PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 27 MARCH 2001

LETTER

RESPONSIBILITY FULFILLED

In his letter regarding the student protests at Trent (Examiner March 24), Mike Drynan states, "universities and colleges are the law in what takes place, not the students. If the student doesn't like the conditions and rules of the university they attend, they can apply to another the next term."

These short-sighted comments promote political apathy. First, by arguing that students should not be making "law" with regard to their own education, students are waived of their civic responsibilities. As stakeholders in a public institution - without whom the university could not exist - students not only have a right, but an obligation to participate in decision-making.

Second, Mr. Drynan suggests that rather than confronting problem,
students should simply run away from them. By this logic, those who are opposed to the current dismantling of health care in Canada ought not challenge cutbacks, but should instead move to another country.
Female suffrage, civil rights and independence claims were not gained by people passively accepting the "laws that be" or by packing up and leaving their communities. These achievements were made by people willing to fight for their beliefs - even when it required civil disobedience. Likewise, the students who occupied the offices at Trent University were standing up for their convictions and attempting to fulfill their duties as active and responsible members of society.

John S. Miller
Stewart Street

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 21 MARCH 2001

LETTERS

CORPORATE MODEL AT TRENT

As retired Orillia teachers with many former students attending Trent
University, we are sorry to hear of the extraordinary measures taken by Ms. Patterson against eight young women protesting Trent corporate decisions.

Obviously now Ms. Patterson's first priority must be to update her
resume. Her days, we predict, at Trent are deservedly numbered.
Trent has for 30 years enjoyed pride of place as Canadians' small liberal arts institution fostering collegial learning in an intimate academic
community. We see no respect for dialogue in sending 25 armed policemen in the middle of the night to shackle eight unarmed young women.

A major contributing factor in abandoning civility for Patterson hubris
may be the widespread institutional adoption of the business corporate model.Were Ms. Patterson better educated, she would know that schools and cities offer more ancient and better corporate models of behaviour than Harris-Ontario big business. The response from Trent's faculty restores faith.

Jack-boots and trampling don't work. Handcuffs and strip search, indeed!

Roger and Patricia Perry
RR2, Orillia

COLLEGES NEVER IN LONG-TERM PLAN

The actions of eight students at Trent University was a breach of law. They are charged with mischief. They should be!

The alleged reason for their unlawful act appears to related entirely to
the decision of the board of governors to close two downtown campuses.

When the university opened originally, they utilized these properties as
well as the former vacant elementary school, South Central. This was a wise stop-gap action to accommodate the small number of the first year students.

Later as construction proceeded at the intended Symons campus, the former school was vacated and sold, as was the intent to sell the other dwellings in due time.

(Editorial Note: Tom Symons himself has said that the downtown colleges WERE always part of the permanent plan, and not simply a temporary holding-ground)

I concur with the brief not of Marion Nunn (Examiner, March 9) and the many letters in support of the action of president Bonnie Patterson.

William D. Johnston
Bridle Crescent

TRENT CHIEF DEFENDS CLOSURES TO DBIA
By BILL HODGINS Examiner Staff Writer

While the Trent community mourns the death of the Jolly Hangman, its demise is bringing new life to the downtown, the university's president says.

Bonnie Patterson made the announcement to the city's Downtown Business Improvement Area board last night, in response to concerns the loss of Catharine Parr Trail1 and Peter Robinson colleges could adversely affect the downtown.

The Jolly Hangman, a small pub on the Peter Robinson campus, was forced to close late last year when the roof fell in, Patterson said.
It's relevant in two ways. For one thing, it demonstrates the maintenance concerns Trent has with some of its older buildings and why they need to be replaced.

Secondly, it shows how the downtown isn't being forgotten. Some of the pubs have been moved to a downtown establishment and the feedback has been positive.

The DBIA recently took a stand on the issue, saying the downtown colleges are valuable components to the city's core and should not face Bonnie Patterson Trent's restructuring axe.

"They are an important part of the downtown community, from an economic point of view and from a cultural point of view. They bring something different to the downtown," DBIA board chairman Steve Winn told The Examiner.

"Whenever you lose something downtown it hurts," Winn said. "The students patronize business downtown...this is the main shopping area for them. In late 1999, more than 100 individual downtown business owners signed a petition opposing the closures, but the DBIA chose not to take a definitive stance on the issue at that time.

Last night, Patterson tried to appeal to the business side of the DBIA to help explain the closures.She said the university will face huge costs in having to increase faculty numbers while still dealing with a deficit. Soon, she said, a balanced budget must be brought in and it won't leave a lot of room for extra spending.

"We can't take an awful lot more out of the university without it
collapsing," she said, estimating 86 per cent of the Trent budget, is spent on people. A further eight per cent goes to awards and scholarships. That leaves just six per cent to run the university, she said.

Even at the main campus, some unexpected but necessary repairs have meant borrowing money while other less urgent maintenance issues have gone untouched.

But the university's presence continues to add millions of dollars to the
local economy, she said. With enrolment expected to rise in coming years, those dollar levels will only increase, she said.

PETERBOROUGH THIS WEEK 21 MARCH 2001

LETTERS

STUDENTS 'CARE DEEPLY': PATTERSON

The following was written in response to a letter from the
parents/step-parents of Sarah Cardiac, Sarah Lamble, Jessica Lyons, Allison Marcovitz, Danielle Markson, Natalie Napier, Karine Rogers and Miti Simmonds-- the Trent University students who occupied a university administrative office Feb. 26 and were subsequently arrested and charged.

