[R-G] UVic students challenge ban on military recruiting

[Anthony Fenton]

UVic students challenge ban on military recruiting
Student society blocked forces from job fair; now decision will go to  
broader vote
Lousie Dickson, Times Colonist
Published: Monday, September 24, 2007
http://snipr.com/1rjzk

University of Victoria students are protesting a decision by their  
student society to ban active  Canadian Forces recruiting at a career  
fair in their building.

The outcry, which includes a 350-member protest group on Facebook,  
has forced the UVic Student Society to let students have the final  
say on the issue. A motion will be brought forward at the student  
body's annual general meeting Oct. 18 and the decision will be  
binding. The fair is Jan. 30.

"There's such strong feeling about it on both sides," said Tracy Ho,  
chair of the UVSS board of directors. "That's why we're bringing it  
to the students."

At the Sept. 10 board meeting, Ho cast the deciding vote in favour of  
the ban, breaking a  6-6 deadlock. Some students are concerned about  
the recruiting practices of the military, she explained. They believe  
the military does not give students information about the  
psychological, mental and physical effects soldiers face when they  
return from service. Others don't want the military in the Student  
Union Building, where the fair will be held.

"The Student Union Building is truly the only space on campus that is  
for students and run by students," said Ho. "They feel strongly about  
not having the military in their space actively recruiting them in  
their own space.

"This issue touches home for a lot of students. A lot of people feel  
very passionately about the issue. I'm very happy it has sparked this  
debate. This is what university is all about."

Many students are unhappy by what they perceive as a lack of debate.  
Pamphlets and posters handed out on campus Monday argue UVSS has no  
right to tell students whether they should  join or not join the  
Canadian Armed Forces. Students were also set to protest a board  
meeting Monday night. A petition is being circulated to impeach  
student directors who voted to ban the military from the career fair.

"I feel somewhat insulted that some members of the board think I'm  
incapable of making a decision on my own," said Jordan Dilba, a  
fourth-year economics student. "I think regardless of how people feel  
about the war, students are in favour of people making their own  
decisions."

Fourth-year history student John Fox said he was extremely upset by  
UVSS's actions.

"The Canadian Forces provides funding for many UVic students," said  
Fox. "There are people I know who wouldn't be able to go to  
university without the funding they get. One of the primary missions  
of UVSS is to lower tuition fees and here we have a group that's  
helping students and they want to kick them out.

"The UVSS has essentially declared the Armed Forces are criminals.  
Their reasoning is incredibly  flawed. It's completely preposterous  
they're making these claims."

"You should be exposed to all information," said Max Bakken, a fourth- 
year philosophy student. "We are students. We are here because we are  
intellectual. We can make that decision."

Shannon Lucy, a third-year anthropology student, supports the UVSS  
decision.

"I'm not for censorship," said Lucy. "But since the Canadian Armed  
Forces is doing illegal things, they don't really have any business  
on a public site. We can't be endorsing them."

In Vancouver, Lt.-Navy Rand Freeman of Canadian Forces Recruiting was  
reluctant to comment on the dispute.

"The Canadian Forces is very mission-oriented and so is Canadian  
Forces Recruiting, he said. "Our mission is to attract people. We  
will continue with our mission."

Jennifer Margison, manager of UVic Career Services, said the student  
society is within its right to determine what kind of events take  
place in its building - and she respects that.

"We will just make some alternate arrangement for the military to  
speak to students who wish to speak to them. That's not really going  
to a problem," she said.


© Times Colonist (Victoria)