Tyson Houseman- Beyond the Picket Line Students Protest Tuition Hikes

Beyond the Picket
How Artists are Tackling the Tuition Issue

Colin Harris — March 12, 2012 |
Activism can be visualized in bodies dressed in red, rippling waves of movement and free cookies. Because that’s exactly what happened for an hour on the first floor the EV building; a small student performance inclined passers-by to stop and watch and inevitably take part in the strike debate.

Since their vote on March 2, Fine Arts students have been proving that there’s much more to this strike than picket lines. Groups of students have been meeting regularly to coordinate demonstrations, coming together based on their desire to inform their fellow students about how big this issue really is.
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photo- Erin Sparks

Using a performative way of garnering attention shows what fine arts students can do while on strike, under pressure,” said Theatre Performance student Tyson Houseman, who organized the workshop/performance. “It’s how we can be constructive about this, and get the word out.”
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Dressed in red and lining the corridor in front of the York amphitheatre, dozens of students read Hippolytus in unison, a text that is required reading for the course.

The standoff ended in a majority vote to cancel the class, which turned into an open session between students and their professor. The session allowed striking students to learn without crossing picket lines, becoming a consensus-led discussion between professor and students.

All the while, other students blocked access to the auditorium five floors below.
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