To the editor:
I have received your letter of March 10, 2001 expressing concern about police intervention and charges laid in the recent occupation of the offices of the vice-president (Academic) and Dean of Arts and Science in which your daughter was involved.

I appreciate, as a parent, you are deeply concerned for your child's
welfare and your request regarding the police charges has been noted. Your letter-also calls attention to a broader concern about democratic debate within the university.

I would like to begin by explaining some of the reasons why police
intervention was deemed to be required in this case. By the third day of the occupation, the university had become seriously concerned about the health and safety of the students inside the office. The
lack of toilet facilities inside the offices posed a potential health risk to
individuals handling containers of human waste. The absence of an unblocked fire exit and the attaching of chains to wooden ceiling panels were also issues of concern.

Unlike other types of protest and dissent normally engaged in by students at the university, this action was an illegal form of expression which had brought the work of two important university offices and six employees to a standstill. Staff who worked in the offices had been seriously frightened by the actions of the group of approximately 20 men and women who forced them to leave their work areas, and needed assurance they would be able to return to work safely.
As a backdrop, university officials were receiving reports of other
students feeling intimidated when walking by the area outside the occupied offices and phone calls from parents concerned about their own children's safety.

The students occupied the offices for two full days and nights, during
which time they were encouraged by the university to leave the premises voluntarily and without consequences. After two days, in light of the foregoing considerations, senior administration felt it had no option but to seek the assistance of local authorities. At this point, a police representative undertook, for twelve hours, to negotiate a voluntary, peaceful exit. It was made clear to the students their continuing refusal to end the occupation could result in charges being laid by police.The procedures later followed by police in removing the students, the ensuing arrest process and the nature of charges laid were not matters within the university's jurisdiction.

Regarding the fostering of open discussion on university issues, Trent
University has a long tradition of public debate on almost every issue of concern to the university community. There are many legitimate forums in which this dialogue can take place, including dialogue on some of the concerns raised by the occupying students. Occasionally, however, there is an issue on which consensus cannot be reached and, at some point, a decision has to be made. Such was the case with the difficult but necessary financial decision to consolidate Peterborough operations on one campus taken by the board some 18 months ago as part of a plan to ensure the university's future.

Some members of the community whose views were heard and considered, but not acted upon, have had great difficulty accepting this decision. Thank you for this opportunity to provide the administration's perspective on recent events. The university does share your concern for your daughter and the other students involved in the occupation, who we know care deeply about their university.

Bonnie M. Patterson, President and Vice-Chancellor,
Trent University,
Peterborough

BEWARE THE MEDIA SPIN

To the editor:

From Nelson, British Columbia, I write to appeal to your readership to do something, whatever they can, to appeal for a change in Trent University's policy of selling its two downtown colleges.

Your community will suffer if the sales go ahead. If you cannot see the
truth of that, ask around. There are many reasons to say so. Your local economy, and your vibrant cultural life, and the social mixing brought by students, is not to be lightly thrown away. Peterborough, respond. Tell your civic government, business organizations, and so on to make appeals to the board of governors to rethink their course.

By all means, do not let the media spin about "intimidation" and
"militant radicals" and "illegal occupation"-created by spin artists of the
university powers-arouse your feelings of dislike for the young students.

That is an old and tired tactic. The truth is simpler.

Civil disobedience to an illegitimate process is very respectable. It has
been used to good effect for noble goals in history. The eight young women occupiers were not terrorists. Be open-minded, not bigoted, in this question.

Thank you, Peterborough. I know you are listening.

Charles Jeanes,
(BA, history, 1973,
|Champlain College, Trent University),
Nelson,British Columbia

'BRAVE' STUDENTS ADMIRED

To the editor:

Why I am writing this letter? There are many reasons, I guess, but they all stem from the same source that caused me to write initially, namely my emotive and subjective attachment to the same Trent University that drew me to her more than 10 years ago.

The catalyst, however, for this letter comes from the disturbing events
that occurred recently in the vice-president's office, the non-violent
sit-in, the dialogue that ensued and its resolution by unnecessary force.
As is well known, a university environment fosters passions for causes, pleas of the innocent and attachment to place. Trent is no exception to this rule. In fact, I remember my initial research into Trent some 11 years ago. A popular book at the time described Trent as a Northern Berkley. Wow, I thought, this is where I want to go; a place to challenge my preconceptions and my culture at large.

From my initial foray into Trent, I was confronted by issues of
sexuality, aboriginal rights, my own spirituality and faith. Trent was truly my intellect's mater. So it comes as a disappointment to hear the
administration responded to what I believe was the fifth recorded student sit-in with the use of force.

I have to qualify something at this juncture, namely the nature of the
force. The breaking of glass, the use of 25 riot-geared officers and the
subsequent stripsearches should not be the issue. In fact, the Peterborough police should most definitely not be used to shift the focus of the discussion away from the intent of the sit-in nor the failure of successful dialogue. The police performed their duty, that we as a community have empowered them-to do, admirably well and within their outlined procedures. For the administration to attempt to shift any sense of blame besmirches the integrity of the Peterborough police force and, in my opinion, further creates more obstacles to the ongoing conflict within the Trent community at large.

What has gripped me most by the sit-in's intent is obviously that present Trent students, who will soon be alumnus as well, believe, as I do, the college system is integral to what is Trent. It seems to me Trent, in a microcosm, represents present western alienation between a group's and individual's sense of place and sense of community by the evolving mantras of the day-consumerism and corporatism.
There is no doubt Trent has been, and is, in need of financial reform but the manner in which the administration has attempted to bring about the changes, according to the sit-in, have been noninclusive as well as possibly pseudo-legal according to Senate procedures.
When any major changes are required, someone in the end has to make difficult choices, which may not, in fact, be supported at the time. There can be no doubt Professor Patterson has confronted these sentiments, both directly and subtly.

