On Friday the 17th of December 2010 we will be dis-occupying Senate room, Senate House. This is the end of a first chapter of demonstrations against the proposed cuts to Higher Education and rising fees, and the beginning of a new kind of student movement. Although we set out ostensibly to force the Vice Chancellor into a public position against the fees and cuts, the past few days have yielded outcomes that mean more to us than being granted particular requests by senior management.
Over the past eleven days, we have seen an extraordinary level of support and activity from a university once called apathetic. Seven departments and countless individuals have written letters of solidarity and protest; a panel on the future of Higher Education was held in Senate Room involving lecturing staff and students across the university, and numerous conversations have been sparked with local schools, unions and Higher Education networks across the country. Although open access to the space was originally refused on principle, this collective pressure led to temporary admission for staff and students to the panel event – also broadcast live online to up to 200 remote viewers – and to access for all including the general public for a celebratory meal planned for Thursday evening.
For us these statements of position and gestures of solidarity have been more than just ‘support’ for our actions; rather they became performances of resistance in their own right. They evidence a process far more wide-ranging than the one we had hoped for in formulating our original demands – specifically, a broad concern to realise a university that is critical, participatory and accessible to all. Thus, although this and many other occupations are coming to a close this week, an engagement with the university’s own ‘democratic’ structures will remain a central feature of our ongoing struggles as the proposed cuts become a material reality.
For now, we invite you to celebrate the end of this beginning by joining us for a bring-a-dish banquet this Thursday at 7pm in the Senate Room, where we will be reiterating our thanks to all those who have supported the occupation, and reflecting on what we have collectively achieved. You are also invited to the ‘Circus of Dis-occupation’ which will take place at 1pm on Friday. For more details, and to join the announcements mailing list please see our blog, linked below. A week of events and actions aiming to re-imagine the university is already planned for mid-January – we hope that many of you will consider joining us.
In solidarity,
The Occupiers
This notice of dis-occupation has reminded me belatedly to send a message of support from last week’s evening event in the Graduate School of Education on “non traditional routes to higher education, will they survive?” which was attended by staff and students from across this university as well as UWE.
see: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/education/events/2010/530.html
All speakers and many of the audience expressed good wishes to the student occupiers of this and other universities around the country and were heartened generally by the politicisation of school, college and university students during these times.
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Go for it
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Diddums. Don’t want to miss the Ski trip, do we?
Hot debate. What do you think?
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i’m glad you feel the occupation was worth the longer term investment of energy anon, but i for one think that a diversity of tactics and a rhythm of rest and dynamism is what will enable this movement to grow. eleven days equals the longest ever occupation of senate house i believe (1968) and has involved no little effort on the part of any involved.
perhaps if you left the vantage of your computer screen for a day or two to join the occupiers you might have a clearer sense of what it takes to speak out
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Dear Student Occupiers
I can’t be with you tonight but will come along tomorrow at 1.00
As you come to the end of the Occupation I just want to express my admiration for your courage, initiative and determination.
Through your actions and your excellent use of IT media you have managed a great achievement: beginning to open channels for open and vigorous debate within the university. This is something I have been trying – and largely failing – to do for the past 14 years since I arrived here as a lecturer.
The process has only just started but let us hope we in UCU can work with you to take this forward.
Peace and Love
Harriet
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I am so sorry I have not been able to attend the latest events. However, I just wanted to say that I have no words to express how wonderful it is what you have done. For the first time in many, many years I see a new movement growing within the university. You all make me have faith in the future, you make me proud and I am full of thanks and admiration. Keep on going, keep on growing with the same passion, creativity, commitment and joy. Definitively, this is only the end of the beginning. You have my full support and I look forward to new actions.
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You mean it’s cold and you wannt to go home for Xmas and have a hot meal and a warm bath (for the first time since the summer). Enjoy.
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