A Word: Un Mot:

On Nov. 10, The Link, The McGill Daily, and Le Délit will come together and take to the streets in solidarity with thousands of university students across Quebec to distribute a copy of the special insert you're holding.

It's not the first time our student papers have been compelled to put out a joint paper. Our last collaboration was in 1989, after the Montreal Massacre at the École Polytechnique, when students "came together to put their thoughts and feelings on paper."

This week, we're joining forces as Quebec students are facing yet another historic moment in the ongoing fight to keep education accessible.

Concordia University's recent announcement that it will be forming the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies -- courtesy of a $5 million donation from the Azrieli Foundation -- raises some interesting questions.
Specifically, it raises questions pertaining to the idea of the university being bought by those with personal wealth and an interest in backing their favourite cause.

Supporters of this Institute argue that it will be politically neutral and judge projects, speakers and visiting professorships exclusively on academic merit.

In August, I blogged about controversy surrounding Concordia University's Board of Governors. A report co-authored by Bernard J. Shapiro (Canada's first Ethics Commissioner) had concluded that an unofficial, inner circle of board members had been micromanaging some of the university's day-to-day operations, and undermining the president. This had apparently prompted the resignation of the previous two presidents before the midway points of their respective terms in office. It had also caused a public-relations disaster and "culture of contempt" on campus. The report in question had recommended, among other things, that the board be reduced in size from 40 to 25 members.

In June of this year, a report was released on governance at Concordia University. The 39-page report was written by the External Governance Review Committee, a three-person committee chaired by none other than Bernard J. Shapiro (Canada's first ethics commissioner).

Another anti-police brutality protest devolved into vandalism and mass arrests on March 15, as 258 protesters were taken away by Montreal's riot squad.

Protesters were out in full force to voice their outrage after a year of particularly strained relations between law enforcement and Canadians.

"Police brutality, abuses of power and injustices are a reality that is increasingly problematic. We're asking the government to take care of this -- and if they don't, they'll lose the public trust," said Hadj Zitouni, president of Mouvement Action Justice.

The G20 held in Toronto last summer ended with 1,100 arrests -- the biggest mass arrest in Canadian history.

As labour members protested in the statehouse in Madison, Wisconsin, and across the continent, a sign of workers finally coming to terms with the impact of proposed austerity measures, tempers flared at Concordia's Board of Governors meeting on Feb. 17.

The Montreal university, still reeling from a crisis of leadership after the dismissal of President Judith Woodsworth, saw tensions explode as two dozen irritated faculty members openly challenged the sitting chair and heckled Concordia's recently named interim president.

The jeers were met by poorly veiled threats from long-sitting governors against the university's unions.