University Campus Actions

Statement (PDF)

Email List for Education Activists

A list that has been formed to link AEU, NTEU (branches AND rank and file) education activists, and student organisations.

Check out the site at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/ewaw

Join by sending an email to ewaw@yahoogroups.com

The Nelson Review and the looming war budget will be devastating for public education - and we feel that it's time to work together.

The list is national, and members are encouraged to post campaign information, share resources, strategise, and report our successes! Select the inbox friendly "announcement only" option for weekly updates, or (if your really keen) the "individual emails" option. Please forward the details of this list to your networks - there are many grassroots actions in the education sector, and we hope to link them all.

Thanks again,

Ms Cobina Crawford,

Women's Researcher, Latrobe University.

(03)9479 5590.

Australian National University

Anti-war teach-in (draft)

Saturday 5 April 10am – 5.30pm

Venue: Manning Clark Centre, ANU

10am

· Registration

10.30 – 11.25am

· A Brief History of Iraq

Prof. Amin Saikal

· US imperialism – from the Halls of Montezuma to the Gulf

Dr. Alastair Greig

11.30 noon – 12.25pm

· Israel and Palestine

Kathryn Kelly (recently returned from the Occupied Territories)

· The UN – whose friend, whose foe?

Speaker to be advised

12.30- 2pm

Lunch

2pm- 2.55pm

· Australia and its “Great and Powerful Friends”

James V. to arrange

· Imperial Power in the Age of Globalisation

Dr John Minns

2.55 – 3.15pm

Afternoon tea

3.15 – 5.30pm

· Plenary - Building an Anti-war Movement

* anti-Vietnam activist – Harry Van Moorst

* leading anti-war union figure – Clive Haggar (AEU) or Gil Anderson (LHMEU)

* ACTNOW analysis - Dr Rick Kuhn

In ordinary sessions, presentations to be 25-30 mins max. followed by 25-30 mins discussion.

In the plenary session, presentations are to be 20 mins. max. followed by 60 mins discussion and 5 mins summing up per speaker.

Lunch

Calypso has been approached. However, they won’t stay open unless we pay them to cater. They will provide sandwiches - but at a cost of $6-$7 per head. Since we probably can’t increase the unwaged/student registration costs at all, we would have to raise the waged registration by at least $10 to cover this. I don’t think this is worth it. Accordingly, I have allowed a longer lunch period than usual to enable people to go into town. I suggest we list nearby eating places that will be open at that time.

· MCC T2 (capacity 333) - $629:00

· MCC T5 (capacity 83) - $249:00

· MCC T6 (Capacity 76) - $242:00

· Cleaning - $80:00

Total cost of Venue Hire - $1200:00

· Airfare and accommodation for Harry Van Moorst - $500 approx.

· Printing - $350 approx.

· Tea, coffee, etc - $50

Total costs - $2,100

Registration

· Waged - $15

· Unwaged, student - $5

Estimate

· 150-200 registrations should break even.

University of Sydney

Resolution passed at Sydney University 18th March meeting of approximate 500 staff and students, on Front lawn, chaired by Mel Slee, with speakers Grahame McCulloch, Joe Haylen, SRC president, and Stuart Rees, Head of the Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies.

“This meeting of staff and students of the University of Sydney condemns the Australian Government’s commitment to war on Iraq.

The meeting of staff and students also calls upon the Senate of the University of Sydney to:

1. declare the University’s opposition to a war on Iraq; and,

2. counsel the Federal Government that the declaration of war:

a) is in contravention of international law;

b) will jeopardize the cause of world peace and harmony; and

c) will serve to foster divisions within the Australian community and exacerbate ethnic and religious tensions.”

UNSW Campus Opposes War

By Susan Price

SYDNEY -- More than 500 staff and students from the University of

NSW (including the College of Fine Arts at Paddington) gathered

together on the Library Lawn at lunchtime on March 18 to express

their outrage over Prime Minister Howard's early-morning decision to

commit Australian troops for a US-led war on Iraq.

The protest was supported by the UNSW NTEU Branch, Students Against

War, Books Not Bombs and several departments of the UNSW Student

Guild, including Activities, Environment, Women's and International

Students.

The rally was chaired by Susan Price, Branch Committee member of the

UNSW NTEU, and was addressed by Sue Green, Director of Indigenous

Programs at UNSW, Mike Donaldson, NSW Secretary of the NTEU, Shannon

McDermott from UNSW Students Against War and Tamara Pearson from

Books Not Bombs.

Rally participants recited the "Pledge of Resistance" produced by the

US anti-war organisation Not In Our Name, and were informed that the

UNSW NTEU has adopted a 4pm stop-work on the day bombing starts, to

enable both staff and students to get to the emergency rally at Town

Hall at 5pm. Several staff and students gave impassioned impromptu

speeches during the open microphone session at the conclusion of the

rally.

Students and staff will meet again on March 20 to organise further

action at UNSW, including the Student Strike Against War planned for

March 26, and plans are underway for a candle-light vigil that

evening on campus.

MORE TO COME AFTER THURSDAY'S MEETING