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Once a thriving country, Zimbabwe has tumbled into political and economic crisis in the last several years. Every aspect of national life has been affected by the collapse, and Zimbabwe’s universities have been no exception.
Ceaser Sitiya, pictured at right, is the vice-chair of the Students’ Representative Assembly of the University of Zimbabwe. In the summer of 2007, Sitiya (some news sources spell his name “Caesar Sitiya”) was a leader in protests against conditions at the university. According to Amnesty International, Sitiya was pulled from classes on July 7 of that year, arrested, and held for more than two weeks. Amnesty reports that he was tortured, starved, and denied access to a lawyer during his time in custody.
Last week Sitiya was informed that he has been suspended from the university for a period of two years for his role in the protests. Even after he becomes eligibile for re-admission, he will be barred from participating in student union activities and from living in the university’s dorms.
Other Zimbabwean student leaders face similar punishment from the university’s disciplinary committee.
ZINASU, the Zimbabwean national student union, has a website here. Their report on the events of July 2007 can be found here.
Last week we reported about Anna Minkinow, a Tulane student who brought a complaint against a fellow student for raping her in a dorm and then mounted a campus protest when he was found guilty of sexual misconduct, but neither expelled nor suspended.
This afternoon an anonymous commenter passed along word that Minkinow has started a blog. Here’s how she describes her project:
MY NAME IS ANNA, AND, AS OF JULY 2007, I BECAME A SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVOR. AFTER MY ATTACKER BEAT THE UNIVERSITY JUDICIAL SYSTEM AND A WHIRLWIND OF AGONIES, POLITICS, AND LOSSES FOLLOWED, I BECAME A NEW TYPE OF SURVIVOR. THIS IS THE PROCESS BY WHICH I AM BECOMING A DIFFERENT TYPE OF SURVIVOR THAN I WAS FOR THE NINE MONTHS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE ATTACK. THESE THOUGHTS, ACTIVISM PROJECTS, AND MOLTEN ENERGIES ARE HOW I WILL ENSURE THAT THERE WILL BE AN UNPRECEDENTED CHANGE NONE CAN IGNORE.
We’ll be following Anna’s blog, and we thank the commenter for passing along the link.
There’s a new addition to the “Resources” section of our blogroll this morning — SAFER Campus.
SAFER Campus is a non-profit organization that supports student campaigns to improve sexual assault prevention and response on their campuses. Founded at Columbia University in 1999 and incorporated the following year, SAFER Campus provides organizing trainings, mentoring, and publications to student activists throughout the United States.
On top of everything else, they’ve got a great blog. Check ’em out.
The Arizona State Senate has passed a bill requiring that textbook publishers inform professors about the cost and contents of new textbooks, so that profs can make informed choices when assigning books for classes.
The passage of the bill was the result of intensive lobbying by the Arizona Student Association, and its passage was hailed by student activists.
Ten states currently have similar legislation in effect. The Arizona bill was passed by large bipartisan majorities in both houses of the state legislature, and student leaders expect governor Janet Napolitano to sign it.
The United States Student Association writes with the following news:
On Thursday, the House passed the Veterans Educational Assistance Act by a vote of 256-166. The bill will provide benefits up to the level of tuition at the most expensive public in-state colleges and universities, a housing allowance based on the cost of living for the area, and a $1,000 a year textbook stipend. The bill would be paid for with a .5% tax increase on the wealthy (individuals making more than 500,000 a year or couples making more than $1M a year). To find out how your representative voted on the new G.I. bill find out here.
The Senate is expected to take up the bill next week as part of their War Supplemental. It has 57 co-sponsors in the Senate. A list of co-sponsors can be found here.
The President has indicated that he will veto any increased spending beyond his request for War Supplemental funding, stating that it is expensive and will make it harder to retain forces in time of war. However, it remains to be seen if he will carry out a veto on this bill which many veterans groups have been in support of.
We will keep you updated as Congress moves on the G.I. bill. If you have questions or would like to help take action contact the USSA office at (202) 640-6570 or at USSA@usstudents.org.
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