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U of G students rally for equity in education and race (5 photos)

Day of Action for Education and Equity rally held on campus

As the University of Guelph's Board of Governors prepares a budget that will in all likelihood include another tuition fee hike, students rallied for more affordable education and equity at the school on Thursday.

"Education is a right, we will not give up the fight. Education is a right, not just for the rich and white," chanted a group of around 50 students and supporters in the University Centre.

The rally was part of the Day of Action for Education and Equity organized by the Central Student Association, which protested fee increases, budget cuts and anti-black racism on campus.

It was part of a cross-country event organized by the Canadian Federation of Students.

"There is a huge issue of access ... we are creating a society where only those that can afford it can afford to attend post-secondary education," said Scarlett Raczycki, local affairs commissioner with the Central Student Association.

"High tuition fees endanger access, they perpetuate systems of oppression and they function to keep our universities from doing what they were meant to do: to create critical thinkers, incredible learners and people that can see things in the world that need to be fixed and figure out how to fix them," Raczycki said.

Last year the tuition fees for most undergraduate programs rose 2.95 per cent, the 10th consecutive year that tuition fees have gone up at the U of G. The biggest increase allowed by the province for most programs is 3 per cent and Guelph has been at or near that for several years in a row.

Organizers on Thursday said that translates to between an extra $200 to $400 in cost for most students.

As part of the budget process, a town hall meeting is planned for campus on March 7 at noon in Peter Clark Hall.

Savannah Clarke and Yasmin Mumed spoke on behalf of the U of G's Black Liberation Collective on Thursday, calling for the school to address racism in a more meaningful manner.

The collective wants an increase in black faculty, administration and staff, increase the number of black students, establish equity training, increase funding support options specifically for black students, establish "appropriate cultural wellness services" for black students, provide funding and support for a full-time position at the school's C.J. Munford Resource Centre for students of colour and establish a black, African and Caribbean studies department.

Clarke said it's about dignity and respect.

"The only time that we can overcome that is when we acknowledge that that is an issue," Clarke said.

"The fact that we don't have anti-oppression training for first year students on this campus is ridiculous to me," said Mumed, a fifth-year student.

"We don't talk about it. This university chooses to ignore it. They don't address it. But they will still use the faces of black students to promote the university. You'll still see that one black student on their flyer and on their posters, but when we get here there is nothing here for us."

Union representatives protesting job cuts and wages and members of the school's Fossil Free Guelph organization also spoke Thursday afternoon.

An evening portion of the event featured two South African students speaking about how students collectively stopped a 11.5% percent tuition fee increase in South Africa last year.


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Tony Saxon

About the Author: Tony Saxon

Tony Saxon has had a rich and varied 30 year career as a journalist, an award winning correspondent, columnist, reporter, feature writer and photographer.
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