GALILEO, STUDENT RIGHTS PIONEER?
We created universities to question institutional or habitualized knowledge and values!
At their core, however, they are institutions as well --they normalize beliefs, values and hierarchies advantaging some over others. We must question who they serve and demand an equal role in governance. This is impossible if the academy is self governing, regulates who teaches, how they teach, the courses we take, and services we pay for. We require a clear and comprehensive student bill of rights, to help us participate in this process and allow us to have an equal voice.
At their core, however, they are institutions as well --they normalize beliefs, values and hierarchies advantaging some over others. We must question who they serve and demand an equal role in governance. This is impossible if the academy is self governing, regulates who teaches, how they teach, the courses we take, and services we pay for. We require a clear and comprehensive student bill of rights, to help us participate in this process and allow us to have an equal voice.
HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE:
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SIGN AN EXISTING PETITION FOR A STUDENT BILL OF RIGHTS Demand a clear document listing all of your existing constitutional, civil, contractual and consumer rights and demand the expansion of these rights.
WORK WITH YOUR STUDENT UNION TO CREATE A STUDENT BILL OF RIGHTS Tell your school what rights you believe student are entitled to (sometimes educators don't even know the law themselves). Make a website, ask students what they want to see in it! Make a website, get students at your school to contribute to the creation of a student bill of rights. Chances are you will have to propose a sample bill and modify it together. Look at laws and court precedents which already exist (Wikipedia "Student Rights") Look at other student rights bills in other countries (Wikipedia "Student Bill of Rights) CREATE A PETITION TO GET YOUR SCHOOL TO ADOPT YOUR BILL Get signatures and then take your bill before your academic senate. The more schools that adopt a student bill of rights, the more normal they become. The more normal they become, the greater chance there is that these rights will become law. Collect signatures on paper or on your website. Designate one student to collect votes in each department. That student can designate one student to collect votes in each class. Present the bill in class or hand out web addresses if your bill and petition are online. Set up a table on campus, attract attention, get a band to play and ask them to sign your petition. Get instructors to sign your bill, they can also help you propose your bill to the Academic senate. WORK WITH OTHER SCHOOLS IN THE AREA TO EXPAND YOUR BILL Meet with students from other schools in the area, share ideas, borrow from each others bills. MAKE A LAW, TAKE YOUR BILLS TO YOUR STATE GOVERNMENTS Get a professor or politician to help you convert your student bill into a legal bill and propose it to your local senate. You will need to find a politician to back you. MAKE A LAW, TAKE YOUR BILL TO THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT Work with the United States Student Association to create a comprehensive student bill of rights for the entire nation. Find as many members of congress who support your bill and propose it to the government. MAKE A LAW, SET A COURT PRECEDENT IN YOUR STATE If you have a negative experience, use google scholar to see who courts in other slates have ruled on similar issues (Wikipedia Student Rights). Go to court and ask the judge to give you the same rights that students in other states have been awarded. This means students in your state will be treated this way in the future. |