as i walked in the dark, frigid cold to the university this morning, i was greeted by several students at the gate who told me that the university was bloqué (literally blocked). maybe it was because it was so early, but it didn't really sink into my head right at that moment. there were many students standing blocking the door into the center of campus, from which all the classrooms are accessible. that's where i found two other girls from the LC program. we thought we could outsmart them and just go in a different entrance, which we did. once we were on the campus, we realized that all the doors to classrooms were chained and padlocked shut. that's when i realized they were not messing around. for better or for worse, the department in which i have classes (french as a foreign language) was not blocked so i had the joy of sitting through 4 hours of class.
i don't completely understand all the political nuances or the many fliers passed out in french but what i've gathered is that the sarkozy administration wants to privatize the french university system. right now it is run by the state and is relatively cheap and affordable. but, according to some of the propaganda, 1 in 2 students is forced to work to put themselves through school. students are also worried about the social effects of privatization which would make class differences more evident and essentially shut the university doors to some students. do they have any idea of the situation in the states? i have no idea.
while i'm all about rebellion and making a statement to get things changed, this seems more ineffective than anything. this act is punishing students who want to learn and do their work. i should say as well that it is only a small percentage of students who are actually protesting. it doesn't seem to be having any success either as many politicians, including the minister of higher education, are dismissing the blockage of 30 universities as a political statement with communist leanings.
as a foreign student, it is a lovely welcome. i'm here to learn the language and become acquainted with the culture, but it appears that local students would rather i not. it's hard enough that many french students are rather standoffish and not all that friendly, but then when i get harassed for or even prevented from going to class and trying to integrate into the culture, it seems a losing battle. i can only hope they realize the inefficacy of this little stunt, and sooner rather than later, seeing that i have final presentations in a month.
p.s. the last time this happened in 2006, the university in nancy was blocked for 3 weeks.
1 comment:
"as a foreign student, it is a lovely welcome. i'm here to learn the language and become acquainted with the culture, but it appears that local students would rather i not. it's hard enough that many french students are rather standoffish and not all that friendly"
Isn't what you're describing all part of the culture that you are trying to learn? Education ocurrs not just in the classroom.
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