WHALE Passes

CSU representatives and members of Free Education Montreal couldn’t be too unhappy about this year’s Valentines Day. The highly anticipated Wintery Hot Accessible Love-in for Education, also known as WHALE passed with flying colours. 

Reggies terrace was jam-packed at noon-hour yesterday where students raised small tickets in favour of a Day of Action to combat tuition fees. Nearly 900 students also unanimously voted in favour of lowering the quorum from 2.5 per cent to 1.5. This will make future special general assemblies easier to coordinate.

The CSU stuffed the crowd with free burgers and vegan burritos. There was also a booth where students could make a sarcastic Valentine’s Day card for the highly unpopular Concordia Board of Governors. WHALE even had live entertainment where activists sought to get the crowd cheering and involved. One activist who grabbed the mic offered his own rendition of All You Need is Love, without such loving words for the Chairman of the Board of Governors.

Amongst all the fun, very serious issues were at hand. The Quebec Ministry of Education wants to raise tuition fees with no guarantee that they will maintain government funding if they do. Louis-Phillipe Savoie is the President of the Federation Etudiante Universitaire du Quebec. FEUQ represents the interests of university students to the government. He thinks it is crucial for students to mobilize.

The CSU is hoping the student involvement will continue into this Thursday when students will confront the Board of Governors and demand for their resignation.