The problem occurs, however, when matters of finance and bottom line overshadow the reality of place, the reality of what is Trent. Trent is its colleges and the colleges are Trent. To remove them from the downtown core removes both the figurative and literal roots that bind Trent to itself.

If the impetus for restructuring demolishes the colleges, it is my belief
Trent will merely devolve into another institution whose intent is not to
prepare a young mind to think and to challenge but rather to budget, forecast and invest.

I tip my hat to those brave students who challenged the silence of
change. I truly hope their actions re-invigorate a new discussion where both sides can express their needs, and hopefully, in a mutual and inclusive manner, heal the wounds that are still fresh. In the end, it is the decision whether Trent survives or not. No colleges have closed yet; no one has been injured, rusticated or placed on probation.

Well, my rhetoric is over. In the final analysis, I will use the language
of corporatism to try to make my sit-in. As I have told Trent Alumni when they have called, as long as it seems the colleges will be dissolved, both my partner and I will withhold contributing to the financial future of Trent.

Without the colleges, I would feel I was donating to the University of
Toronto, a fine institution but in the end an institution, not a place.

Richard Michael Manley-Tannis
(Catherine Parr Traill, 1995),
Peterborough

TRENT OFFICE 'OCCUPATION AND THE RESPONSES IT NECESSITATED ARE REGRETTABLE,'
SAYS BOARD CHAIR

The following was written in response to a letter from the
parents/step-parents of Sarah Cardiac, Sarah Lamble, Jessica Lyons, Allison Marcovitz, Danielle Markson, Natalie Napier, Karine Rogers and Miti Simmonds -- the Trent University students who occupied a university administrative office Feb. 26 and were subsequently arrested and charged.

To the editor:
I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your letter to the Board of Governors of Trent University dated March 10, 2001. I understand President Bonnie Patterson is responding as well to a similar letter sent to her.

I, too, am a parent of a university student and appreciate your concern
for your child. Over the three days to the occupation of Trent's
administrative offices, your daughter and the other seven students were given several opportunities by the administration and by the police to leave voluntarily without penalty.

The nature of the penalty they would face was explained to them. In the end, the young women chose a course of action in full knowledge of the consequences of their decision.

I believe the (university) president was justified in enlisting the
assistance of the police to resolve a situation that was threatening the
health and safety of your daughter and others, and was preventing two
important offices in the institution from functioning.

Your letter urges the board to "rethink what [we] are doing and move into a process which involves democratic dialog.

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 25 MARCH 2001

LETTER

TRENT BUILDINGS MAY BE LOST

In all the furor over Trent University administration's unfortunate decision to sell Peter Robinson and Catharine Parr Traill Colleges little or nothing has been mentioned about the actual buildings. Anyone who saw CHEX television's coverage of the sudden action last year surely have been impressed by the pictures of these structures.
A recent letter to the editor was headlined "People Matter, not
Buildings". While I would not dispute the assertion that "the quality of an institution depends more upon the excellence of its members than the physical plant in which they are housed," I am really dismayed at the easy dismissal of a major portion of Trent's historic and architectural legacy.

Peterborough has made great strides in recent years in saving, restoring and appreciating the substantial built heritage of its 150 year status as a city; witness the Market Hall, the Morrow Building and many others. The downtown colleges represent major pieces of that valuable infrastructure and most of their components appear to be in considerably better repair than several of their counterparts on the slightly more than 30-year-old Symons campus: how extraordinary that Otonabee College's residence should have to be
demolished after only three decades, not to mention the presumably huge costs of roof renovations in the cafeteria area. Is it really the old buildings that constitute a liability to the university in terms of maintenance? What's wrong with this picture?

Much has been said about the commercial and societal loss to
Peterborough's downtown upon the closing of the downtown campuses, but not a word has been printed about the effect of putting all these buildings on sale. Who, aside from developers looking to make a profit by building warehouses for the elderly, will have the resources or the inclination to purchase any or all of these buildings, few of which will be easily adaptable to non-college users? Is there any safeguard for the historic and architectural integrity of such buildings as Sadlier, Bradburn, Langton and Kerr Houses? I strongly suspect there is no such protection for these beautiful old structures, even to prevent them from demolition. (And will Trent receive full value for property with limited re-use possibilities?) Professor Gallop suggests critics of the university administration's decision should "abandon futile courses of action which can lead to nothing but further trouble." It would seem that most courses of action during the
Harris government's tenure have been futile where education at all levels is concerned. How long will Ontarians continue to stand by, shaking their heads and then obediently complying with things they know to be wrong or destructive? Our institutions of higher learning should have been the first to protest, not just students. Had they done so, perhaps Trent would not be in its present financial crisis.

Bravo to the handful of Trent academics who have had the courage to
resist the temptation of SuperBuild sops for what they really are, bread and circuses and a way to replace the liberal arts emphasis on learning with training for the production of a docile, keyboard punching workforce. Costly investments in technology are steadily eroding the classical education tradition of critical thinking which, ironically, produces more top leaders and higher earners than the technological curriculum.

As for the recent quote from Professor Glassco, "my way or the highway" perfectly describes the attitude of the present provincial government, not that of the idealistic young women who acted out of frustration and, perhaps, a naive belief that right would conquer might. It's time for grownups, and especially academics, to stand up and be counted.

