Update on the Camp, Chomsky, and Management Repression

It is now day 13 (oooh unlucky) of the Camp Against Cuts, and our support is still increasing with every day. We have managed to secure a daily donation of food from Kush in east slope bar, perhaps the safest person on campus, if not the world. The student union council yesterday voted to defend the campers from any attempted punishment by managenment and there is a petition going round to the same effect that has over 200 signitures so far. We have already recieved some press coverage, including a radio interview that should be broadcast today.

Last friday in a live video conference to students at Sussex uni, Noam Chomsky, an intellectual figure highly regarded by linguistics and activists alike (so a good person to be in touch with for a campaign that is in part about saving a linguistics department) spoke elequently of the need to resist the marketisation and commodification of education (the video recording of this conference should be available soon). Then in correspondence with students at the camp he wished the camp success and said he was considering writing a statement condemning management's decision to instigate disciplinary proceedings against students involved in the camp.

This support could not come at a more crucial time for the camp. Today the Vice-Chancellor himself sent an email to ALL members of staff telling them not to support the camp, in response to a sympathic staff memember encouraging his colleagues to come and vist it. The email repeated what was written in their last communication to us that they are "considering what action to take against us" (the full text of the email is at the end of this post). And it is not just the campers who are experiancing repression.

Monday saw the "Cuts Against Cuts" music festival, organised by the Save Linguistics campaign, cancelled by a management body unprecedentedly exceeding its authority by infering with a gig in East Slope Bar, run by the students union! All the efforts that went into organising the festival, which was to be an awareness raising event about the situation at the university was cruelly laid to waste supposedly because it would interfere with revision. However, the real motives behind this are clearly political: management has never infered before in an event such as this, and the fact that the festival was explicitly about opposition to management policy obviously had much more to do with it.

Camp Against Cuts has invited the Save Linguistics campaign, as well as all other concerned members of the university community to a meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) at the camp itself (see previous post) at one o'clock. Hopefully here we can discuss what our shared response to the tactics used by management should be, and reevaluate what we want to see come out of the camp, while building a firmer and larger core block of support.

For anyone to whom the prospect of a serious political discussion isnt that appealling, never fear, for the next day (thursday) at one we are inviting the entire campus to a picnic at the camp, so that all can see just what the real atmosphere at the camp is. Far from the management's fearmongering claims of "riotous and disorderly conduct", it really is just a campsite in the trees with plenty of sunlight, food and all sorts of arts+crafts stuff. Come along and see for yourself.



This is the email the Vice-Chancellor sent today, lies and distortions are highlighted and explained:
To: all staff
From: Michael Farthing, Vice-Chancellor

Staff members of two of the campus trades unions (Unison and UCU) received
an email at the end of last week from a member of staff asking them to
support a small protest camp of students whose tents are pitched outside
the Meeting House. [the camp is actually much closer to the management's own offices than the meeting house. this is important as it's location there means it cannot cause disruption to student's, as no buildings used by students are nearby. This ignores the fact that we deliberatly set it up outside their offices]

I am therefore emailing all staff so that you understand that we are
seeking to remove this camp from the University, and why we cannot stand by
and simply let any form of student protest drag on unchecked. [unchecked? they've been checking up on us everyday, and even reading our facebook messages! if they had found anything in these efforts that would have given them legitimate reason for breaking up the camp, then they would have done so by now]

These students set up their tents overnight on Thursday 21 May, 12 days ago
as I write. They have not sought any discussion or dialogue with anyone
about any particular issue. [we have sent statements to management explaining clearly why we are doing this and set up our camp outside their offices so that they could not ignore us and would have to talk to us. They are the ones who have declined the oppertunity for dialouge. We've been waiting for them to respond to us for almsot two weeks]

On Facebook they initially said they were protesting about decisions made
on linguistics and alleged management action that has "hindered the
progress of the Palestine Solidarity Movement on campus". In a later
statement which they issued to the press, they said this was part of "a
more general protest against the increasing marketisation and
commodification of university education". [the camp has always been against the lack of democracy in the way in which management conduct themselves, of which both their actions with regard to Palestine and the Linguistics courses are clear examples. the increasing marketisation and commodification are the root causes of this lack of democracy. This section of text attempts to make it seem as though our ideas are inconsistant by taking a few lines of text out of context. The placards at the camp have clearly explained our reasons for being there from day 1, as have our numerous public statements]

