Post-secondary students of St. John’s, Newfoundland took a stand on November 8, to demand free and accessible post-secondary education from the local government. Part of the campaign for free education of the Canadian Federation of Students, this action was led by the Memorial University of Newfoundland Student Union (MUNSU) and joined by Memorial students and students from the College of the North Atlantic. Hundreds of students marched from campus to the Confederation building to make their demands.
The event itself took place in less than ideal weather conditions. “The rain was coming in sideways, it was extremely cold, but there was a real feeling of solidarity despite the rain,” said John Harris, MUNSU director of external affairs. “Regardless, we wanted to go out and show that students could not be ignored.” The event was well attended, with hundreds of students and numerous community leaders. Many local unions came out in solidarity, including the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers Association, MUN Faculty Association, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public Employees. Students and union leaders alike spoke about the importance of free education, specifically in the context of the cost of living crisis, and demanded immediate allocation of post-secondary education funding. The militancy of MUNSU and local unions was on full display.
The Memorial student union has a storied history of student militancy and advocacy for student interests. John Harris described an example: “At one point in the 1970s, Lord Taylor, past president of the university, was trying to bust the student union by withholding their fees. This led to the historic occupation of the Arts and Administration Building.” In 1972, the student union successfully occupied the building for 10 days in protest. 1,500 students occupied the building and managed to remain during that period of time through the effective organization of food allocation, security, and protest entertainment. This occupation led to the administration reversing their decision.
But this militancy has not only kept the union alive, it has built buildings. In 1980, Judy Lynn Ford was killed by a vehicle since she had no choice but to cross an unsafe street in order to reach her destination across campus. In response, thousands of students blocked off traffic in the area for a week. Local fast food joints provided meals to the students throughout the block and thousands of high school students also showed up in support. Eventually the university was forced to take action. The result of this militancy was the creation of the University Centre building and the pedways over the unsafe street crossing.
In 1999, the active student body was able to keep tuition from increasing. This tuition freeze lasted 22 years and is what made MUN known as one of the most affordable universities in Canada. These actions saved millions of student dollars. Recently, under former MUN president Vianne Timmons and the Andrew Furey government, tuition rates were doubled for students. When asked about how the student union would address the issues students face, John emphasized solidarity. “Students are workers; we want to work with our union partners to build a coalition and increase solidarity within our labour movement. The student movement and the labour movement have always gone hand in hand.” Through a combination of student militancy and solidarity with the labour movement, students of Memorial University have an opportunity to make demands that will benefit working-class interests. More demonstrations demanding free education are necessary and the November 8 protests showed students the strength of militancy and solidarity. Memorial students remain hopeful — effective organizing has won them major gains in the past as it will in the future.