There is currently a gap between the students groups and the student body. The dialogue between the two is not very clear as there are many differences in the values of the students, in particular new students, and their interests. The methods and tools of student groups to reach out to students has not changed much and this is just one of the characteristics of what is called the 'new student movement' which differs fundamentally from the old student movement. It is clear that there is a lack of clarity in their interests, perhaps due to the absence of a general dilemma to focus around, increasing their confusion as active groups. It is our hope that they are able to succeed in the search and discovery of new methods of working that are more compatible with this new era and values and to deal with students' issues and the University in general. They are still using the same old methods and I think they need development and creation of new methods of working so that they are not obstacles to the students rather than being their leaders. They need to become more interested in the daily union-based concerns of student's in addition to their political interests, which will not disappear and continue to remain a focus for the student groups.
In organizing this year's elections, we adopted the customary procedures in that there would be an equal distribution of time and place for the different student groups. I would like to say that in these elections the Preparatory Committee has, and continues, to work closely with the student groups, which have increased in number and hence there is less time and space provided for the election campaign. Unfortunately this year, there is a general feeling of mourning in the election campaign as a result of the untimely and tragic deaths of three Birzeit University students who drowned last month.
The students groups themselves decided that there would be equal distribution of time and place. The Preparatory Committee's role is to facilitate the election process and not endorse specific opinions. We always tried to reach decisions through consensus, not by voting, because decisions reached by consensus are easier to implement. We must preserve the tradition in Birzeit that the elections are a student's right and a responsibility of the University, which offers these services and at the same time a responsibility for the student's themselves to elect the individual and group that he/she believes in and for it to be in the same tradition and spirit of freedom and pluralism that makes Birzeit what it is.
We must respect the mourning and the feelings of loss that are still felt within the university community. We must also respect the feelings of the families of the students we lost who live very near to the University campus and to change in some regards the campaign in terms of the methods that were used. For example, it was decided that the campaign would be from 10:00am to 3:00pm and that the time would be distributed evenly among the seven groups participating. The same procedure will be used for the student debate on Wednesday, although due to the large number of groups participating it will take a longer period of time.
20/4/2000
20/4/2000