Its not enough to curse the darkness
You must light a candle

When I was there Sussex was barely scraping forward. Took months to get essays back with just two or three line comments. Two minutes a term to talk to supervisors, etc. Students asked to mark their own work. Library constantly not having the books that were needed. Shambles. And money being wasted on Parisian Courtyards and a 'mere' 100,000 quid on a new bloody logo!

up the occupation!!!

best place for them. may even read a book.

yeah, its great to see this kind of action. university campuses are all to often apathetic and unaware so its wicked to see people doing this sort of thing, well done guys. good luck with the fight

From an alumnus from Keele Uni.

Below is a rundown of the occupation, it didnt last all night, for good reason i think.
The fight continues....
(ps, will try to ad photos!!)

ps,
Are other student groups aware of the European Students Forum in the Basque Country from the 24th-26 march? Are any unis thinking of sending delegations?
www.gaztesarea.net/bereziak/ikaslegailurra

------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------

On the eve of Wednesday 8th March 2006 the Sussex University library
was
held open past its 9:30pm closing time when over 100 Sussex University students
held
a ‘learn-in’ in protest over the continued degradation of the quality
of
their education.

Amongst many activities, discussions (‘libraries as communist anomalies
within capitalism’, ‘education and war,’ etc), workshops (creative
writing, yoga, activist training, etc), book readings, film showings,
international student networking and plain old dissertation writing
were
are held successfully. The atmosphere inside the library was
breathtaking.

Students agreed by equal consensus to leave at 2am in respect for the
Library building manager (whose name this author has shamefully
forgotten)
and possibly other library staff who could only go to sleep when
students
left. Library staff were very understanding and so were Security. It
seems
like the vast majority at Sussex University are against the Vice
Chancellor
Alasdair Smith in particular and the problems facing students and
workers
globally in general. Apparently the university [mis]management is
shaking
in their knees. They've come to realise that their positions are soon
to
be history!

The action was in full support of all AUT industrial action, the
sortUSout
campaign, and the global fight for free high quality education the
world
over (as this is being written 45 universities in France are on strike
or
under student occupation! - www.stopcpe.net). Through privatisation and
corporatisation financial profit for the few is being put over the
right
of education for all, globally.

Students and staff at Sussex University are tired of empty words and
silent blows. Together we demand change.

+++ The next demonstration +++ (all students and staff invited):
Tuesday 14th March, 12pm, from Library Square.

------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------

++Press Release ++ (drafted inside the occupied library):
Over 100 Sussex students have gathered in the library, the hub of the
education system, to protest their unease at the financial
mismanagement
of Sussex University. The Vice Chancellor Alistair Smith has presided
over
a dramatic deficit of four million pounds. This has resulted in staff
cuts, lack of student/tutor contact time and cuts to multiple courses.
The students have peacefully occupied the space since 9.30pm. They have
successfully been forming their own workshops with the intent to
educate
themselves whilst the University refuses to.

We are protesting against:

- Lack of teaching hours in many arts and humanities courses
- Severe lack of food provision on campus
- Challenging cuts to interdisciplinary courses and cuts to courses
advertised in the 2005/06 prospectus
- Opposition to rent rises privatisation of university campus
residencies
- Opposition to the introduction of top-up fees

The students demand:
- A minimum of eight contact hours per week for every course
- No departmental closures- no cuts to interdisciplinary course
- Cheap healthy meals to be available all day on campus
- Essential reading should be available for all students in the library
- Adequate affordable and well-maintained university managed housing
for
all first years. No more rent rises beyond inflation
- Free and equal education for all- Do not introduce top up fees and a
living grant for all

Students are demanding a response to all their demands from their Vice
Chancellor.

Members of the student body and sortUSout campaign have been sharing
their
skills and discussing tactics for further actions to achieve their aims
in
the campaign as well as further workshops. This is to empower and
organize
in the belief that people should control their own lives and work
together
as equals and they extend solidarity to student movements fighting
privatisation and corporatisation of their higher education throughout
the
world.
------------------------------------------

from edinburgh uni socialists society. Continue the struggle.

Viva the occupation...

Photos from the library learn-in.

Kisses X

Total support to you all from me (Roman History lecturer at Manchester Uni). I will be bringing this to the attention of our students!

All the best,
Squatticus

Very glad to see students on the move again. Hope you we all will stay clear of political parties this time, and respect and guard the autonomy of each sector of us. Women, what are you thinking/doing with those of us not students?

Secondly, there is one country in the world where education is free and open to all at every level :: revolutionary Venezuela. Global women's Strike and Payday men's network just returned and filmed some of it see website www.globalwomenstrike.net for news of when video will be ready for showing. Meanwhile there are other vids of revolutionary grassroots Venezuela.