J.P. SCHMIDT
Water Street

ARTHUR
20 MARCH 2001

LETTERS

PTBO RESIDENT ASKS TOUGH QUESTIONS

Could you please clarify a remark in the 27 February 2001 issue in the BoG Briefs article compiled by Hala Zabaneh. She reports Skip Maxwell, Chair of the Build 2000 Committee as stating "SuperBuild does pay for academic space, but if we are looking for residence space, we need to incorporate it." What does 'we need to incorporate it' mean?

Does it mean that the downtown colleges residences will not be re-built on the University campus unless Trent can find a corporate partner? Does it mean that Trent is looking for a corporate partner and has not found one? Is it possible to have a college without an attached residence?

I understand that not only are the downtown colleges being closed but
that the Otonabee College residence is to be demolished and re-built. The university cannot find funds to repair or maintain downtown colleges but there are adequate resources to demolish and rebuild a campus residence. I cannot understand why a 25 year old building requires demolition yet two 100 year old downtown campuses will be attractive to a buyer as is. And I cannot understand how the university can accommodate the anticipated increase in attendance with three college residences closed.

I am sure there must be a logical explanation and someone out there has an answer.

John F Reeves

EDS' NOTE: AND WE'VE GOT (SOME OF) THE ANSWERS…

John, we love readers like you. We asked Build 2000 Chair Skip Maxwell, and College/Residence Life, Social Space and Conference Services Reference Group Chair (whew!) Heather Avery your questions.

To your first question - must Trent have a private partner to re-build
the colleges - Maxwell reaffirmed that Superbuild funding does not pay for residential space. He says there's a "whole gamut" of things that could happen, and that corporate partnership is a possibility. He outlined a few shapes such partnerships could take: (a) a corporate partner who would put some money upfront in return for some concessions from Trent, and who would then lease the space back to Trent. (b) A corporate partner who could have exclusive use of parts of the built facilities during pre-determined times of the year. Again, upfront cash in exchange for concessions. (c) ("And this is not popular with anyone," says Maxwell)-- a partner who would lease a plot of
land from Trent to build a residence on it. "I'm quite sure that's a
non-starter," says Maxwell. (d) Trent could try talking to a financial
institution <read: evil big bank> to get a loan to build the residence, and get it mortgaged.

Your second question: Maxwell says "Trent has had some proposals
presented to it… Trent is now looking at getting some formal feasibility studies done on the full range of possibilities-- from corporate partnership to totally Trent owned and operated, total self-ownership." Avery says her reference group heard a "very strong" preference for a Trent owned and operated residence. Trent is currently selecting a company to perform the feasibility study, she says. "We have to figure out how to fund it and still have summer revenue."

Can Trent have a college without a residence? "It does," Avery
deadpanned, "Julian Blackburn College." As for future developments, Maxwell says that idea has been "floated, but hasn't been pursued very far yet." Perhaps a good reader who serves on the Committee on Colleges could help John and Arthur out here? Maxwell and Avery agreed that your excellent question about monies for construction at some colleges (OC) and none for others (PRC) could be best
answered by our friend Bernie Roth, the director of Physical Resources. We couldn't get ahold of Bernie for you, John, but you could try calling him at 748-1011 ext. 1308. Or, maybe he'll write in, so that all Arthur readers can benefit from seeing his answers in print.
However, Maxwell was willing to venture that there "had been concerns about the stability of some parts of the OC residence" - and he stressed 'residence'. There "had been" a plan to demolish parts of OC< he confirmed. But he also said that Mr. Roth had since looked at OC and was not necessarily convinced that demolition was the answer.Money for OC and not for PRC? Mr. Roth is the man for that answer. Maxwell did mention a "consolidation grant", though. Apparently Trent received almost $600,000 as an incentive to consolidate. This money was included in the May 1999 SuperBuild award. (The province wants universities and colleges to consolidate, for "efficiency" or "responsibility" or "accountability" reason, no doubt.)

"There's a certain logic to consolidation," adds Avery. Since the
administration ahs decided that SuperBuild construction will occur on main campus, not at the downtown colleges, money and effort are going into buildings on Symons Campus. "Therefore buildings on Symons Campus are going to stay, and need to be invested in," says Avery.

The Globe and Mail, Tuesday, March 20, 2001

Trent's unlikable lessons

By William Graham

Toronto -- The dreadful events at Trent University on Feb. 26 have been made even worse by Peter Gzowski's insincere apologetics (The Trouble IsEveryone Loves Trent Too Much -- March 17). Mr. Gzowski, the Trent chancellor, wants to sweep the real issue under the rug with such pap as, "everyone on all sides of the debate is likable" and "acting out of a genuine, deeply felt passion for this unique little university." Intent on backing up a fellow administrator, president Bonnie Patterson, no matter how egregious her decisions, Mr. Gzowski says she "acted with compassion and understanding" and has been "unfairly and personally attacked."

But what of the students? It is a fact that eight young women non-violently occupied the vice-president's office. It is also a fact that police, in full riot gear, acting in the dead of night (3 a.m.), smashed the windows of the office and arrested, handcuffed and strip-searched the women. They were held for 13 hours and charged with a felony offence, not a misdemeanor.

My stepdaughter is a second-year student at Trent who was not involved in the sit-in. As a parent, I am deeply concerned with her education. What are students at Trent to learn from this experience? Never to actively question authority. Never to speak out for or to defend their democratic rights. Never to participate in non-violent protests, so central to democratic societies. Always to suppress truth and conscience in deference to power and authority. What an excellent educational experience the sit-in could have provoked if President Patterson had been concerned more with education than
with power.