They have been told repeatedly that they are breaching University
regulations. After one week they were asked to leave, and they have refused
to do so. They are knowingly placing themselves at risk of disciplinary
action being taken. And we are now considering what action we will take. [None of this is untrue, but why is it significant? We have always disputed that we are actually breaking the regulations, which if you read the text were clearly written to prevent non-students setting up camps on campus. The right to protest is protected by the Human Rights Act 1998, a much more significant piece of legislation than the campus park ordinances, if indeed we are even breaking them]

So why are we considering taking action to remove the students? Why not
just leave them be? At first glance, I can see why some people would ask
this. [so can we. because people tend to get suspicious when people in positions of power threatening those they have power over when they peacefully demonstrate against their polcies]

The answer is simple: the University has a responsibility for the safe and
orderly running of the campus, to the thousands of students and staff on
campus, and to hundreds of visitors. Letting this camp continue unchecked
and unchallenged would be a clear failure to uphold this responsibility. [This paragraph implies that we are some kind of threat to the safety of people on campus or the orderly running of the university. We have recieved no complaints from security that lead us to believe that this is the case, and have in fact been assured several times that it is not]

The University regulations clearly state that tents are prohibited on
University grounds. The University has regulations in place for a good
reason.[as mentioned above, this regulation was written for a completely different purpose, to prevent people from outside the university abusing the grounds. We are all students and have prooved this by showing our IDs on the first day, and again a few days later]

The orderly and safe running of the University is not well served by anyone
choosing to pitch tents and live in them on the University grounds. To put
it simply, the University management is in breach of its own regulations by
allowing this situation to continue.[This is a bare assertion that Farthing doesnt even bother to explain, let alone proove, except by the ridiculous hypothetical example below]

For example, if any harm came to any of the students in the camp or to
anyone visiting the camp (directly, indirectly or indeed by chance), then
it would be the University that would be liable and held responsible for
allowing this to continue unchecked.[hypothetically someone could try to sue the university for this, just as they could try to sue them for any accident that might occur on campus. Realistically though, this is extremely unlikely, and in any case we are sure that Farthing's recent £40,000 pay rise could buy a lot of good legal representation]

I am sorry if this approach seems in any way heavy-handed [couldn't be more so if he were wearing concrete gloves], but not to act
would be a dereliction of our responsibilities in the running of the
University. [I'm sure he beleives this, but again, it is yet to be clearly demonstrated why exactly this is the case]

Michael Farthing
Vice-Chancellor



University management like to project an image of absolute authority backed up with coercive power. But this is largely a smokescreen masking the fact that in reality their legal authority is actually pretty weak. They rely mostly on the consent or indifference of the rest of the university community. If we can demonstrate that they no longer have our consent, that the policies they are trying to push through are not those that the people at this university want, and if we show them that we will simply not allow them to get away with it, this is the first step to removing these anti-democratic market-worshipers from power. There's more of us than there are of them and their own security guards do not support them. Lets show them that we are not intimidated by their childish mind-games.
Peace

Open Meeting at the Camp Against Cuts Wednesday 3rd of June

The Camp Against Cuts is over a week and a half old now, surviving wind, rain and intimidation by the management. It was set up on Thursday 21st of May and will run until the end of term, with two main objectives:
The first is to be a constant visual reminder to management of the widespread opposition to the programme of department closures, cuts, lay-offs and attacks to staff that they are undemocratically and underhandedly trying to push through. Recent examples are the planned closure of the Linguistics department (one of the best in the country) and the new “No-Hours” contracts for tutors, which mean they have no guaranteed working hours but have to be constantly on call and can’t get another job or receive jobseekers allowance!
The second purpose of the camp is to be a free space for students and the rest of the university community to use for whichever educational, recreational and political activities they wish. These can include anything from political discussions about how to take the movement on campus forward in the next academic year to skill-sharing workshops to picnics and musical events!

If you have ideas for workshops or talks that you would like to put on at the camp, ideas for new tactics for the protest movement, or even if you just like the idea of the camp and want to get involved, come along to an open meeting at 1pm Wednesday the 3rd of June. This meeting will be run on an open and participatory basis, and aims to be a safe space where everyone can express themselves free from fear of intimidation of any kind. If you can’t make this meeting but would still like to get involved, don’t worry, just come along anytime to the camp between Sussex House and Falmer House and introduce yourself.

