Tuition activities

By Mary Chan

Students hoping for a repeat performance of last year’s tuition fight extravaganza will have to look to the Revolutionary Anarchist Kollective for activities.

"Like last year, we’re trying to mobilize the student population as much as possible for the short term goal of a tuition freeze," said RAK member Wesley Morgan. "In the long term, we want to promote the five point program for tuition abolition."

According to Morgan, the five points are: abolish tuition; grants not loans; eliminate student debt; democratize administration and governance of the university; and end corporate deals.

RAK has several activities planned for the weeks leading up to the Feb. 4 Board of Governors meeting where board members will vote to increase next year’s tuition.

"A huge information campaign is so crucial, [like] postering, leafleting, tables in Mac Hall," said Morgan.

RAK is also helping students call provincial politicians and U of C administrators like Premier Ralph Klein and U of C President Terry White.

"We’re getting the Puff ‘N’ Pop and setting up a phone down there for people to call and let them know what they think," said Morgan.

The Students’ Union, which reached an agreement with the university on the tuition increases, will hold its own campaign directed towards the provincial government, beginning with a postcard campaign starting Jan. 26.

"We see the energy and interest that the tuition discussion creates as being an excellent opportunity to kick off some of our lobbying activities towards the province," said SU President Rob South.

RAK’s activities lead up to the BoG meeting on Feb. 4 at 8 a.m., in the RGO room in Scurfield Hall.

"Everything is leading up to a mass rally on Feb. 4 outside the BoG meeting, which we encourage everyone to come out to," said Morgan. "We’ll be meeting at 8 o’clock on the morning in the void where the stairs in MacHall used to be."

The SU also encourages students to come to the meeting.

"We’d still very much like students to come out to the board meeting to remind the board how important an issue this is to us," said South.