Professor emeritus, University of Toronto

Toronto Star March 15th, 2001

NDP wants probe into police actions at Trent U

Officers in riot gear swarmed 8 student protesters and strip searched them

Ontario's NDP leader called for an investigation today into a dramatic arrest at Trent University in which police in riot gear swarmed eight student protesters and strip searched them.

In a letter to the province's solicitor general today, Howard Hampton condemned the March 1 incident as a ''shocking and unnecessary'' use of force against students who were protesting school cuts.

''I am shocked that authorities would find it necessary to deploy 25 police officers in full riot gear to remove eight young women engaging in peaceful civil disobedience, and as such I believe that an investigation is warranted,'' Hampton wrote in a letter addressed to David Turnbull.

Trent professors criticized the police crackdown at a faculty council meeting on Monday and voted to ask administration to drop the mischief charges.

A police decision to strip search seven of the eight women was also criticized by the council, which represents 315 full- and part-time faculty at the school in Peterborough, Ont.

They condemned administration for ''the unprecedented use of force'' used to end the occupation and called for the ''restoration of due process and consultation in university governance.''

Calls to Turnbull's office were not returned.

During the three-day protest, eight women chained themselves together in a university office to protest the closure of downtown colleges and demand a more open decision-making process at the school.

Toronto Star Mar. 13, 2001

Police end Trent student protest, arrest 8

University staff hold special meeting to discuss arrests

PETERBOROUGH, Ont. (CP) - A two-week protest by Trent University students ended yesterday when police dressed in riot gear arrested eight women and charged them with mischief.
About 25 officers swept into the university office, which had been occupied since Feb. 27 by students who were chained together.
A police decision to strip search the women was criticized by faculty, who gathered in response to the administration's decision to call in police.

''We need to talk to each other,'' an emotional John Wadland said during a faculty council meeting. ''We can't yell at each other across this divide.''

''Let the students' efforts, whether we agree with them or not, mean something,'' Wadland said.

The students were protesting the closure of the university's downtown colleges and demanding, among other things, a more open decision-making process at the university.

The faculty council represents 315 full- and part-time faculty. In a secret ballot, members supported a motion requesting the administration send a letter to the court asking that the charges be dropped or reduced.

They also condemned administration for ''the unprecedented use of force'' employed to end the occupation and called for the ''restoration of due process and consultation in university governance.''

President Bonnie Patterson and vice-president academic Graham Taylor were at the meeting. Although eligible to vote, Patterson said the pair didn't because the meeting was called by faculty, not them.
The discussion about ''responsibility'' is the ''best platform'' on which the university can move forward, she said.

''We have to agree to disagree,'' Patterson said. ''We haven't been able to do that as a community.''

Issues raised at the faculty council will be discussed at a senate meeting today and also during meetings with elected students, which were scheduled before the occupation.

The meeting will include a discussion of the transition when Peter Robinson College closes this summer, Patterson said.

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 14 MARCH 2001

PARENTS BLAST TRENT HEAD

By INGRID NIELSEN
Examiner Staff Writer

The parents of eight Trent University students who occupied an office for three days, sent an angry letter this week to Trent president Bonnie
Patterson.The parents condemn the administration's decision to ask city police to have the women removed and say they are "appalled" at how the university handled the situation.

The letter, signed by 18 parents and step parents, states they are "quite aware of the reasons for the protest" and that "(the women's) dramatic occupation follows the values and strategies of non-violent direct action which has a long and honourable history."

The women were protesting the university's decision to close its two
downtown colleges and the decision-making process at Trent. The occupation, from Feb. 26 to March 1, ended when 25 police officers entered the vice-president academic's office at 3 a.m. and physically removed the women.

All eight have been charged with mischief.

At issue, the parents state, is the arrest and subsequent treatment of
the women. "We believe it was devious to do this under the shadow of night....The charges that have been laid are also excessive," the letter states."Your over-reaction to the protest indicates that you have abandoned the route of open democratic debate in the public forum....We are appalled that, as Trent University's president, you acted through a massive police presence and that you seek to criminalize our daughters rather than honour their courage and tenacity."

Oscar Cole-Arnal, father of protester Sarah Lamble, said yesterday that he contacted the other parents to get support for the letter.
"We find (the women's) actions commendable," Cole-Arnal said from his office at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. He compared the women to other protesters of the past, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Nellie McClung.

"It is wonderful to be proud (of my daughter) on two levels; for her
courage and savvy, and I share her values," Cole-Arnal said. But he admits he had his "share of daddy concerns" when the protest was taking place.

The letter urges the university administration to "rethink what you are
doing and move into a process which involves democratic dialogue."
Patterson was in Ottawa yesterday at a meeting of the Association of
Universities and Colleges of Canada.

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 19 MARCH 2001

LETTERS

POLICE ACTED CORRECTLY

I commend the Trent University students who spoke up and demonstrated for issues they feel are important and need serious answers. I do, however, criticize their decision to unlawfully take over the vice-principal's office. President Bonnie Patterson gave them a few days to make their point, but eventually action had to be taken. These adult students were obviously very willing to accept the penalty for their actions and have certainly received a great deal of publicity.

Some letters to the Examiner praised the Peterborough police department for professionally defusing what could have been a volatile situation. Rightly so! Other writers, due to their lack of knowledge and expertise, highly criticized the police actions.

