importante nuestros estudiantes en su mayoría dependen de ayudas económicas puesto que no cuentan con los recursos necesarios para costear y sufragar gastos como los de la compra de libros requeridos para sus clases y estas ayudas no están llegando a tiempo.
Como debe ser de su conocimiento las becas son ayudas federales que son destinadas únicamente a los estudiantes que la solicitan y cumplen con los requisitos necesarios para la misma ¿y el dinero? Nadie puede ofrecer una respuesta clara ni el Departamento de Educación, ni el Departamento de Hacienda, ni la Institución. Es por esto que entre las cosas que reclamamos están el desembolso del dinero y una investigación sobre la manera en que estos fondos se administran.
En resumen, para que la huelga termine exigimos la entrega de la beca, el nombramiento de profesores para abrir las secciones que necesitan nuestros estudiantes graduandos, la limpieza de las facilidades del plantel y el recogido de escombros y además los materiales necesarios para las diferentes tecnologías. Siendo las mismas cumplidas estaremos dispuestos al diálogo para resolver sin más preámbulo las situaciones que nos aquejan.
A pesar de las constantes AMENAZAS de usar la fuerza y la amedrentación por parte de la directora interina de la institución, la Sra. Collazo; continuaremos con nuestra manifestación y lucharemos por nuestros derechos.
COMUNICADO DE PRENSA
Los estudiantes del ITPR de Manatí, representados por el consejo estudiantil y con el apoyo del 100% de nuestros estudiantes declaramos la huelga. Llevamos 10 días de lucha y resistencia con un campamento establecido frente a la institución las 24 horas. Nuestros reclamos, que no son nada nuevos, sino que se vienen arrastrando de semestre en semestre sin que se presente una solución real y definitiva, son varios.
Entre los diferentes factores que están creando malestar entre el estudiantado e incluso entre la mayor parte del personal docente están: la notable falta de materiales necesarios para los respectivos laboratorios de nuestras diferentes tecnologías, entre estas:
· INSTRUMENTACIÓN
· ELÉCTRICA
· ELECTRÓNICA
· CALIDAD AMBIENTAL
· RADIOLOGÍA
· QUÍMICA
· SISTEMAS DE INFORMACIÓN
· ENFERMERÍA
ENTRE OTRAS
No siendo suficiente esto también enfrentamos problemas con el cierre de secciones necesarias para que parte de nuestro estudiantado pueda graduarse, se suma a esto la falta de profesores a nuestros salones lo que provoca que haya demasiados estudiantes por sección sin contar con las facilidades necesarias. Es también notable las pobres condiciones en que se encuentran nuestras facilidades incluyendo salones, baños, áreas recreativas entre otras. Hay que recordar que nuestro instituto ofrece cursos técnicos y grados asociados para los que se requiere completar ciertas horas de práctica, esto nos trae otro problema y es la falta de una coordinadora industrial que sea eficiente y tenga un interés genuino por conseguir que nuestros estudiantes puedan realizar las mismas para cumplimentar sus estudios.
Por último y no menos importante nuestros estudiantes en su mayoría dependen de ayudas económicas puesto que no cuentan con los recursos necesarios para costear y sufragar gastos como los de la compra de libros requeridos para sus clases y estas ayudas no están llegando a tiempo.
Como debe ser de su conocimiento las becas son ayudas federales que son destinadas únicamente a los estudiantes que la solicitan y cumplen con los requisitos necesarios para la misma ¿y el dinero? Nadie puede ofrecer una respuesta clara ni el Departamento de Educación, ni el Departamento de Hacienda, ni la Institución. Es por esto que entre las cosas que reclamamos están el desembolso del dinero y una investigación sobre la manera en que estos fondos se administran.
En resumen, para que la huelga termine exigimos la entrega de la beca, el nombramiento de profesores para abrir las secciones que necesitan nuestros estudiantes graduandos, la limpieza de las facilidades del plantel y el recogido de escombros y además los materiales necesarios para las diferentes tecnologías. Siendo las mismas cumplidas estaremos dispuestos al diálogo para resolver sin más preámbulo las situaciones que nos aquejan.
