|
March 5, 2012 Concordia's official position on student protests Dear colleague, One Faculty student association and several student departmental associations have voted in favour of boycotting classes, with action beginning as early as today. Students are taking this action to protest proposed increases in tuition fees, as announced by the Quebec government in last year’s budget. Other departmental student associations, as well as the Concordia Student Union (CSU) and Graduate Students’ Association (GSA), will hold votes this week to determine their courses of action, including a boycott of classes. In light of conflicting messages, this communication serves to provide faculty members and staff with Concordia’s position. First, Concordia has a responsibility to provide services that are part of its agreement with its students, even if some students choose not to attend class as a form of protest. Therefore, the university will continue regular operations during student tuition protests. All faculty members are expected to fulfill their current duties and responsibilities, and all staff members are expected to report for work. Standard services will remain available and all instructional activities, including classes, tutorials, labs and studio sessions, will be held as scheduled. Second, the university fully respects the freedom of students to express their views on important issues, and has worked with student leaders to ensure this freedom is respected. However, the expectation is that protests are permitted subject to the university’s Code of Rights and Responsibilities (Policy BD-3) [PDF] and Security Policy (VPS-20) [PDF]. With respect to questions regarding "academic amnesty," personal safety and "picket line" protocol, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions about Student Protests [PDF]. Please forward additional questions to internalcomms@concordia.ca. You should be aware that we plan to communicate the university’s position to all students on March 8, following the votes by the CSU and GSA. Sincerely, David Graham, PhD
|