Peace rally planned

Students from across Montreal will be holding another anti-war demonstration this Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at Berri Square.

Organizers held a meeting at Concordia on Sunday evening to discuss details of the events. CSU VP Communications Yves Engler said the group, composed of high school, CEGEP and university students hope to capitalize on the momentum of the previous two peace marches in downtown Montreal. This march will mark the third time in one week that peace activists take to the streets of Montreal.

This week’s demo will be different from the previous two in that it won’t focus solely on the American consulate, said Engler. Instead, research is being done into what companies based in Montreal profit from wartime activities and protesters plan to hold brief rallies outside each one.

Admin foot dragging?

The CSU is accusing the administration of continuing to drag its feet and using stalling tactics in negotiations concerning a university-wide investigation into racism on campus.

At a general assembly earlier this month, students in attendance voted in favour of a proposal to launch a joint inquiry by the CSU and university administration into racism at Concordia.

CSU representatives met with Dean of Students Charles Bertrand last week to discuss the inquiry. The meeting came at the March 19 deadline the CSU had given the administration to begin negotiations, or else face pressure tactics form the student body.

Although the meeting went well, said CSU VP Communications Yves Engler, there was no firm commitment put forward on the part of the administration.

Bertrand told the CSU representatives that he would set up a meeting between themselves and Rector Frederick Lowy for either Monday or Tuesday this week, said Engler. When Monday afternoon rolled around without any word, Engler contacted Lowy personally to discuss the meeting.

Lowy said he was waiting for the preliminary report the CSU had put together concerning racism on campus, a project they had been working on since last fall. According to Engler, though, receipt of a copy of the report had not previously been a prerequisite for a meeting. Engler agreed to forward it on.

Until the meeting with Bertrand, the administration had been hesitant to even sit down with the CSU, saying that racism was not an issue on campus and that no inquiry would be needed.

It is not known when the next meeting between the administration and the CSU will be held. Engler hopes it will be soon, so the process can begin before students leave for the summer.

Bertrand was not available for comment before deadline.

Comments are closed.

Related Posts