A pesar de las constantes AMENAZAS de usar la fuerza y la amedrentación por parte de la directora interina de la institución, la Sra. Collazo; continuaremos con nuestra manifestación y lucharemos por nuestros derechos.
From: Concerned Undergraduate Students at the University of the Ryukyus
Dear the Students in Exile
We, the Students of the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, sincerely express our solidarity with the Students in Exile.
We also began to occupy and sit-in on our campus from March 9. 2009.
The Globe is just one, and we hope that the students could develop a global society of solidarity against the neoliberalism.
Please read our Statement, Support Letter and our Blog (http://loudaisei.seesaa.net/ Unfortunately most of it are written in Japanese) ,if you have much time.
Sincerely
>From the Students of the University of the Ryukyus
(the Statement and Support Letter are as follows:)
The Statement of Occupation
The authorities at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, have decided to lay off its adjunct language faculty members and massively reduce the number of foreign language courses without fully disclosing why such policies were necessary. Alarmed by the situation, we, the students, have demanded direct negotiations with the university officials twice in the past. But the university dismissed our first demand through writing, and decided to ignore our second request. The university officials thus deliberately failed to create a democratic forum where the students and they could openly discuss the issues and seek possible solutions.
We, the students of the university, will start occupying our campus. As the students who have studied justice, freedom, human rights, and resistance and have been trying to apply them to real life conditions, we question and resist the anti-democratic actions taken by the
university authorities.
The aim of this sit-in is to create a situation in which the university authorities must genuinely acknowledge the flawed and problematic nature of its so-called "new language curriculum." If the university still exists for us, the students (as stipulated in its Mission Statement), then the current situation in which it refuses to consider our concerns not only needs to be rigorously critiqued but must be radically changed.
This situation is not the sole concern of the students and adjunct faculty members at the University of the Ryukyus. While the occupation of campus began as a critical response to the neoliberalization of our university and the attendant impoverishment of our educational program, it also aims to shed light upon other related issues such as the breakdown of our "autonomous" university system, crisis of educational system within the Okinawa Prefecture at large, and the issue of unemployment among the residents of Okinawa.
Based upon these conditions and reasons, we demand the officials at the University of the Ryukyus to:
1) Repeal the so-called "new language curriculum."
2) Hold a public meeting about the "new curriculum" that is open to all members of the society.
3) Dismiss president TERUO IWAMASA, and vice presidents KEISUKE TAIRA and RISHUN SHINZATO.
4) Allow the student representatives to participate, speak, and vote at the Board of Trustees' meetings.
5) Establish the democratic election system to appoint president and all board members.
6) Ensure all the rights of the students involved in the occupation and not impose any punitive measure on them.
This occupation is a protest against the university authorities' irresponsible decision to neoliberalize our university that has rather foolishly foregone its commitment to public education and caused the impoverishment of curriculum. This occupation is also a protest against the university officials who, with their authoritarian mindset, never even thought about offering adequate explanations to the students or inviting them into the decision-making process. We, the students, strongly condemn the university's dismissal of the students' voices and will work to reclaim the student autonomy on our own campus.
Finally, we declare our solidarity with all the others who have been actively working and sincerely hoping to abolish the new curriculum. We act with a hope that the University of the Ryukyus, along with all other universities, will reclaim its status as a "university" in the true sense of the word.
March 9th 2009
Please Support the Student Sit-in at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa
March 9, 2009
The authorities at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, have decided to lay off its adjunct language faculty members and massively reduce the number of foreign language courses without fully disclosing why such policies were necessary. Alarmed by the situation, we, the students, have demanded direct negotiations with the university officials twice in the past. But the university dismissed our first demand through writing, and did not even respond to our second request. The university officials thus repeatedly failed to create a democratic forum where they and the students could openly discuss the issues and seek possible solutions.
