Communication Undergrads and Geography Grads Join the Strike

NewsJonathan Caragay-Cook & Laura Lalonde — Published March 24, 2015

The Geography, Planning and Environment Graduate Students (GEOGRADS) association and the Communications Studies Guild both voted on Tuesday evening to strike against austerity on April 2.

Research in geography involves the distribution of resources, which is touched by austerity measures, said Trevor James Smith, the GEOGRADS VP Internal for MSc and PhD students.

“It seems directly in line with the research interest of many geography professors and graduate students in this department to join the movement,” he said. “It seems like a no brainer.”

He added that professors will support the one-day strike. Two teachers from the department, Kevin Gould and Ted Rutland, will be part of a panel discussion on austerity at Concordia University Monday called Project Austerity: Societal Context and Interdisciplinary Perspectives.

The strike motion was unanimously passed.

At the Loyola campus, communications students voted on a one-day strike proposed by Roxanne Baril-Bedard, a COMS Guild member. She was then appointed representative of the COMS Guild strike movement, assuming responsibility for the relay of strike information to other communications students.

The association voted for a peaceful protest, clarifying that there would be no “lifting,” which means no physical removal of students from classrooms or entering classes in session.

The final motion to strike passed with 31 in favour, 15 against and five abstentions. The motion for a one-week and two-day strike were also brought to vote and failed.