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The faculty lockout took place during the summer break, when campus newspapers weren’t publishing. With that in mind, I produced CKDU’s coverage of the lockout for a young, mostly student audience. This script was delivered live on-air with pre-taped interviews.
Many classes are on pause because the Dalhousie Faculty Association was locked out on Aug. 20. The DFA teaches the majority of courses at Dalhousie.
Amid a faculty lockout, icebreaker questions typical of a new semester are now followed by students airing their frustrations because they can’t attend classes.
Dozens of students painted signs to bring to DFA rallies, and aired their frustrations about the labour dispute, at an event in the Student Union Building on Thursday.
“We’re sympathizing and relating …. It shouldn’t be us who are being caught in the middle of a labour dispute,” said Rose Sillivestru, the event’s organizer.
Sillivestru is a first-year law student who started the social media account @dallockedout. In one week, the account has garnered just over 700 followers.
Sillivestru started @dallockedout because, at the time, the DSU hadn’t confirmed formal support for the DFA. Sillivestru wanted concerned students to have a place to go to be heard.
The board of governors and the Dalhousie Faculty Association have agreed to return to the bargaining table on Sept. 8, but there has not been a public statement regarding an end to the lockout or strike.
Indigenous Students’ Society shows support for locked-out faculty
Sam Krawec, Ella Parsons and Charlotte Muise are members of the Dalhousie Indigenous Students’ Society.
The society released a public statement in support of the faculty association on Aug. 29. Since then, the Indigenous Students’ Society has been vocal in their support for the DFA.
“Since faculty has supported Indigenous students with so many struggles we’ve dealt with through just attending a colonial institution, I think it’s really important that we support them,” said Parsons.
“We know, as Indigenous people, that colonizers use the withholding of resources as a weapon,” said Krawec. “So when negotiations reached an impasse, that’s another example of colonizers withholding resources from the community.”
Students are frustrated, left in the dark
“I really think it’s ridiculous,” said Gordon Gillis, a second-year computer science student. “If you don’t have money for the professors, what are you doing with the tuition from me and the other 159 people in my first year computer science class?”
“Most students are approaching from a place of genuine fear,” said Sillivestru, who greeted students arriving at the sign-making event.
“I drained my savings account in order to move [to Halifax] and pay tuition … and I had help,” said Sillivestru. “That’s really terrifying, to know that you no longer have a savings account. And you just can’t attend the classes you’re paying for.”
Academic amnesty protections for students who won’t cross picket lines
The Dalhousie Student Union’s council voted unanimously to formally support members of the locked-out Dalhousie Faculty Association Tuesday night. The student union urged the board of governors to resume negotiations.
“An injury to our faculty is an injury to us all,” said the DSU in a statement. “Their fight is our fight.”
Waiting on a council vote was a big part of why the student union might have appeared slow-acting, said DSU president Maren Mealey.
“We have to honour our democratic process,” said Mealey. “We’re able to do a lot more now than we were previously.”
Academic amnesty means students cannot fail a class if they choose not to attend amid a labour action. Students not attending classes still have to complete sufficient work to get the credit, but they will not receive a fail or incomplete on their academic records.
Mealey says to notify instructors if a student chooses not to attend classes.
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