Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2001 03:37:53 -0800
From:
To: message@esmartstudent.com
Subject: CUPE STRIKE


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As a graduate of Atkinson and a retired member of the York staff I am
appalled by the CUPE p/time teachers and graduate students strike, no less
than I was appalled by the YUFA strike some three years ago. Although I
can understand some of their demands, this brings disgrace to our
University. If, as one professor said (and probably more). that the
Administration is running the University like a corporation, then maybe
they haven't realized that as corporate businesses have customers so does
York. Wake up from your navel-gazing: IT HAPPENS TO BE THE
P A Y I N
G STUDENTS. I see no caring about the paying students in this
mess-turned-deadlock situation, no giving them a return for their money.

They are being treated like pawns by CUPE. As well, I cannot see good
administration or the strike wouldn't still be on and in a situation of
deadlock for the second term. Added to this, I cannot understand why the
students have not shouted in accord for their classes. They have paid for
something they are not getting. Is this apathy, or are they totally
traumatized by the situation?
.
Students attended a class called at an off-campus location. They were led
to believe that the professor, who is totally 100% for the strike now felt
it was time to hold a class, to do something for the students. For two
hours he tried to get the students to talk. Mostly they remained mute,
maybe because they felt their grades would suffer if they expressed their
irate opinions. He read a childish short-sighted poem, he made childish
comments about the Administration. I suppose as a member of Senate he
thinks they are supposed to call all the shots. One student, I think
voiced what most must really be thinking. That the strike is ruining his
year, his graduation, his life, at present. I agree. I could cry for the
students.

I don't understand why some students think the University is making a
profit. This must be fed propaganda. The University may be and should be
building up a safety-net budget for the future because the governments have
pulled back huge amounts of monetary support over the past ten to fifteen
years and may continue to do so. Teachers (and students) should be
approaching the governments for this is where the problem has stemmed from.


I spent 23 years working at York, and received my BA at York. I honoured
York and my Professors on the day I graduated. I was so proud of us all
on
that day. Everyone was part of my success. Yet I listened to a Professor
whom I have liked and respected for years, tell the students who have
missed almost a term that this doesn't matter, they can still get their
credit if they write a longer essay, and he writes longer notes on each
essay. What about first year students who need more than this in their
first term, the discussions and the questions that come out of reading the
text? I don't think he even realised that he was tearing down the worth
of the professors in the classroom, and contradicting what a Professor
is
expected, by mandate, to do during the school year to educate the student
and the hours that students have to be in the classroom learning to
ultimately receive their credits. In my view he totally demeaned his
profession. It was distressing to listen to his reiterations for nearly
two
hours, when a lecture had been anticipated. Even if the students can spare
the time to continue through to May, many are probably now too angry or
even too traumatized and weary of spirit by this deadlock situation.

I have two points to make to the graduate students. First, graduate
students should realise that they are serving an apprenticeship. I wish
I
had had the possibility to go this route many years ago. It was not
available then. They are lucky to have the opportunity to earn while they
learn. What the year costs them and whether they can swing it is their
decision. Sure they will be in debt (so is the undergraduate when he/she
goes out into the world to work), but even though they may not start with
the highest salary they will know that not too far ahead of them they will
be getting a very good salary, and as PhD graduates they can be
writing/publishing, too. This is their choice, and nothing comes to any
of
us on "a silver plate" and to take the academic route is knowing that there
will be lean years before the fat years. (The latter must be the case or
the full-time Professors would not be able to afford to take an illegal
strike.) I fully believe your assisting in the education of the students
is valuable, but what you are doing is also valuable to yourselves because
you are getting "hands on" education. Also, many of you assist the
full-time academics in their research and get paid for it. When the
Education student goes out into the public school classroom as part of
their programme, they do not get paid to my knowledge. It is a necessary
requirement to complete the degree.

Secondly, the students you are supposed to be educating but are not because
of your mean strike, as well as the graduates who have gone out into the
world, will not and are not given promises of job security. This is a
ridiculous demand. Everyone knows that unfortunately we are living in an
age where there is no such thing as job security, even unwritten or
unspoken. In fact, it has been stated that most young people now will
change career paths several times in their working lives because of the
fast changing workplace. In non-unionized and unionized environments there
have been tremendous downsizing of workers during the 1990s and this still
continues. So why should you demand job security?

These opinions may
not be popular, also I may lose a friend or two, but I
find this situation totally distressing, particularly for the students and
York's reputation. I have to take advantage of your message board.

Distressed for the students.




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