Let's review these complaints:

Why did 25 police officers show up to make arrests? To my knowledge there were eight students barricaded inside the VP's office and 17 supporters outside. According to my math that is 25 demonstrators for 25 police officers. Makes sense to me, unless you expect one officer to control two or more at once. Would the question of police numbers be an issue if the demonstrators were men instead of women?

Why were the police dressed in riot gear and why did they bring a police dog along? Fortunately, Chief McLaren with his experience, realized that peaceful demonstrations can turn violent and took every precaution to protect his officers. The demonstrators knew the police might be coming and high emotions can make people do crazy things. A police dog for crowd control could be an additional asset, especially if more students suddenly appeared in support of
the demonstrators.

Why did the police strip search the eight young women? Contrary to popular belief, violence is not restricted to men. There is a very fine line between sanity and insanity. Prior to the arrests, would any of the police critics be prepared to guarantee that concealed weapons or drugs would not be a possibility?

Why did the police carry out their raid at 3 a.m.? Would you prefer they came to Trent at 3 p.m. so up to 5,000 emotional students might get involved? In that case 200 police officers would not be enough.

Questions that should be asked:

Did this demonstration by 25 students have the support of the majority of Trent students? If yes, I suggest they get better organized and stay within the law.

Was the cost to Peterborough taxpayers for 25 police officers, at other time rates, court time and lawyers, worth the results of this demonstration?

In my opinion, the Peterborough police department handled this situation in a correct, safe and professional manner. The students made their concerns known, no one was hurt and hopefully the verdict will be reprimanded with no criminal records. Critics of our police officers should remember overkill is sometimes safer than underkill for all concerned. If you have never walked in a police officer's shoes, you should keep your criticism to yourself. To criticize means you think you can do better. That I sincerely doubt.

CLAUDE ETTINGER
Sherbrooke Street

SALE OF TRENT NATURE AREA GETS GREEN LIGHT

By Jessie White
News Editor, The Arthur

Trent's Board of Governors has approved the recommendation to
declare university property west of Water Street surplus and eligible for sale and development. This parcel of Trent land, which totals 78 acres, includes the Total Loss Farm Nature Area which along with the other nature areas "serves to maintain ecological and human health of the region," states the Trent University website.

According to the recommendation, made to the BoG on January
19 by the Finance and Property Committee, "A key Board objective for 2000- 2001 is the restoration of financial stability for the University. One specific initiative for meeting this objective is the generation of revenue from the University's endowment lands."

The recommendation further states that because of a shortage
of building lots with Peterborough and the fact the sewer and water lines have been installed along the property line, the parcel of land stands to increase in value. The "University's financial need and current potential for financial gain from property" make sale at this time optimal.

Stephn Bocking, Chair of the President's Advisory Committee
(PEAC), however states that "it was understood that the nature areas would never be sold." Bocking worries that this action may set a precedent with regards to the future of the other nature areas.

PEAC supports the position of the Nature Areas Committee
which has passed a motion stating that if there are to be any proposals for sale of property, there has to be a comprehensive assessment and consultation process. Bocking states that in this case "there wasn't any review of the decision by the wider university community."

The trouble is everyone loves Trent too much

PETER GZOWSKI

Globe And Mail,
Saturday, March 17, 2001

Like all of Trent University, the senior common room at Champlain College is a very pleasant place to be. Generous windows overlook the Otonabee River and light spills onto the scattered armchairs and the stone-and-concrete interior walls.

I spent some time there Tuesday afternoon, first talking to prospective students and their parents (I'm the chancellor of Trent and it was open house) and then just hanging out with one of the many professors I particularly like.

We talked first about the young people -- whatever duties are involved in my largely honorary job are repaid hundredfold by the invigoration I feel from the students.

But then our conversation turned, as virtually all conversations do at Trent nowadays, to the controversy that has divided its lovely campus and that culminated two weeks ago with the arrest -- and strip-search -- of eight young women students who had been occupying the academic vice-president's office.

"Just a minute," my companion said, lowering her voice, and then, before we continued, rose to check behind a wall that separates a kind of reading corner from the rest of the room. "Just wanted to see who might be listening."

Life's been like that all week at Trent: whispered conversations, over-the-shoulder glances, even concerns about who you're seen talking with. It's bizarre -- a bit like Poland in the 1970s, except for two points.

First, so far as I can tell, everyone on all sides of the debate, is likable. Second, everyone, from the most activist of the student sitters-in to the most steadfast of the administration and all the various factions in between, is acting out of a genuine, deeply felt passion for this unique little university in the heartland of Eastern Ontario.

Trent was founded in 1963 as a deliberately small school based on a college system under the guiding and imaginative presidency of T. H. B. Symons, for whom the main campus is named. It was designed by the brilliant architect Ron Thom, who also did Massey College at the University of Toronto.

Despite Trent's short history, this is far from its first political squabble. It has already seen two bitter faculty strikes; the departure, forced or otherwise (depending on whom you listen to), of five presidents; and the growth of a reputation as a hotbed of turmoil.

But it has also attracted teachers and scholars of the first order of excellence, and garnered a record of pioneering and distinction in such areas as the environment, Canadian studies and native affairs. It's not that no one here likes Trent. It's that everyone here -- or so it sometimes seems -- loves it too much.

The issue this time? Ostensibly, the board of governors' decision to close what Trent calls its downtown colleges -- two clusters of older buildings in Peterborough's core named for the writer Catharine Parr Traill and the local pioneer Peter Robinson -- and consolidate everything on the Symons campus.

