So, what do students do when profs are on strike and classes are cancelled?
Well, if you happen to be at Acadia University during what is being called “Striketoberfest” you’ve got some great options. Sure, about half of the students have gone home or elsewhere during the week, but those who remain are making the best of it.
And it just so happens that the weather there this week has been fantastic and it’s the peak of the fall season.
Here is how my daughter has been spending the week:
1) Picking apples. Wolfville and the surrounding area are full of apple orchards, so she made sure to get out and grab a few while enjoying the crisp fall weather.
2) Carving pumpkins.
3) Going to a jazz concert in town.
4) Going on walks. The town is adorable and the area is spectacular.
5) Studying and keeping up with reading–upperclassmen have coordinated a tutoring schedule to help students stay on task even when their profs are out picketing.
6) Hanging out–whether a movie night featuring “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (with pizza, of course) or other events, RAs and others are coordinating various activities to keep the students connected and engaged in campus life. NOTE: My daughter would like me to point out, for the record, that she did NOT watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Okay, that’s done.
7) Learning about labor unions, picketing, scabs, negotiations, how much their professors earn, how the media interviews people (and what ends up on television), and the roles played (and opinions expressed) by various parties (administrators, profs/librarians, parents, students, hourly employees who don’t have much to do when half the students are gone, etc.)
When I was in high school in my tiny Oregon town, there was a sit-in. We were on the news for basically sitting in the grass all day and refusing to go inside the school. Perhaps it was just spring and we wanted an excuse to be outside. No, actually, it had something to do with a student who was not allowed to take classes because she was pregnant. I know that seems really old-fashioned, but see, you were supposed to drop out of school if you got pregnant. I guess those bulging bellies were deemed distracting. So “nice” girls who got pregnant did the honorable thing and dropped out of school. It makes no sense at all now but it was the way it was then. And when you live in a tiny town with not much to do, well, let’s just say that the pregnancy rate seemed a little high, and so some of the brightest students ended up dropping out in order to follow the rules.
Maybe it was worth sitting in the grass after all.
I think my daughter has had a great week at Acadia. I am certain that this week will stand out in her memory for years to come. And whether she was talking with her profs about the strike or out picking apples, she was learning and experiencing new things. That’s not a bad way to spend a week.
So, okay, time’s up. Please get things settled this weekend so everyone can get back to work next week.
For the latest updates on the strike, check this site which does a great job of keeping the campus informed. That’s where I found the link to a blog written by an English professor at Acadia who shares his thoughts about picketing and this YouTube video offering opinions from some Acadia students.
