York University Strike Update

January 18, 2009 in Access, Campus Protests, Faculty, Finances, Labor, Politics, Student Power, Students | Tags: | by | 4 comments

The York University strike is coming to a head.

For two and a half months, Canada’s third-largest university has been closed by a strike of CUPE local 3903, representing teaching assistants, graduate assistants, and adjunct faculty. The university has invoked a provision of Ontario labor law to force a one-time vote by the union membership on York’s latest proposal, and that vote will take place this Monday and Tuesday.

If all three units of the local approve the proposal in majority votes, the strike will end immediately and classes may resume as soon as the end of this week. If one or more units reject it, the strike will continue.

The two sides are wrangling over pay increases and job security, but some observers believe that the length of the new contract may be the crucial sticking point. Labor agreements at half a dozen other major Canadian universities expire in 2010, and the two-year deal CUPE is pushing for would allow them to join a multi-campus strike that year, should one develop. (The university is insisting on a three-year contract.)

There has been speculation that the provincial government may attempt to end the strike with back-to-work legislation, but the legislature is in recess until mid-February. The longer the strike goes, the more likely it is that an entire semester will have to be canceled, costing the university millions in lost tuition payments and throwing students’ progress toward degrees into disarray.

Voting begins tomorrow morning, and continues through early evening on Tuesday. Results will likely be announced that night. Check back here for more updates as the story continues to unfold.

January 20 Update: CUPE’s membership rejected the York offer by a decisive margin.

The Thallus of Marchantia

January 18, 2009 in History, Media, Pranks, Students, Youth | by | Leave a comment

In 1964 students at the State University of New York at Buffalo pulled off an extraordinary prank. 

While cramming for a botany final in late 1963, one student stumbled across the phrase “the thallus of Marchantia,” referring to a stem-like structure on a moss-like plant. Deciding that the phrase sounded like an Arab title of royalty, this student and his friends decided to send the local paper a press release telling them that the Thallus of Marchantia was coming to Buffalo on a state visit.

The prank snowballed from there, and by the time it was over the organizers had sent a student to New York City, flown him back to Buffalo dressed as the fictional potentate, staged a massive protest upon his arrival at the airport, and secured a limo and a police escort to take him to a meeting with the mayor.

The full story of this bizarre escapade can be found here.

MTV Paid for Youth Inaugural Footage

January 17, 2009 in Media, Politics, Youth | by | 3 comments

We mentioned yesterday that MTV will be broadcasting from Barack Obama’s Youth Inaugural Ball next Tuesday, in a program that will feature musical performances and live coverage of Obama’s remarks to the ball’s attendees.

This morning the Washington Post is reporting that MTV paid $650,000 for that privilege.

According to the Post, the Obama inaugural committee sold exclusive broadcast rights to four inaugural events to four different networks — three of them on cable.

The most expensive event was Sunday’s Lincoln Memorial concert, which HBO paid $2.5 million to carry. HBO says it is “encouraging” cable and satellite providers to make the event available free of charge to non-subscribers, but many households will be unable to view it even so. Some providers carry the network on digital cable channels only, further restricting access.

In the creepiest bit of merchandising, the committee sold the rights to a prime-time Monday children’s concert to Disney. Michelle Obama and Jill Biden will host the concert, at which various Disney Channel stars will perform.

Ew.

January 21 Update: Obama’s remarks at the youth inaugural can be seen here.

MTV To Televise Obama Youth Ball

January 16, 2009 in Media, Politics, Youth | by | 1 comment

MTV has cancelled its planned inaugural ball, and will instead broadcast live from the official Obama youth ball on inauguration night.

The MTV special, “Be the Change: Live from the Inaugural,” will feature live footage of Obama’s remarks at the Youth Inaugural Ball, as well as musical performances from that event.

Be the Change will run simultaneously on all American MTV networks at 10pm Eastern time on Tuesday, January 20, and will be made available to all of MTV’s affiliates worldwide as well.

January 17 Update: Turns out MTV paid the inaugural committee more than half a million bucks for the exclusive rights to Youth Ball footage.

January 21 Update: Obama’s remarks at the youth inaugural can be seen here.

Athens Police March Against Violence

January 16, 2009 in Police, Politics, Students, Town and Gown, Youth | by | Leave a comment

About four hundred Greek police officers gathered in Athens on Thursday to the strains of the Beatles song “Let It Be, “carrying a banner that read “No To Violence.”

“We are protesting because we are part of society,” one officer said. “Violence against the Greek police is violence against Greek society. We’re against any kind of violence.”

Student and youth riots have convulsed Greece since the December police shooting of fifteen-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos.

The Thursday police rally took place not long before one thousand students staged their own protest in central Athens. Although some of those protesters threw rocks and oranges at police, there was no police response and the march ended without violence or arrests.

About This Blog

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StudentActivism.net is the work of Angus Johnston, a historian and advocate of American student organizing.

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