Education

a talk and discussion with Ken Olende

When - Thu 28. Feb 7:30pm - 9:00pm. Where - Brighthelm Centre . Organised by - Hands Off.
Description - Crisis in Kenya: a talk and discussion with Ken Olende, an activist and writer on African affairs, specialising in the history of Kenya. read more...

We reclaimed our own campus from the hands of authority and stuck two fingers up, with a typically rebellious student attitude, to the bureaucracy and institutions that suppressed our actions.

Although it is of course typical for an activist to disregard authorities that attempt to intimidate them under fear, Tent State was different. It was not obsessed with making those who opposed it unhappy by continuing the event but aiming to benefit students; speaking as an organiser I can confirm this.

After starting to organise Tent State in February 2007 our belief in the project increased and so did our enthusiasm. But what were we actually doing? Tent State is an education festival that started at Rutgers University in 2003 in remembrance of the students who were shot by authorities at Kent State University for protesting against the Vietnam War. Tent State has been adopted by a number of universities across the United States; we are the first to do it in the UK.

Last week (from 31st May - 1st June), in a referendum on whether University of Sussex Students' Union (USSU) should twin with the Tubas Study Centre of Al-Quds Open University in occupied Palestine, students voted overwhelmingly in support of the motion.

The referendum was called in response to a student petition and as part of the ongoing Universities of Resistance project, following the recent Sussex delegation to the West Bank during the Easter holidays, which included USSU President Dan Glass. Before and during the referendum, students engaged in vigorous debate on issues surrounding the selection of partner university, including concerns about the politicisation of education and the possibility of appearing to 'take sides' in what is for many a complex and emotive topic.

When - from Wed 20. Jun until Fri 22. Jun. Where - Sussex university . Organised by - Tent State University of Sussex.
Description - Tent State University UK (or Tent State) is an initiative of an autonomous group of staff and students at the University of Sussex, inspired by the national Tent State University movement in the United States. The first UK Tent State will take place at Sussex from Monday 28th May - Saturday 2nd June ... read more.