CONTACT: Vicky Smallman-Organizing Agent
         Canadian Association of University Teachers
         2675 Queensview Drive
         Ottawa, ON K2B 8K2
         tel: (613) 820- 2270 ext 314
         fax: (613) 820-7244
         smallman@caut.ca
         www.caut.ca

POSTED:  October 9, 2000 

Some news below from Ottawa, where students are staging a sit-in to protest increasing fees and abusive administrative practices.  Let me know if you'd like me to forward their protest songs as well!

 University of Ottawa Students will be holding a *sit-in* and rally in
 Tabaret Hall (550 Cumberland St.) starting at 11 am Monday morning,
 Oct. 25, 2000, 
 to protest the new administrative fees and the collection of
 undergraduate tuition in one installment in September.

 Students have issued a list of demands to our administration,
 spearheaded by Darryl Whitehead, Vice-President Academic of the Student 
 Federation of the University of Ottawa. These demands were unanimously 
 endorsed by every member of their Board of Administration. Last week, the
 U of O Student Issues Action Committee convened and voted to call a public
 meeting with our Rector on Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 1 pm in the Rotunda of 
 Tabaret Hall, where he will be expected to give the administrations
 official response to our demands. There will be a student demonstration at
 Tabaret to greet Rector Hamelin (who has yet to confirm his attendance).
 Until then, students will be sitting-in on the Administration floor of 
 Tabaret to put pressure on the Administrative Committee to meet our 
 demands. Our administration tries to shut students out and operate behind
 closed doors, but students are not going to leave until those doors get
 opened. All we want is the basic respect of fairness, transparency and
 accountability.

 U of O Students are calling on our supporters to join us or to send
 their support. We need:

  * letters of support from other schools and associations to show
      our administration that there are outside eyes watching.
  * organisations to sponsor food and/or outside supplies.

 Please come out and sit with us, or have your association lend
 whatever support you can. Below is a brief on our plight.
 Call the SFUO at (613) 562-5966 - they will have a cell number to
 reach the protesters inside Tabaret or Fax your letters to 562-5969
 or 562-5142 or Email your letters to us at gsaed@uottawa.ca
 Joel Duff,  President, Graduate Students Association, Local 94, 
 Canadian Federation of Students.