I say "ostensibly" because the argument has spread to encompass matters of "governance" -- there is a dispute over whether the board has authority to overrule the university senate, whose powers are largely academic; of "corporatization" -- there are paid ads in the student washrooms; and a number of other issues including, now, the fate of the eight young women who took over the vice-president's office on Feb. 26 and were arrested and carted off by Peterborough Lakefield police at 3 o'clock in the morning on March 1.

This last issue is a thorny one, and I have spent a lot of time this week talking to the police, university security, the administration, faculty and a couple of the young women themselves, trying to sort my way through it.

I am convinced that the women tried very hard to act peacefully and properly --although, as one wise letter from a Trent alumna to the Peterborough Examiner said, they "evidently haven't studied Gandhi on the consequences of civil disobedience."

I am equally convinced that the administration has acted with compassion and understanding, and, in the end, in asking the police to remove the young women, did only what had to be done. University president Bonnie Patterson is a decent, fair-but-tough-minded leader who has been unfairly and personally attacked (and deeply wounded) by some of her opponents.

I do, however, also think that the police, while taking pains to appear to behave as reasonably as was possible, stepped far over the line in ordering the strip-searches.

And I am deeply concerned that there are people on the Trent campus who have somehow lumped into a single block the president, the board of governors and even the very significant proportion of faculty and students who understand and support the need to change -- as though Bonnie, as everyone calls the president, had ordered everything up to and including the strip-search.

Ah, me. The week began with driving sleet and freezing rain. But the sun has broken through the past couple of days. The next crop of students has been showing up and at least one of the downtown colleges -- Catharine Parr Traill -- will still be standing when they graduate. People seem to be talking to one another again, even sometimes laughing. Maybe, one of these days, we can all sit down together.

One of the reasons my own affection for Trent has grown so deeply in my brief term as chancellor (I'm just coming up to my third convocation) is how Canadian it is -- right down to its collegial regionalism and its virtually nonstop constitutional wrangling.
Like Canada itself, I think, Trent will muddle through this current crisis. Before it's over, the very thing that's been tearing it apart -- the love its people feel for it -- is going to pull it together.
pgzowski@globeandmail.ca

Chancellor Gzowski:

While I can respect your need to be the "eminence grise" at Trent and
exercise your diplomacy, I would ask that you let your passion for Trent come through a little more! Your judicious comments about the police action were perhaps too tepid. The question that needs to be asked is, "who in the Trent Administration advised the police?" We know that some form of liaison between police and University governors occurs.

Someone told the police to "step over the line" into tactics of force
and humiliation. It was surely not their independent decision to do this, or I am much mistaken in my assessment of how police and civil authority are related. (My father was an OPP officer for 34 years) Please, sir, get to the bottom of this. The consequences of civil disobedience can indeed be harder than young idealists might imagine. But, they assumed this is Canada in the year 2001, not the British Raj in India, 1919. We never had an Amritsar massacre. We can be proud of that. We have our police firmly under our civil control. So when they act to "send a message" or "make an example" by
their use of strip searches, who told them to use such force?
You have some authority at Trent. Can you not use it please, to ask
penetrating questions about this event?

I certainly agree with you about the way the college-sales issue has
grown out of its borders, into bigger issues about governance. Well, there must be a lot of ill-will about the process -- about a lack of sincere listening to alternative ways of making Trent fiscally sustainable -- for such an overflow and such bad feeling to come about.

I have sympathy for the President. She has to communicate why the choice of selling the colleges is the best one. She has not convinced a majority, from all I read and hear. I wonder why. Poor process?

Thank-you for your time and your written remarks about Trent.
I am a graduate, BA,history, 1973.

Charles Jeanes
Nelson, BC

Broadcast by Marginal Books

The students were protesting several issues that have arisen at Trent
University (Peterborough, Ontario) over the past two years. The conflict stems from disagreements between the administration and the staff, faculty and students reagarding the future of the University, specifically two "downtown" colleges that have been slated to be closed by the administration contrary to the directives of the senate and despite constant, unified and public objections of the community, alumni, faculty and students.

The eight young women, aged 18 to 24 had established a non-violent sit-in protest in the office of the Vice-President. They had declared their non-violent intentions and had the support of much of the Trent community.

Trent University has a history of encouraging dissent and political
expression among it's students and although there have been many sit-ins and protests in Trant's past, this is the first time that police have been involved.

Trent administration's president, Bonnie Patterson, at whom the protest was directed, and who made the decision to call the police after only two days of protest, has refused to discuss the board's decisions regarding the future of the University and has repeatedly ignored arguments against the plans for closing the colleges. Board meetings, which have always been open to the public, have been closed. Petitions have been ingnored. Counter-propsals have gone un-read. Bonnie Patterson refuses to speak with the students and faculty who have the most to lose with the board's decision.

Beyond the closing of the colleges, there were several other issues included in the demands of the eight protesters. These demands reflect concerns the students have that the institution providing their education has strayed from it's original stated goals of: a) advancement of learning AND the dissemanation of knowledge; and b) the intellectual, social, moral, and physical development of its members and the betterment of society. And is, instead, being remodelled under the corporate paradigm into a profit generating business in which the students become tools by which the adminsitration can leverage advertising money and government funding in order to fuel the growth of the administration.

If you would like more information or would like to know how you can support the students, go to:
trentaction/
or e-mail them at:
TrentAction@GeekUnity.com

This message was sent by:
Marginal Distribution
277 George Street North, Unit 102
Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 3G9 Canada
phone (705) 745-2326 fax (705) 745-2122

marginal@marginalbook.com
www.marginalbook.com

The Globe and Mail
Wednesday, March 14, 2001

Police overboard

By Matthew MacLean

Toronto -- I was appalled to read about the treatment of student protesters by police at Trent University (Faculty Backs Trent Student Protesters -- March 13). There was no cause for riot gear nor any justification for strip-searching the students.

