QUEBEC/ McGill's rebels without a clear cause

Back in the late 1980s I used to visit a centre in Pointe aux Trembles, now long-closed, for people with severe physical and/ or mental disabilities, and spend the afternoon with them. Among them was a man in his mid-30s whom I shall call Philippe.

When he was 2 years old, Philippe arrived in a basket on the doorstep of the home. He was deaf, mute, blind and paraplegic. What could I say to him? I would simply hold his hand for an hour or so and speak to him in the hope he might understand something. Philippe responded. When I grasped his hand, he squeezed mine, and didn't let go until I left his bedside.

I am reminded of that experience by the distressing events of last week at the great Montreal university where I teach. Anyone in our city who hasn't gone into early hibernation knows that McGill has gone through a particularly tense period. The support staff has been on a long strike. The university and the union have been negotiating off and on. There has been much debate about increased security presence on campus, as well as the university's request for injunctions to control the noise level and disruption caused by the strikers.

In a separate development, last Thursday, students protesting tuition hikes appeared on the McGill campus and a group of them entered the James Administration Building. Some students pushed their way into the personal office of the principal. Montreal police arrived at the building. It appears that they dealt brutally with protesters and even innocent bystanders. The principal has asked the dean of law to carry out an inquiry.

These of course are unfortunate events. My colleagues have been very concerned about what has transpired and have written private or public letters to the principal. Some have accused the administration of prolonging the strike, being heavy-handed, and having put a damper on academic freedom by increasing the presence of security guards on campus. There has been a great deal of finger-pointing. Some have sympathized with the student protesters and have called for a tuition freeze; others show little sympathy, arguing that Quebec students have it as good as it gets.

What is an administrator, a professor, a student or even an onlooker supposed to make of all this?