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Maoist Internationalist Movement

Unite all who can be united to fight for freedom to do campus organizing


MIM Notes 132 (15 Feb 1997) contained a story entitled "Students: Seize the Time! Defend ability to organize independent of administrations." It was a general story about trends in the student movement with concrete examples from UMass Amherst. The story overall was correct, but the organizing behind this story was problematic leading to some incorrect statements in the story.

The article described efforts of RAIL supporters to get a student government to fight the administration for more freedom for student political organizing. The article said "The CCSUC is not cured of its lackey nature yet." The article also speculated on CCSUC motives for its retreat made against student protest of postering censorship, and called the CCSUC "a good puppet" of the administration.

As the article explained, First World students are a contradictory population. On one hand they come from a parasitic class position and will likely join that existence as they get older. On the other hand, they are not yet fully tied into parasitism and they have much to gain in terms of eliminating the patriarchal romance culture and ending environmental degradation, etc. The article correctly pointed out that within the white nation, youth are the group with the most revolutionary potential.

The article also correctly pointed out the reasons why student leaders may waver as they are offered numerous bribes from the administration -- from paychecks to prestige.

The error in the recent organizing behind this article was in expecting leaders of a parasitic, but contradictory social group (students) -- who as individual leaders are in the process of being bought off by the administration -- to act like committed proletarian revolutionaries. Instead of getting frustrated that the first open letters and articles didn't turn them into Maoists and then attacking CCSUC as hopeless, the correct thing would have been to turn up the pressure via open letters and an unleashed mass movement. As MIM Notes and RAIL Notes have reported in the past, such pressure works.

In addition, the organizers made the mistake of not seeking out other contacts within the student government who would be more receptive to independent student organizing. Labeling CCSUC as a complete enemy, as the article subtly did, was incorrect and premature. It is perfectly fine to call out individual opportunists by name, but damning the whole student government without adequate testing by fire is ultra-left and amounts to setting back the struggle.

To rectify this error, the RAIL supporters took up the struggle of "isolating the enemy, winning over the middle forces". The article correctly said that the only time such wavering forces as CCSUC will "serve students [is] when there is a bottom up pressure to counter that of the administration." The RAIL supporters took this idea to the streets of the campus with a petition that read simply:

"The ability of students to independently organize and communicate with each other should be a priority for student governments. In particular, the loss of Campus Center/Student Union bulletin boards in 1995 and 1996 was a serious blow to student power. We urge the Campus Center/Student Union Commission to return bulletin board space to at least the 1995 levels."

Easily, RAIL supporters (and group of people supportive of RAIL's position on this issue) gathered just short of 250 signatures, many of whom noted student organizational affiliations on the petition. The idea behind the petition was to make it clear to the CCSUC that it was more than just a few individuals who valued independent communication. The wording of the petition was deliberately written around a political point without specific instructions as to bulletin board placement so as to let the student leaders figure out themselves how to solve the various diversionary issues such as fire hazards.

To the knowledge of this writer, a grand total of five people refused to sign this petition. Three were affiliated with CCSUC or SGA (another student government body) and either objected to the process of educating the student body and using that mobilized force to pressure our student leaders; or claimed they wanted to remain neutral until they could "study" the issue more. While a definite minority (3%) of those we spoke to, this is a troubling response, especially in light of the fact that the petition is asking students to endorse a theoretical point about the importance of independence of the administration, and is asking our student leaders to provide leadership on applying this principle. When student leaders balk at organizing students, that's a problem.

RAIL comrades want not only remove impediments to RAIL's political work, but also spark a anti- administration-control movement amongst the student body. Such a movement would give revolutionaries considerable space "within which to swim." RAIL and MIM publications will continue to inform the world about the local UMass struggles in the hopes of spreading such movements.

Don't get frustrated with wavering elements! Unite all who can be united to defeat the common enemy!

Written: 17 March, 1997

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