YUFA
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Rally against York's budget cuts planned for 6 Feb
York students and unions will hold a rally against the York administration's budget cuts on the morning of the 6th of February, the Graduate Students Association and CUPE 3903 announced this week.
Faculty protest cuts
YUFA members are experiencing the cuts firsthand and in many cases have been directed to implement them.
"The cuts will have an impact on our ability to sustain the quality of services we now provide in the libraries, including in-depth reference assistance and library instruction classes" said Patti Ryan, a Scott librarian who will represent YUFA at the rally. "The librarian-to-student ratio is already one of the lowest in the country, and the combination of the cuts and the incoming double cohort will make it very difficult to maintain existing services to students."
Other units across the University have reluctantly made similar reductions that will degrade students' experiences, including larger classes and less staff support.
In a memo of protest to the Dean of Arts, Psychology wrote: "We are concerned about the effects these and any subsequent cuts will have on the academic integrity of our programs, the quality of education our students receive, the conditions under which our faculty members work, and the morale of the faculty."
National Day of Action
The rally is part of the "Stop Deregulation - Freeze Tuition Fees" Day of Action called by the Canadian Federation of Students for the 6th of February (for more information see www.cfsontario.ca).
Keith Anderson, Research Officer for CUPE 3903, explains: "The rally is a good opportunity to reach a sizeable chunk of the student body and highlight the impact of the cuts on student life in several of its dimensions, including the impact on academic quality and university services. It is also a chance to show the compatibility of the budget cut plan with the increased market-orientation of the University, with its increased focus on revenue generating opportunities such as non-credit professional courses, 'stand-alone' for-profit study programs, privatization and private sector collaborations, increased parking fees, and deregulated tuition. The latter point is our point of entry into the Day of Action."
Senate grants immunity for Day of Action
On the 13th of December, Senate passed the following motion about the Day of Action, exempting students from penalties for missing deadlines and exams that day: "Be it resolved that the Senate of York University recognize the right of all students to attend the National Student Day of Action called by the Canadian Federation of Students on February 6th, 2002 to protest government cutbacks to education and increasing tuition fees. Be it further resolved that students who participate in the National Student Day of Action on February 6th, 2002 not be penalized for missed deadlines or examinations on that day, and that they be given reasonable alternative access to materials covered in their absence."
Schedule of events (tentative)
Other events planned for the day include:
- 0830 - A breakfast on campus
- 1000 - a campus "corporate educational tour"
- 1130 - Anti-cuts rally in Vari
- 1200 - buses to downtown rally with students from OCAD, George Brown, Ryerson, and UofT.