Step One

In all honesty, that protest went far better than anything I could have hoped for. I am really proud of the entire Paton College for showing up and voicing our concerns. An even more positive sign- MUN put out a press release already concerning the protest, and although it provided no new material and continues to spin the issue, it definitely sends a sign that this fight is far from over.

Contact Information

If you have written your MP and your MHA/MLA, try writing some of the following (Please note that the Honourable Joan Burke is the Minister of Education and Anna Thistle is the Official Opposition's critic for Post-Secondary Education):

The Honourable Gerry Reid
Leader of the Official Opposition
Confederation Building, East Block
P.O. Box 8700
St. John’s, NL
A1B 4J6
GerryReid@gov.nl.ca

The Honourable Danny Williams
Premier of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador
Confederation Building, East Block
P.O. Box 8700
St. John’s, NL
A1B 4J6
DannyWilliams@gov.nl.ca

The Honourable Joan Burke
Minister of Education
Confederation Building
P.O. Box 8700
St. John’s, NL
A1B 4J6
JoanBurke@gov.nl.ca

Anna Thistle
MHA, Grand Falls-Buchans District
P.O. Box 8700
St. John’s, NL
A1B 4J6
AnnaThistle@gov.nl.ca
_________________
Thanks to Yuri Gidge
Academic Don, Bowater House
and all around Cool Guy

As I am new at using this whole Blogger software, I'm consequently an idiot. Now, anyone can comment, and if you would like to contribute a writing to the blog, send an email to society.of.active.residents@gmail.com and we can arrange something.

Preparing for the Big Day

Tomorrow is a day that we have to make memorable. At noon tomorrow in the Square, we're going to gather, and show Memorial that we support tradition, that we care about the future of residence life, and that we will not be evicted from our own homes. This is our only chance to speak up and speak out, and I urge everyone to get involved. Talk to fellow residents, and most importantly, show up tomorrow and act intelligently yet aggressively. Together, we can stop this decision in its tracks!

MUN Misses Mark with Latest News Post

Once again, Memorial has missed the mark. In this latest release, the University claims that these changes were made "after considerable consultation with residence student leaders." This is quite a misleading statement, as their "consultation" consisted of asking the Paton College Council what would be hypothetical courses of action if the University were to institute such a policy. This was not put to the council for a vote, nor approval, nor anything beyond a superficial examination. This is hardly what I would like to call "consultation."

In addition, if the university is using this to prop up its decision, then shouldn't the massive number of protesters perhaps remove that pillar of their argument? Residents know what this will do to the spirit of MUN, and we know that losing the input of seniors will equal a rapid erosion of spirit and a sense of community, both on Res and around the MUN campus. MUN has long acknowledged that residence is the heart and soul of school spirit in St. John's, and yet they continually cite "Lack of Spirit" as a main problem plaguing the university. By instituting such a policy, MUN is exacerbating the problem, rather than alleviating it.

Friday

In case you haven't heard (you know, hiding under a rock, etc.) there is scheduled to be a massive protest beginning in the Square at Noon on Friday. There are a few things to stress though before we get too ahead of ourselves.

1. If we protest like idiots, nothing will happen. We have to keep this as civil and decent as we can, because the more credible we appear to be, the more airtime we get on CBC, the more coverage we get on the newspapers because they realize we mean business. So, coming to the protest and bringing a picket sign that mixes various expletives mixed with "MUN" or "Dr. Meisen" is just not acceptable.
   
2. On the other hand, be loud, get riled up, and show everyone how passionate you are about not destroying residence. We have an enormous capacity for change, and if we harness this passion and drive, we can succeed. MUN has a long, proud history of protest, and we cannot let this campaign end up any different.
3. House rivalries have to disappear, folks. I know that's another integral part of the res system, but we can return to that rivalry afterwards. Right now, we have to band together, not as residents of Blackall or Curtis or Burke, but as residents of Burton's Pond and Paton College.

Get ready for the end of the week. It's going to be a wild one.

Thanks to Matt Wright for the Logo!