DIRECT DEMOCRACY ON CAMPUS!

Holding Departmental or Faculty General Assemblies

&

Creating Departmental or Faculty Associations

Presented at “Organise2013,” SOAS, London. November 1, 2012. http://organise2013.wordpress.com/ (accessed Nov. 1, 2012).

Mobilising from the Grassroots• The department or faculty General Assembly:

• is directly democratic as it allows everyone to express themselves and have an equal say;

• provides local sovereignty for the departmental association;

• is an open space for discussion and debate at the local level;

• can be called at any time by an association or through petition from membership.

Why the Departmental Level?• more effective, democratic and participatory than centralized

structures.

• departments are where people spend most of their time, working and meeting with people in their discipline.

• the formation of a mobilised and ideally militant departmental association built upon principles of direct democracy is a very powerful tool, particularly when departments organise together.

Mobilize for a General Assembly1. Form a Mobilization Squad (MobSquad);

• Start with 1-3 people and be open to growth/participation;

• Hold regular MobSquad meetings leading up to GA;

2. Mobilize for General Assembly;

• Get email addresses of all students in department;• Make calendar of all department classes;• Visit every class leading up to GA;• Flyering, postering, banner drops, information desk;• Create facebook group for department.

Mobilize for a General Assembly1. Class visits and personal discussions

• When making class visits to announce the GA, stress why this event is important for students in the department.

• Some students will find the prospect of coming together as a department appealing, while others will want to start taking action on (inter-)national issues.

• Take time to have one-on-one discussions with people about the GA. It will be a new concept to many, so it will require patient discussion.

• Ask questions rather than impose views. For example, how do you feel about the tuition hikes? About austerity? What do you think about a department-wide GA?

Mobilize for a General Assembly1. Class visits and personal discussions

• When making class visits to announce the GA, stress why this event is important for students in the department.

• Some students will find the prospect of coming together as a department appealing, while others will want to start taking action on (inter-)national issues.

• Take time to have one-on-one discussions with people about the GA. It will be a new concept to many, so it will require patient discussion.

• Ask questions rather than impose views. For example, how do you feel about the tuition hikes? About austerity? What do you think about a department-wide GA?

Holding a General Assembly• It is very important to thoroughly plan GAs. Things you will

need:

• Chair/facilitator• Minute-taker• Mood watcher (can interject to insure mood of meeting is positive)• Agenda (printed for those attending or posted on a projector)• Motions (clearly worded motions of action)

DO NOT get discouraged if turnout is low at GAs. The key is to create the structure and to keep holding them.

Example of GA Agenda1. Appointment of facilitator, minute taker (and mood checker,

if possible)

2. Explaining meeting and voting procedures

3. Reading and approval of the agenda

4. Presentation from external speaker(s)

5. Discussion, committee of the whole (with clear time cap)• Discussion of presentation and current conjuncture (ex. austerity measures, tuition

increase, program closure, etc.)

6. Creation of committee for writing of by-laws

7. Motions (often comes out of the discussions)

8. Next GA

9. Adjournment

Creating an Association1. General Assemblies will fail in the long-run unless they are institutionalized. This is

critical!!

2. There are three ways of institutionalizing departmental or faculty-level GAs:

• By-laws and constitution first: the mob squad drafts a set of by-laws, consulting membership regularly before adopting final version in a GA.

• Through a general assembly: a committee is voted on to write the by-laws and constitution and present at the next GA. An interim executive (a group of people) is also voted to carry out tasks voted at the GA until the by-laws are adopted and a formal association is created.

• Through a petition: this method is mostly used for calling a GA when an association already exists but when they are so called “party associations,” meaning they are either a-political or captured by particular interests.

Details on each of these approaches are available in the document “Creating Departmental or Faculty Associations.” http://organise2013.wordpress.com/ (last accessed Nov. 1, 2012).

Thank you!• This document simply contains suggestions. Please adapt or alter these

suggestions to suit your circumstances.

• For more information: organise2013.wordpress.com

• Email: organise2013@gmail.com

• Facebook: organise2013 (page)

• Email discussion group: to join email uk-student-syndicalism@googlegroups.com

• Twitter: @organise2013