TALES
FROM THE STRIKE LINES
Students often only think of their professors in the context of the classroom. Rarely do we see the practical side of their lives and their work, aspects that stretch beyond teaching courses, giving advice and debating ideas. However, the recent faculty strike brought these underlying issues to a head, and in the span of a few short weeks, Acadia students were faced with the reality that their professors would no longer tolerate the way labour relations were being handled at this university. The resulting strike demonstrated to the entire university community that Acadia professors were not prepared to work in an environment ill-equipped to handle current and future needs of the university.
Working as editor of The
Athenaeum during this time was exciting, intense and very challenging. Like
most student journalists involved with the paper, I felt compelled to provide
students with as much information as possible. This sense of commitment was
intensified, at least in part, because of the sentiment among many students
that information from our Student Union leaders was at best naively inadequate,
and at worst, reflective of a casually dismissive attitude that failed to take
the strike seriously.
Doubt and worry inevitably
crept into almost every aspect of student life. It is no wonder there was so
much frustration and bitterness among students, many of whom felt left in the
dark, powerless and fearful of what the ramifications of the strike would be.
The policy of 'sit tight,
be quiet and soon it will all be over' did not sit well with the staff of The
Athenaeum. As student writers who aimed to get to the bottom of the story, we
felt it best to skip the free buses to Martock and preferred instead to jump
headfirst into the fray, getting our hands dirty asking questions, talking to
picketing faculty and discussing the issues with Administration. As students,
we could not help but agonize about when the whole thing would finally be over,
but working with the newspaper meant we had an outlet for our energy and a place
where we could take action. In an effort to keep our readers informed of the
critical issues, we busied ourselves finding out the facts directly and tried
to encourage an understanding of the deeper meanings behind the strike. While
the lines of communication on campus had virtually fractured, we did our best
to keep information flowing.
Though there is no denying
that the petty nature of labour disputes and the intense distrust between
faculty and Administration was often featured in the paper, it was refreshing
to see students becoming involved by tracking down what was happening and
investigating the issues surrounding the strike.
Working for the Ath not
only gave student journalists an inside view of the strike but also provided us
with a closer look at the people behind the picket lines and the chance to
discover what inspired their dedication to making Acadia a better place. Some
of my best memories of the strike involved simply trudging out to the picket
lines to chat with professors. That was where the real stories were to be found
- in the jokes, gossip and tales from the front lines.
Janice
Hudson