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25 October 2002
uwRyan.com This website is meant to provide value to UW student by delivering information. It will also supplement the column that I write for Imprint by providing extra information on some of the topics about which I will write in addition to the text of each column. Please provide feedback on what I write as well as give me suggestions of topics to cover. You can send e-mail to me to ryan[at]uwryan[dot]com. |
Students, stand up and be countedWe must always struggle for our rights
This year more than ever before, students and student leaders are asserting their rights in municipal issues and housing. Feds Students’ Council has made a resolution to protest the housing situation and in preparation for an upcoming municipal election students are going to be educated and enumerated. In a meeting where student leaders addressed representatives of city government, students spoke about the housing situation and demanded better enforcement of housing quality. It looks like the housing situation and proper treatment for student needs as citizens of the city may be improving. Does this sound familiar; this year is 1974. The recurrence of housing and student participation in elections, as recurring issues in our history shows that we must continually struggle for what we need and learn from the past to better our community. Twenty-eight years ago, students looked ahead to an housing shortage and problems with low quality housing. In expectation Feds supported a protest in the form of a tent city. Council funded the purchase of tents for around $3,500, which is $13,000 inflated to 2002 dollars. John Shortall and Andrew Telegdi organized the tent city. Shortall, who was reported as chief organizer, was from Feds board of student grievances and Andrew Telegdi was Feds president. Telegdi wrote about the housing in the 30 August 1974 edition of the Chevron. He wrote that the students required a significant part of housing in the city with the university student population at 15,300 in the city of Waterloo of 42,000. Telegdi also wrote that the WLU housing listings dropped by 422 over the prior year and UW housing reduction of more than 500 beds. He said that according to a Feds study 40 per cent fewer homeowners were renting to students. The protest gained attention from national television, radio, and newspapers. The attention prompted some city residents to call the housing office offering rooms. In a forum at the end of September 1974 students questioned a panel that included the Mayor of Waterloo, Don Meston. In the 27 September Chevron, Mike Gordon reported that in response to Telegdi suggesting that the city inspect housing, “. . . Meston insisted that this was a student concern and that the city does not have the facilities to solve the students’ problems.” Looking ahead to a municipal election on 2 December, Feds then took steps to ensure students were enumerated and encouraged to vote. At the beginning of October, the Chevron reported that the commissioner for enumeration had not enumerated about 3,200 of the students in residence. Students were still able to have their names added to the voters list. The city conceded and allowed a polling booth on campus. Ten of 15 candidates for city council participated in a forum. The Chevron, noting a low turnout at the forum, called the municipal elections “not the hottest item on campus.” After the election the newspaper reported that 200 out of 800 enumerated, on-campus students voted plus 180 who showed up on election day. It estimated that only slightly more than 1,000 students voted. The overall voter turnout was 34 per cent. This year in 2002 we see problems in the quality of housing caused by a restriction on supply and poor enforcement. This year we see a spacing restriction in the lodging house licensing bylaw driving up rents and forcing students further from campus. This year we see that increasing enrolment will put more pressure on the housing supply. Students have spoken out by attending the city council meeting and responding to the Height and Density Study Response Paper but there is far more students must do to be heard. Students have spoken out by passing a resolution in Students’ Council putting pressure on the city to consider our concerns. If you want student housing problems to be addressed you must speak out too. In 13 months there will be a municipal election. You must vote for any of us to be heard. |