DIRECT DEMOCRACY ON CAMPUS

Holding Departmental or Faculty General Assemblies&

Creating Departmental or Faculty Associations

Presented by Matthew Brett. “Organise2013,” SOAS, London. November 1, 2012. http://organise2013.wordpress.com/ (accessed Nov. 1, 2012).

Direct DemocracyThis Power Point draws largely from a document by Rushdia Mehreen and Matthew Brett, “Creating Departmental or Faculty Associations.” http://organise2013.wordpress.com/ (last accessed Nov. 1, 2012).

The Power Point is no substitute for the full document, which goes into much greater detail.

The purpose of this presentation is simply to provide a rough overview of direct democracy on campus.

Mobilising from the Grassroots• The department or faculty General Assembly:

• is directly democratic as it allows everyone to express themselves and have an equal say;

• provides local sovereignty for the departmental association;

• is an open space for discussion and debate at the local level;

• can be called at any time by an association or through petition from membership.

Why the Departmental Level?• more effective, democratic and participatory than centralized structures.

• smaller union structures allow for more meaningful debate and discussion. More inclusive than large, intimidating meetings.

• departments are where people spend most of their time, working and meeting with people in their discipline.

• departmental organising acts as an effective buffer against sectarian/party interests:

• Sectarian groups can capture central unions, but are far less likely to capture departmental unions, simply because they generally do not have the membership to do so.

Mobilize for a General Assembly1. Form a Mobilization Squad (MobSquad);

• Start with 1-3 people and be open to growth/participation;

• Hold regular MobSquad meetings leading up to GA;

2. Mobilize for General Assembly;

• Get email addresses of all students in department;• Create an autonomous mailing list for students in department• Make calendar of all department classes;• Visit every class leading up to GA;• Flyering, postering, banner drops, information desk;• Create facebook group and/or website for department.

Mobilize for a General Assembly1. Class visits and personal discussions

• When making class visits to announce the GA, stress why this event is important for students in the department.

• Some students will find the prospect of coming together as a department appealing, while others will want to start taking action on (inter-)national issues.

• Take time to have one-on-one discussions with people about the GA. It will be a new concept to many, so it will require patient discussion.

• Ask questions rather than impose views. For example, how do you feel about the tuition hikes? About austerity? What do you think about a department-wide GA?

Mobilize for a General Assembly1. Class visits and personal discussions

• When making class visits to announce the GA, stress why this event is important for students in the department.

• Students will have a range of interests: reform of program, complaints, desire to mobilize, international issues, etc. These are all legitimate topics.

• Take time to have one-on-one discussions with people about the GA. It will be a new concept to many, so it will require patient discussion. Explanatory flyers and online material would be helpful in this respect.

• Ask questions rather than impose views. For example, how do you feel about the tuition hikes? About austerity? What do you think about a department-wide GA?

Speakers and Education• GAs are at their best when they include an educational component. The idea is that collective

learning takes place around the issues being debated and adopted.

• Inviting speakers generally increases attendance and fosters a climate of discussion and learning.

• Some examples:

• The Graduate Students Association (GSA) at Concordia University invited a lawyer to explain anti-protest legislation;

• An immigration lawyer was invited to address international student concerns about taking part in protests;

• A labour economist was invited to explain changes to education financing.

• Snacks and drinks can also be served if a budget is available.

Holding a General Assembly• It is very important to thoroughly plan GAs. Things you will

need:

• Chair/facilitator• Minute-taker• Mood watcher (can interject to insure mood of meeting is positive)• Agenda (printed for those attending or posted on a projector)• Motions (clearly worded motions of action)

DO NOT get discouraged if turnout is low at GAs. The key is to create the structure and to keep holding them even in downswings.

Example of GA Agenda1. Appointment of facilitator, minute taker (and mood checker, if

possible)2. Explaining meeting and voting procedures3. Reading and approval of the agenda4. Presentation from external speaker(s)5. Discussion, committee of the whole (with clear time cap)• Discussion of presentation and current conjuncture (ex. austerity measures, tuition

increase, program closure, etc.)

6. Creation of committee for writing of by-laws (ie. constitution)7. Motions (often comes out of the discussions)8. Next GA9. Adjournment

Creating an Association1. General Assemblies will fail in the long-run unless they are institutionalized. This is

critical!!2. There are three ways of institutionalizing departmental or faculty-level GAs:

• By-laws and constitution first: the mob squad drafts a set of by-laws, consulting membership regularly before adopting final version in a GA.

• Through a general assembly: a committee is voted on to write the by-laws and constitution and present at the next GA. An interim executive (a group of people) is also voted to carry out tasks voted at the GA until the by-laws are adopted and a formal association is created.

• Through a petition: this method is mostly used for calling a GA when an association already exists but when they are so called “party associations,” meaning they are either a-political or captured by particular interests.

Details on each of these approaches are available in the document “Creating Departmental or Faculty Associations.” http://organise2013.wordpress.com/ (last accessed Nov. 1, 2012).

Creating an Association• Department enrolment and assembly quorum:

• This is a critical point!!

• In order for decisions to have legitimacy, quorum must be met.

• This means finding out how many students are enrolled in the department or faculty.

• These figures may be obtained easily, but it may also require effort.

• Some options: • the department may provide detailed information freely; • a sympathetic student union may be able to access this information, an unsympathetic

union can be compelled. • Be creative too! Faculty may be able to help, a friendly staff member, student reporter,

access to information request, etc.

Thank you!• This document simply contains suggestions. Please adapt or alter

these suggestions to suit your circumstances.

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