STUDENTS PUT U of T PRESIDENT ON TRIAL

RALLY: JANUARY 21 AT 4:00 PM
University of Toronto, Simcoe Hall, 27 King’s College Circle
Toronto- As Naylor’s term expires in June 2010, the Governing Council conducted a review with the possibility of a five-year extension. The review hurriedly took place the week after winter holidays, wherein there were discussions, largely behind closed doors, as part of an opaque review process. Students and community members dissatisfied with the decisions implemented during David Naylor's term are braving the cold and undertaking their own community based review - out in the open, with music, speakers, performers and hot corn soup!
“Under David Naylor, we have witnessed an unequivocal attack on access and equity. Tuition has skyrocketed with Ontario undergraduates paying the highest fees in Canada. To add insult to injury, the University of Toronto recently decided to charge students a flat fee. This represents a 66% increase for students taking 3 or 3.5 courses if fully implemented in 2011", said APUS President, Jeff Peters.
Yet despite such reckless fee hikes, the University has simultaneously made cutbacks to vital equity programs including Area Studies, the Transitional Year Program, Disability Studies, Women and Gender Studies, Sexual Diversity Studies and many other major programs. The University also faces continued challenges and risks having its role significantly diminished due to debilitating budget cuts and a refusal by the central administration to replace retired faculty. For undergraduates these cuts have meant increasing class sizes, greater reliance on contract teaching staff and a diminished student experience. The reason cited for such irresponsible cutbacks is an endowment loss of up to 30% on account of the economic downturn; yet the administration is not taking responsibility for poor investment choices made under Naylor's leadership.
However, while the University screams poor when it comes to funding equity related programs, Naylor’s administration is prepared to spend tens of millions on corporate expansions to the Rotman School of Management, construction of the Munk Centre’s new Lassonde Mining Building, and elitist high-performance sports venues for the 2015 Pan American Games. These proposed capital projects (primarily the athletics facilities) will mean an inflation of user-fees for students who are already struggling to meet the rising cost of post-secondary education. One such venue, the Centre for High Performance Sport, will even evict the part-time student union, which has yet to be offered alternative space options. This clearly reflects the University’s skewed priorities. Under Naylor’s direction, education – long considered a right – has steadily become a privilege only for those with economic means.
Naylor's administration was also complacent while Toronto Police, based on a university investigation, handed trumped up criminal charges to 14 members of the University community, following a peaceful sit-in at the President’s office in March 2008, to protest a fee increase. To date, all charges have been dropped, stayed or withdrawn. Numerous groups, including countless labour and student groups and over 115 professors, denounced the University’s draconian handling of the situation as a criminalization and silencing of dissent.
“There is a long tradition of student protest on campus. This was an egregious violation of academic freedom, freedom of speech and Charter Rights in the case of the Fight Fees 14 – all values integral to the University community. In light of President Naylor’s less than stellar track record, the question we should be asking is not whether his appointment ought to be renewed rather should we be seeking a replacement,” says Joeita Gupta, APUS Vice-President External and Governing Council member.
Come out Thursday, January 21 at 4:00 pm and have your say!
Visit FightFeesCoalition.blogspot.com for more information
Contacts: Joeita Gupta 416-918-1935 and Richard McKergow 416-659-2235