Posted on 11/15/2007 9:47:28 AM PST by Disturbin
Members of the University of Massachusetts Republican club spoke out against today's planned student strike during a rally on the steps of the Student Union at noon yesterday.
Standing below a display advertising the two-day student boycott of classes in the window of the Student Government Association [SGA] offices, Republican club leaders called the strike a "politically motivated stunt" and the grievances filed by the SGA and Graduate Student Senate [GSS] "ridiculous."
"These two misguided and self-interested student organizations do not care about the best interests of all students," said club President Brad DeFlumeri. "Rather, they are calling a strike to pursue a political agenda that includes the glorification of GSS President Jeff Napolitano."
Speakers took turns refuting the list of demands presented by the SGA and GSS including rolling back student fees, increasing diversity funding and accountability, regaining student control over student space and bringing an end to alleged patrols of plainclothes police officers in residence halls.
"The Republican club feels that the GSS and SGA are not representing their constituents properly," said Greg Collins, vice president of the Republican club.
Collins said the calls for a student strike were encouraging teachers and graduate students to cancel classes thus undermining the education of undergraduates. He also called the grievances filed by the GSS and SGA misguided.
"We feel that the GSS and the student senate and SGA focus too much on racial diversity and socio-economic diversity," Collins said. "We already have diverse organizations in relation to different religions, different faiths, different ethnic and cultural groups."
According to Collins, increasing funding for outreach programs for poorer high school students in the Commonwealth while at the same time rolling back student fees is illogical.
Collins also called the demand for an end to patrols of plainclothes policemen in residence halls "unjustified."
(Excerpt) Read more at media.www.dailycollegian.com ...
Anyone sympathetic?
NOPE, and, the teachers in this school will NOT punish students who participate in this ridiculous walk out,,,IMO, the teachers are part of the problem, these students should be marked absent, taught right from wrong and be forced to make up the class on,,,,oh say maybe a Saturday nite..........
I agree. When I was in college, the rule was three unexcused absences and you fail that particular course.
....if some of these kids don’t want police protection then pull the cops from their dorms and leave the cops in others....betcha 10 to 1 most kids would volunteer to live in policed dorms...especially the girls.
You don’t go to ZOOMASS, you end up there.
From another story:
“The protest, organized by the Student Government Association and the Graduate Student Senate, is being held to voice student concerns about high mandatory attendance fees, a perceived lack of attention to diversity in the student population, inhibited student use of campus buildings and police allegedly patrolling dormitories.”
“Over 100 professors signed a pledge confirming that they would not punish students for skipping class during the protest.”
Be interesting to know how many are protesting high fees and how many are protesting lack of ‘diversity’. Bit of a mixed bag, there.
“At what point will these brave UMass strikers have their own epiphanies?”
The day after mom and dad stop paying their bills.
One thing I always found kind of laughable is the concept of a “student strike”. I mean, so what if you don’t go to your classes? You’re the only one losing out. Still have to pay your tuition. The school is still open. The professors are still being paid (in fact, some of them probably like having a couple of days off). As far as I can see, the only ones being negatively impacted are the students and their parents, assuming the parents are paying the bills. I thought the idea of a “strike” was to inflict hardship on one of the parties involved in the dispute. Here, they are only hurting themselves. Real effective, that.
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