By Jo Brown
SYDNEY -- After the successful national day of action on May 8, an overnight tent city was set up in the main quadrangle at Sydney University. About 10 tents were pitched on the lawns surrounded by the sandstone walls of the old building, and fires were lit to keep out the cold. More than 100 students stayed overnight.
Early on Friday morning, students gathered and picketed the entrances to the administration building to protest the actions of Vice-Chancellor Gavin Brown in supporting up-front fees. The entire administration was closed for the day, and students went out leafleting and lecture bashing to publicise the tent city and a rally planned for 1pm.
The rally attracted several hundred people, including general staff and academics showing their support for the students. After a brief march around campus, students returned to the main quad and stormed the doors to the administration, entering the offices of the deputy-vice chancellors and chancellor. About 80 students secured the building and declared the administration under student control.
The demands of the occupation were for the university senate to meet and reverse their decision to bring in up-front fee-paying places in 1998, and to guarantee no staff cuts. The linking of staff and student concerns was emphasised.
Despite the cramped conditions, with only a corridor and small offices being held by students, space was set up for catering, sleeping, writing media releases and contacting other students. A group was also set up to write a manifesto of student demands.
At about 9pm police were called in by the administration, and demanded that the students leave. About 80 students gathered in the corridor, linked arms and chanted, “The students united will never be defeated” as the police broke through the doors and dragged students out one by one.
Sydney University education officer and Resistance member Marcus Greville said he thought the tent city and occupation had been successful in expressing the anger of students at fees and education cuts. “Students realise that the decisions of university senates and vice-chancellors do not represent our interests, and that we have to reject their whole agenda of privatising education”, Greville told Green Left Weekly.
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