As the students who have studied justice, freedom, human rights, and resistance and have been actively applying them to real life conditions, we decided to occupy our campus and voice our resistance against these undemocratically chosen, unforgivable policies. Sit-in has been an important method of self-determination that has been inventively practiced and carefully passed down by the generations of people here in Okinawa in their post-WWII struggles. Sit-in has taken
roots in Okinawa because it has allowed the people to directly create a space in which they could openly speak about what a better future meant for each of them when they were living amidst the presence of massive military forces. We thus urge the university to abolish the so-called "new language curriculum" by learning from and drawing upon the method of the resistance historically developed here in Okinawa: sit-in.
The current sit-in aims to create a situation in which the university authorities must genuinely acknowledge the flawed and problematic nature of its so-called "new language curriculum." If the university still exists for us, (as stipulated in its Mission Statement), then we, the students, need to not only critique but change the current critical situation in which our own university does not even acknowledge the concerns and demands of its students.
This situation is not the sole concern of the students and adjunct
faculty members at the University of the Ryukyus. While the
occupation of campus began as a critical response to the
neoliberalization of our university and the attendant impoverishment of our educational program, our sit-in also aims to problematize other related issues such as the breakdown of our "autonomous" university system, crisis of educational system within the Okinawa Prefecture at large, and unemployment among the residents of Okinawa.
"The new curriculum" has no legitimate basis to justify itself and
benefits no one on campus and in the society, as has been made evident by now at various meetings and through media reports. But it takes much courage for us, the students, to express our demand to abolish "the new curriculum" on the campus of the University of the Ryukyus where all types of harassment take place on a regular basis. To add to this, most tenured faculty members remain silent until today. This is why we sincerely ask for your help because it is difficult to create "the common"or the communal space in our situation now.
Please join our fight to abolish "the new language curriculum." We welcome your participation through various means available:
participation in our sit-in, donation, media coverage, and so on.
Your support and participation is much appreciated.
Concerned Undergraduate Students at the University of the Ryukyus
We stand with you in solidarity today and everyday until our struggle is Won Students of Ryukyus!
We, the Students of the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, sincerely express our solidarity with the Students in Exile.
We also began to occupy and sit-in on our campus from March 9. 2009.
The Globe is just one, and we hope that the students could develop a global society of solidarity against the neoliberalism.
Please read our Statement, Support Letter and our Blog (http://loudaisei.seesaa.net/ Unfortunately most of it are written in Japanese) ,if you have much time.
Sincerely
>From the Students of the University of the Ryukyus
(the Statement and Support Letter are as follows:)
The Statement of Occupation
The authorities at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, have decided to lay off its adjunct language faculty members and massively reduce the number of foreign language courses without fully disclosing why such policies were necessary. Alarmed by the situation, we, the students, have demanded direct negotiations with the university officials twice in the past. But the university dismissed our first demand through writing, and decided to ignore our second request. The university officials thus deliberately failed to create a democratic forum where the students and they could openly discuss the issues and seek possible solutions.
We, the students of the university, will start occupying our campus. As the students who have studied justice, freedom, human rights, and resistance and have been trying to apply them to real life conditions, we question and resist the anti-democratic actions taken by the
university authorities.
The aim of this sit-in is to create a situation in which the university authorities must genuinely acknowledge the flawed and problematic nature of its so-called "new language curriculum." If the university still exists for us, the students (as stipulated in its Mission Statement), then the current situation in which it refuses to consider our concerns not only needs to be rigorously critiqued but must be radically changed.
This situation is not the sole concern of the students and adjunct faculty members at the University of the Ryukyus. While the occupation of campus began as a critical response to the neoliberalization of our university and the attendant impoverishment of our educational program, it also aims to shed light upon other related issues such as the breakdown of our "autonomous" university system, crisis of educational system within the Okinawa Prefecture at large, and the issue of unemployment among the residents of Okinawa.
Based upon these conditions and reasons, we demand the officials at the University of the Ryukyus to:
1) Repeal the so-called "new language curriculum."
2) Hold a public meeting about the "new curriculum" that is open to all members of the society.
3) Dismiss president TERUO IWAMASA, and vice presidents KEISUKE TAIRA and RISHUN SHINZATO.
4) Allow the student representatives to participate, speak, and vote at the Board of Trustees' meetings.
5) Establish the democratic election system to appoint president and all board members.
6) Ensure all the rights of the students involved in the occupation and not impose any punitive measure on them.