Management step up intimidation campaign

On Friday the 29th May University Management identified seven individuals and targeted them with threats of disciplinary action. The camp remained in place regardless and has gathered much student support in response to the intimidatory and underhanded tactics used by management to make a spectacle of those arbitrarily chosen individuals. The recent communication from management states that all students who have been occupying the land outside Sussex House will face disciplinary action for embarrassing the University with it's peaceful protest.

The campers remain optimistic however, and continue to gather support from staff and the student body through petitions.

It is now vital that people come by to support the camp, whether it is to stay the night or just to relax in the shade and have some food or a drink with us.

MONDAY 1ST JUNE, 1.00p.m: WORKSHOP- MAKING WALLETS FROM TETRA PACK CARTONS, BRING OLD JUICE CARTONS AND GET CREATIVE

THURSDAY 4TH JUNE, 1.00p.m: PICNIC! EVERYONE IS WELCOME, BRING SNACKS, BRING MUSIC, BRING FRIENDS, ARRIVE EARLY FOR FREE CAKE AND CHAI TEA!

Celebration of Defiance Tonight at Camp!

"We are going to inherit the earth . There is not the slightest doubt about that. The bourgeoisie may blast and burn its own world before it finally leaves the stage of history. We Are not afraid of ruins. We who ploughed the prairies and built the cities can build again, only better next time. We carry a new world, here in our hearts. That world is growing this minute"... at the Camp Against Cuts! (sorry Durutti)
Anyway...
in response to management's threats (see below) we have decided not to comply with their request to dismantle the camp by five pm today.

To celebrate, and to show management that the opposition to their policies is much larger than the individuals at the camp itself, we are asking people to come to the camp at 4.30 or afterwards with their tents, food, music or whatever they like to keep the camp going. Show your opposition to the cuts to staff and departments, and to the intimidation of peaceful protesters and have fun all at the same time!

B.T.W. There is always tent space and spare blankets for anyone who wants to stay but doesn't have a tent. Come along and say hi anytime!
camp against cuts

Threatening Letter from Management recieved:

University Management Threaten Campers with Disciplinary Proceedures

Today the camp received a letter from University delivered by the Security guards.
This letter names 7 individuals who had their IDs checked on one particular morning, Wednesday. The management clearly do not understand the non-hierarchical mode of organisation employed in the camp, as they asked for the letter to be delivered to the "leader", who does not exist. Also they clearly underestimate the strength of our protest by only naming those seven individuals, presumably as they assume that they are the only people at the camp. In fact there are several times more campers than this and our numbers are increasing every day.
The letter claims that disciplinary proceedures "may" be undertaken against students involved in the camp, as we are supposedly breaching the campus ordinances. However the claim that the camp breaks ordinances is very weakly supported by the actual text of the campus regulations. The only way the text can be interpreted to mean that we are actually breaching regulations is if it could be demonstrated that the camp is disrupting students, education, or that we are damaging the "good name" of the university. To these implicit claims we respond that not only are we not disrupting revision for exams (which are the only form of "education" occuring on campus at this point in the year), we are actually assisting it by using the space in the camp to hold revision sessions. Also, rather than damaging the university's reputation, we are aiding it, by trying to preserve, among other things, the linguistics department, which is world reknowned, and also by carrying on Sussex's proud tradition of student activism.
If anyone is damaging the reputation of this univeristy, it is the current university management by eliminating some of the most respected departments our university has and by clamping down on their own students' freedom to protest.
We urge all who are appalled by this intimidatory action by the university management to come and help us defy their order to dismantle the camp by 5pm on Friday. Come along, bring your tent and any other camping equipment you have and let us show management how strong the opposition to their neoliberal restructuting agenda is.

Camp Against Cuts Statement #1

We, the students of Sussex University, have established our "Camp Against Cuts" outside Sussex House and we declare our right to remain in this space. We are here as a visual representation to staff and students of the opposition to the recent cuts, closures and restructuring of the University, principally the decision to close the Linguistics courses, which was made without the consultation of staff and students and evaded the usual decision making committees.

