On March 1, Concordia University’s Fine Arts Student Alliance (FASA) voted in a Special General Meeting to strike against tuition increases. With 465 fine arts students holding a voting card, the vote passed overwhelmingly. The strike is set to begin on March 5 at 8 a.m.
The vote was administered and brought to FASA by Artists Working to raise Awareness & Knowledge about Education (AWAKE). Four strike locations will be set up around Concordia, each with their own strike co-ordinator.
According to the mandate passed, the strike will be open-ended and will have weekly general assemblies.
In an email to the Tribune, FASA president Paisley Sim explained that FASA is joining with the Women Studies Student Association, the Philosophy Students Association, and the Political Science Student Association, which have already voted to strike, and that “more are expected to join in the coming week.”
The Concordia Student Union (CSU) will be holding a Concordia-wide Special General Assembly on March 7 to vote on a strike mandate to last only five academic days, from March 22 to March 29. The mandate would include the option to hold another vote if students wished to continue on strike. In addition, students on internships would not be included in the strike and studios and laboratories would be kept open.
“Regardless of the outcome of the March 7 vote, Concordia intends to continue operating as usual,” the Concordia Office of the Provost stated in response to the CSU’s call for a student strike vote. “The university has a responsibility to provide services that are a part of its agreement with our students, even if some of those students decide not to attend class as a form of protest. It is important that students be aware of the potential consequences of missing classes and other instructional activities.”
The FASA included this statement in an email sent out to students to inform them of possible academic repercussions. The CSU also sent out an email regarding the Concordia-wide Special General Assembly.
“What we see is that every time there has been a major setback to accessible education, a strike was enough to force government to change its mind, and a tuition freeze in 2012 is not an exceptional goal,” the email stated.
“With strength in numbers and ongoing support from the CSU … we anticipate more associations and faculty members will join us in protest,” Sim said.