This occupation is a protest against the university authorities' irresponsible decision to neoliberalize our university that has rather foolishly foregone its commitment to public education and caused the impoverishment of curriculum. This occupation is also a protest against the university officials who, with their authoritarian mindset, never even thought about offering adequate explanations to the students or inviting them into the decision-making process. We, the students, strongly condemn the university's dismissal of the students' voices and will work to reclaim the student autonomy on our own campus.
Finally, we declare our solidarity with all the others who have been actively working and sincerely hoping to abolish the new curriculum. We act with a hope that the University of the Ryukyus, along with all other universities, will reclaim its status as a "university" in the true sense of the word.
March 9th 2009
Please Support the Student Sit-in at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa
March 9, 2009
The authorities at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, have decided to lay off its adjunct language faculty members and massively reduce the number of foreign language courses without fully disclosing why such policies were necessary. Alarmed by the situation, we, the students, have demanded direct negotiations with the university officials twice in the past. But the university dismissed our first demand through writing, and did not even respond to our second request. The university officials thus repeatedly failed to create a democratic forum where they and the students could openly discuss the issues and seek possible solutions.
As the students who have studied justice, freedom, human rights, and resistance and have been actively applying them to real life conditions, we decided to occupy our campus and voice our resistance against these undemocratically chosen, unforgivable policies. Sit-in has been an important method of self-determination that has been inventively practiced and carefully passed down by the generations of people here in Okinawa in their post-WWII struggles. Sit-in has taken
roots in Okinawa because it has allowed the people to directly create a space in which they could openly speak about what a better future meant for each of them when they were living amidst the presence of massive military forces. We thus urge the university to abolish the so-called "new language curriculum" by learning from and drawing upon the method of the resistance historically developed here in Okinawa: sit-in.
The current sit-in aims to create a situation in which the university authorities must genuinely acknowledge the flawed and problematic nature of its so-called "new language curriculum." If the university still exists for us, (as stipulated in its Mission Statement), then we, the students, need to not only critique but change the current critical situation in which our own university does not even acknowledge the concerns and demands of its students.
This situation is not the sole concern of the students and adjunct
faculty members at the University of the Ryukyus. While the
occupation of campus began as a critical response to the
neoliberalization of our university and the attendant impoverishment of our educational program, our sit-in also aims to problematize other related issues such as the breakdown of our "autonomous" university system, crisis of educational system within the Okinawa Prefecture at large, and unemployment among the residents of Okinawa.
"The new curriculum" has no legitimate basis to justify itself and
benefits no one on campus and in the society, as has been made evident by now at various meetings and through media reports. But it takes much courage for us, the students, to express our demand to abolish "the new curriculum" on the campus of the University of the Ryukyus where all types of harassment take place on a regular basis. To add to this, most tenured faculty members remain silent until today. This is why we sincerely ask for your help because it is difficult to create "the common"or the communal space in our situation now.
Please join our fight to abolish "the new language curriculum." We welcome your participation through various means available:
participation in our sit-in, donation, media coverage, and so on.
Your support and participation is much appreciated.
Concerned Undergraduate Students at the University of the Ryukyus
We stand with you in solidarity today and everyday until our struggle is Won Students of Ryukyus!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
2nd Teach-In Scheduled for Tomorrow!!!!
*New School Teach-in: Mar 4, Wed, 4-6pm
Parsons lobby, 2 w.13th st @ 5th ave
Come learn about why students and faculty have been boiling since the
winter, and what's to come in the future, including:
- History of the New School and the University in Exile
- Current Power Structure of the New School
- Brief History of Student Resistance since 1970
- What last December's Occupation Achieved
- Grievances and Problems we still have with the Administration
- April 1st: the Deadline for Change*
Parsons lobby, 2 w.13th st @ 5th ave
Come learn about why students and faculty have been boiling since the
winter, and what's to come in the future, including:
- History of the New School and the University in Exile
- Current Power Structure of the New School
- Brief History of Student Resistance since 1970
- What last December's Occupation Achieved
- Grievances and Problems we still have with the Administration
- April 1st: the Deadline for Change*
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