We declare the reclaimed space to be:

A welcoming, creative, respectful and non-disruptive place
A platform for uniting existing campaigns on campus
A forum for information sharing
A free and open space to be utilised however the staff and students involved see as appropriate
Beyong the jurisdiction of the managing body

Most of all, we maintain our right and intent to stay, as a direct and indefinite protest.

Students will be camping in plain view of the management as a constant visual reminder of the opposition that exists within the hearts and minds of staff and students.

We wish to reassure all concerned that this space is and will continue to be kept clean, tidy and open to all.
we treat this space with respect and are causing no disruption as we make our protest.

We shall at all times treat our reclaimed space with the care and respect befitting it's public nature. We do not however respect the authority of any exterior body to impose upon us sanctions or ordinances as to the land which we regard as a collectively owned space.

Camp Against Cuts: Blogger's report

Set amidst tall trees and long grass, the protest’s relaxed attitude befits its pleasant surrounds. ‘This isn’t about pushing for specific demands’, said Raz Meldau, one of the protesters and an officer in the Student’s Union. ‘It’s about letting management know that there is still opposition to their rash decisions, even in the middle of exam season.’

Read more of Josh's blog.

Camp Against Cuts established 21st May 2009

History of the Camp so far:

Camp Against Cuts was set up on Thursday the 21st if May 2009 in response to a series of greivances against the University of Sussex management.

Background:
In 2006 a new Vice-Chancellors Executive group were appointed at Sussex, and in 2007, a new Vice-Chancellor, Michael Farthing came into office. This administration, since Farthing came in, has been dedicated to a complete restructuring of the university along pro-market, pro-militarist lines. They have used underhanded methods to subvert the long established democratic proceedures at the university, and have put the future of the institution at serious risk.
Sussex has long been known for its reputation for ground breaking research and critical analysis, and the politically and socially engaged culture that this generates amongst the student body.
But all these features of our university are under threat from a management team that cares nothing for university democracy, and only for the interests of corporate power.
2007-8 saw the Sussex Not For Sale campaign, an explicitly anti-marketisation campaign that held the largest demonstrations and mass meetings on campus for twenty years. Though the campaign did a lot to educate students as to what was happening to their university, and to lobby members of university Senate to stop the restructuring proposals from being adopted, this campaign was not backed up by any form of direct action, and failed to present a serious challange to the management.
The restructuring proposal was adopted at the end of the 2007/8 academic year, and the 2008/9 year has seen many of the fears of the Sussex not for Sale campaign realised. Support Staff have had their pension schemes altered, Associate tutors have had their labour contracts downgraded and made much less secure, and whole departments are facing closure, such as Linguistics, one of the best such departments in the world.
There have been many demonstrations throughout the year in response to each of these crises. But no mass movement on the scale of Sussex not for Sale in 2007/8 has emerged to tackle all these issues head on.

Why Camp?

The 2008/9 Academic year is now drawing to a close. The exam period has begun and it is no longer realistic to expect the tactics of mass demonstrations, occupations or petitions to be effective in this context. Hopefully in the 2009/10 year there will be more oppertunity to re-build a large scale movement on campus, but in part this depends on the preparations that are made now. The Camp provides a physical location for politically active students, and any others concerned with the direction the university is headed to come together and communicate on. Unfortunate as it may be, this year has been marked by a sectarian feuding between different political tendencies which has seriously weakened the anti-capitalist movement on campus. We hope that the camp enable communication between all activists and their coming together behind clear objectives.
It is also vital that activists reach out beyond their normal support bases to new students whom they can engage with and allow them to help shape the struggle as it evolves. Therefore the camp is also being used as a space for creative, recreational and educational activities. After all - if we believe in free education, why not start educating people (and ourselves) for free? Since the camp is being held throughout the exam period, it provides a useful space for students to use to help each other with their revision, in a much more pleasant environment than the Library.
The main purpose of the camp though, regardless of how well it performs in the tasks outlined above, is to provide a visible show of opposition to the management. It is set up outside Sussex house, where the management offices are located. The camp is to last the entire length of the exam period, a time when management usually are free from the attention of protesters. Thus, the widespread opposition to management, that is expressed so often in political discussions, private grumblings and unspoken thoughts by so many at our university, will at least have some form of tangible expression.
So whether you are an experianced activist, a recently concerned student, or member of staff worried about the future of you job here, come and play a part in the Camp Against Cuts and help build a new movement to reclaim our univerisity.