On Friday, Sept. 10, some of you saw a colourful stack of boxes shuffling around the atrium in front of Ridell Cafeteria.

My mission was to draw attention to the fact that the corporate presence at the University of Winnipeg is becoming increasingly insidious and pervasive. I hoped that some students would say “enough” and work to keep their campus clean of corporate scum.

I also wanted to draw the attention of the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association to the fact that just because most students tolerate being harassed by credit card companies between classes doesn’t necessarily mean they are happy about it.

Aside from wearing the make-shift “Student Group Info Booth,” I created a petition in support of my crusade. I collected 322 petition signatures in six hours, but the real story is that only five or six people decided not to sign after reading the petition’s two clauses:

1. Students and student groups should be prioritized above corporate sponsors in all cases. For example, student groups should have first choice of which locations to table at during Orientation Week

2. Sponsorship should be kept to a minimum to avoid corporatizing our campus. If necessary, sponsors should consist of local small businesses or non-profit organizations.

If you agree with the above demands, please tell the UWSA executive how you feel – even if you signed the petition.

The best way is to attend a UWSA board meeting, or go to their offices and speak to a UWSA executive.

You can e-mail them at [email protected] or [email protected]. The UWSA can’t represent students unless you tell them what you think.

– Robert McGregor

Published in Volume 65, Number 4 of The Uniter (September 23, 2010)