I am disturbed at the frequency of such incidents. We have never had a satisfactory resolution to issues of Queen's Park's involvement in the Ipperwash protest in 1995, nor of the PMO's involvement in the APEC incident in 1997. We now routinely see riot police on television in trade-related talks worldwide and in homelessness protests at home. Protesters are all branded troublemakers, regardless of the fact that most are simply concerned citizens.

Copyright 2000 | The Globe and Mail

Dear Trent Action:

Faith faith!

We put in a link at http://www.gcpress.com/

all the best,
gk darby

garrett county press USA
http://www.gcpress.com
publisher of Best of Temp Slave!

Media Release, March 7th, 2001

1. A deposit can be made directly to the account at the CIBC branch in downtown Peterborough (Hunter and George Streets).
2. A cheque for deposit to the account can be handed to a teller at any CIBC branch. In this case, the cheque should be sealed in an envelope with the instruction: "Please forward to 00242 for deposit."
3. A cheque can be forwarded to Professor David Sheinin, Trent University, Peterborough ON K9J 7B8 for deposit to the account.

GLOBE AND MAIL TUESDAY MARCH 13, 2001
FACULTY BACKS TRENT STUDENT PROTESTERS
TEACHERS DEPLORE USE OF RIOT POLICE, WANT NO CHARGES AGAINST STRIP SEARCHED WOMEN

The Globe and Mail, Tuesday, March 13, 2001
The big benefits of being small

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 9 MARCH 2001

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 9 MARCH 2001 NO ACADEMIC PUNISHMENT FOR TRENT SIT-IN PROTESTERS

DEFENSE FUND SET UP FOR PROTESTERS

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 3 MARCH 2001
LETTER TO THE EDITOR

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 3 MARCH 2001
TRENT OCCUPATION WELL HANDLED

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 3 MARCH 2001
TRENT HEAD BLASTED OVER POLICE RAID

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 3 MARCH 2001
TRENT OFFICES RESTRICT TO 1 STUDENT AT A TIME

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 2 MARCH 2001
TRENT HEAD DEFENDS ACTIONS

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 2 MARCH 2001
TRENT PROTESTERS OUT ON BAIL

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 2 MARCH 2001
POLICE RAID TRAUMATIZES PROTESTER

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 2 MARCH 2001
FIGHT TO GO ON, STUDENTS SAY

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 2 MARCH 2001
STUDENTS SHOCKED BY 3 A.M. RAID

PETERBOROUGH THIS WEEK 2 MARCH 2001
'NOT A DEAD ISSUE'

PETERBOROUGH THIS WEEK 2 MARCH 2001
'IT ALL HAPPENED SO QUICKLY'

Memo to: All Members of the University Community

RE: RESOLUTION OF ILLEGAL STUDENT OCCUPATION

PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER 1 MARCH 2001
PROTESTORS TALK TO POLICE

ALUMNI ASKS: IS THE TRENT VISION DEAD?
in Arthur letter to the editor, date not available

It is with dismay that I read of the developments at Trent U, my alma mater. I graduated Trent in 1973. Family and friends in Peterborough keep me informed of Trent news.

The sales of Peter Robinson and Catherine Parr Traill Colleges seems to me a great mistake, and it is unjustified by the purported fiscal
rationale. Professor G. Nader's assessment of September 8, 2000 exposes the hollowness of the financial arguments in favour of a sell-off policy.

No reply to Nader's points has been made, to my knowledge. Why are these sales being promoted as prudent, in the face of Nader's expose? Is the Board of Governors ignoring the Senate's opinion
on the matter, in defiance of - the Trent Act? Why does this seem very plausible to say that privatization of university functions is the
true motive of the supporters of a sell-off policy? Is privatization of Trent U a real long- term objective which is being hidden from the
public?

Here in Nelson BC, I see Trent's developments in ironic light. I sit on a board of a not-for- profit Society whose goal is to restore a
University to this city. Notre Dame U of Nelson (NDU, 1963-78) was in a sense extinguished by the BC Establishment - the monopolistic universities on the Coast and a local College
allied to them. NDU tried to become public, failed (was prevented) and had to close. UBC no doubt was satisfied. Nelson lost a great asset.

You at Trent must appreciate the irony I see. We here desperately want a public university. At Trent, your leaders go the opposite direction. Will a privatized university serve the Trent blueprint and values well?

I recall a Trent U that valued education as a social good, not as a market-driven commodity. The collegiate system modelled on England's, and the two urban colleges (PRC, CPTC) were integral
to a vision of a "Community of Learning". Is that vision dead? The sell-off policy says so.

To close, I plead with the Board of Governors to reconsider the sales. I ask undergraduates at Trent to protest, to challenge the process, and
to educate the public. To my fellow alumni I say, do not donate to Trent if this sell-off and privatization agenda seems a betrayal of an
original vision.

I would like to get this message to an audience of Trent alumni, and I ask the editors of Arthur to do what you can, toward this end.

Sincerely, Charles H. Jeanes
Class of 1973
Faculty of Arts Director,
Nelson University Centre Education Society

Eds' Note: We have forwarded your letter to the
office of Alumni Affairs.

ARTHUR 27 FEBRUARY 2001
VOLUME 35 ISSUE 19

LETTERS