social control in the university In particularits terms, the struggle curricula, examinations, discipline, at Leicester last year was of no dramatic significance, In terms of a Second, Leicester was a university transformation of consciousness previously remarkable only for its amongst significant sector students' extraordinary apathy. The students however, and in terms of Union officials took this to imply a strategic and tactical lessons, it had Black of discontent and believed that the importance of all forms of through conducting carefullyprepared publicity campaign they Sit-in could foster enough interest to lead La revolution from above.
Briefly, the events of last year were as follows: in January 1968 However, this campaign in fact unthe claims of a mild but long- leashed a whole series of previously unanswered Union memorandum on unarticulated grievances which overstudent representation in University took the attempt by union officials administrative bodies were pressed in to embody them in one set of proseries of negotiations between posals and one form of action. This Union officials and representatives in turn answers the third question:
Senate. -owero the end nt the nion heirarchy enlisted the wholly the Union's proposals. A sit-in which was threatening not series of sanctions were agreed on at a meeting of 35% of students at Follow-up Leicester, and the Union president Socialist students at Leicester whe led the majority of those present into understood the contradictions inthe main administrative block for a volved were able to articulate them teach-in (due to last four hours) on in such a way that, in conjunction the proposals, the decisions and the with the direct action itself, a large sanctions. section of students who had preAt the end of a few hours, despite viously only struck liberal attitudes appeals by the president and his were politicized. associates, the teach-in' became a During the sit-in the students had sit-in by voting to occupy the been virtually attacked in a building indefinitely and to prevent thoroughly incoherent and vicious entrance to it by anyone except manner by the Leicester Mercury, students and outsiders who had any- the local evening paper. This, and thing relevant to add to the discus- similar personal attacks in the Daily sions were beginning. The Express led to a hardening of consciousness and a better appreciation sit-in lasted four davs, growing to a strength of four hundred. It was of the treatment consistently meted discontinued when Senate agreed to out by the former to the local reopen negotiations-which are still immigrant community. unconcluded. The future Sell-out By the end of the session, activity Three points seem to require clari- at AIMS's public meetings had fication here: why were such modest forced them to go underground. proposals rejected by Senate, how However, the struggle against them was so much support mobilized has by no means ended, and next behind them, and why, if this sup- session we hope it will take on port was so strong, did it not press more positive forms such as an for a more satisfactory outcome to attempt to build socialist-orientated the struggle? First, the memorandum tenants' movements. Simultaneously was turned down because it called we hope at Leicester, through the into question structures of govern- agency of RSF to move in a more ment which Senate's previous actions concerted manner into workers' had implied were beyond question. struggles in the town - while not A testimony to Senate's sensitivity ignoring of course, the opportunities on this point is that the proposals to precipitate within the university made. if imnlemented. would not the tone of conflicts which can both only have rationalized the process of raise a consciousness and prevent it government itself but would have being trapped tha level left untouched every real relation of strueles for minority representation.
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February the Senate drafted a pre- support of the majority of moderate liminary reply which rejected almost conservative students in ending the