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Living in the Shadows: Undocumented Children Strive to Succeed |
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by Sofia Jarrin-Thomas, sofiajt (nospam) yahoo.com |
 As an immigrant, Araceli has a hard time feeling like she belongs. She fled social unrest in Guatemala with her family when she was only five years old, speaks English better than Spanish, but has been forced to live in the fringes of society because she is considered illegal. “I’ve been here for sixteen years. I consider myself an American,” she said.
The first time she found out about her status was when she tried to apply for college and was told the benefit of a higher education did not apply to her. One year after graduating from high school with a 3.5 GPA and unable to work legally in this country, she feels uneasy about her future. “Put your self in my shoes. I want an education and a career,” she said. |
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09 May 2005
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Filed under: News / Education : Globalization : Human Rights : Labor |
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The Emerson Student Strike |
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by Jake, trenchesfullofpoets (nospam) riseup.net |
 Last Wednesday and Thursday, Emerson students went on strike in support of our faculty union, struggling to keep their union contracts and shared governance. The professors have had a union for thirty years, but now as the administration takes steps to move the college towards becoming more of a corporation and less of a place of education, the administration is trying to bust the union. On Wednesday and Thursday, a large portion of the Emerson student body boycotted class. We had a march and rally of about 300 on Wednssday, and slightly more on Thursday. From what I've been able to figure most of the student population went on strike, but there's really no way of knowing exactly how many did, as a lot of teachers didn't mark boycotting students absent. |
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22 Apr 2005
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Filed under: News / Education : Labor |
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Grad students and allies in Northeast fight back |
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by Bryan G. Pfeifer, bgp (nospam) iacboston.org |
 Graduate student-workers and their allies at three of the biggest universities in the Northeast are engaging in massive, spirited work actions this week.
On Monday, April 18 the Graduate Student Employees United-UAW 2110 (www.2110uaw.org/gseu) at Columbia University and the Graduate Employees and Students Organization-UNITE-HERE at Yale (www.yaleunions.org/geso) began a joint week-long strike for recognition. On April 20 at Columbia a 4 p.m. "Rally for Justice" at 116th and Broadway is scheduled. |
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19 Apr 2005
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Filed under: News / Education : Labor |
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Massive Day of Protest at Boston College in Support of Gay Rights |
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by Rev. Oscar Lucion, referendum (nospam) bcglbt.org |
 On Friday, April 15, 2005 over 1,000 students, professors and administrators gathered in support of ending discrimination against members of the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Transgender (GLBT) community at Boston College. As student organizers called for a university strike, hundreds of students opted not to attend classes, with dozens of professors expressing their solidarity by canceling their sections.
The official notice of non-discrimination for Boston College does not offer any legal protection from discrimination for members of the GLBT community. In fact the clause is written in a manner to deliberately invoke an exemption from Massachusetts anti-discrimination laws. For over a decade students and faculty have worked to get “sexual orientation” included in the statement, but their requests have repeatedly been rejected by the University. |
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15 Apr 2005
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Filed under: News / Education : GLBT/Queer |
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Graduate students at UMass-Amherst say no contract, no peace |
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by Bryan G. Pfeifer, bgp (nospam) iacboston.org |
 With support of progressive campus community...
Graduate students say no contract, no peace
Build largest march and rally in years
AMHERST, MA – Facing multi-faceted assaults by the administration and its class allies, students and progressive campus community members realizing the historic importance and national implications of this struggle, responded March 31 with one of the largest mass action in years.
Over 600 students-graduate and undergraduate-union allies and campus community members answered the call of the Graduate Employee Organization, UAW Local 2322 for a "March for fair wages, healthcare, benefits and childcare," in response to the administration’s refusal to bargain in good faith. |
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04 Apr 2005
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Filed under: News / Education : Labor |
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Soft-drink Giant Benefits from Contributions to the Bush Administration |
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by Sofia Jarrin-Thomas, sofiajt (nospam) yahoo.com |
 Contributions from Coca-Cola and its enterprises to federal candidates and parties rose as much as 31% between 1998 and 2004, with the greatest concentration of funds during the 2000 election, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Seventy-one percent of those contributions, or $2,483,283, went to the Republican Party and GOP candidates. Relationships between the soft-drink giant and Bush’s chums have indeed gone sweeter since many issues affecting Coca-Cola’s assets are at stake: soda consumption in schools, environmental standards, bottled water labeling, and human rights concerns overseas. |
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25 Mar 2005
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Filed under: News / Education : Environment : International : Politics |
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Springfield teachers fight back against control board |
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by Bryan G. Pfeifer, bgp (nospam) iacboston.org |
 In the midst of a Northeastern snow storm which eventually dumped over seven inches of snow on the area that day, over 800 teachers and their allies packed the Central High School auditorium March 1 for a public speak-out to tell the city's Finance Control Board: Hands off teachers and all city workers! The public forum, part of an ongoing campaign by the Springfield Teachers Association, exposed the control board's attempts to move money out of the already-strapped school budget to pay for other city expenses; its unilateral cuts in benefits that will cost city employees, including educators, thousands of dollars; and threatening even further cuts to the wages and benefits of teachers and other city employees. |
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08 Mar 2005
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Filed under: News / Education : Labor : Race |
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Boston Students Challenge Mayor on Police Violence, Less Lethal Weapons |
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by boston area student groups, kegibson (nospam) MIT.edu |
 On the eve of the Super Bowl, we as Boston area students call on Mayor Menino to publicly assert the need for Boston Police to protect the health and welfare of anyone who wishes to celebrate a New England Patriots victory in the streets of Boston. Bostonians have been gravely harmed by the police responses to public gatherings of sports fans, and the city must reverse course immediately.
Students, who comprise a major part of the Boston area community, remain outraged at their official portrayal as "hooligans" and "thugs" somehow responsible for the death of Emerson College student Victoria Snelgrove. The fact remains that this student was killed by an unjustified police action against a non-violent person. Nevertheless, Mayor Menino continues to scapegoat students, portraying them as violence prone and irresponsible. |
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