University of Toronto Community Rallies Against the Corporate Takeover of UofT

WHAT: Anti-Corporatization and Privatization Rally

WHERE: Meet on U.T.S.U. lawn (facing Hart House), march to Governing Council (Simcoe Hall)

WHEN: Thursday, April 7, 3-5:30 m

The Anti-Corporatization Working Group of the UT General Assembly is calling a rally today outside of the University of Toronto’s Governing Council to protest the Munk “donation” and the privatization of education. Professor Noam Chomsky, speaking at a public lecture in the afternoon, has expressed support for the cause and is expected to make an appearance at the rally.

Organizers claim that the administration wants to generate discourses around global issues that are financed by and subject to the annual approval of the Munk Foundation. Peter Munk is the chairman of the mining company Barrick Gold, a corporation facing frequent allegations of international human rights and environmental abuses. What’s more, Barrick is currently pursuing lawsuits against three academics who have written about these issues.

Naylor Nailed on Corporate Contamination

Recent Action from the movement to kick Peter Munk out of U of T

by Juan Carlos Jimenez

On March 28th, activists from Mining Injustice Solidarity network and the Anti Corporatization coalition from University of Toronto did a banner drop and a flyering blitz in the midst of a guest- lecture by the U of T president, David Naylor in convocation hall. The banner, which said “Munk out of U of T”, was dropped during a lecture which the U of T president was teaching in a first year Political Science class about health policies.

Banner Drop Targets Peter Munk at the University of Toronto

Quotes Munk dismissing gang rape as a “cultural habit”

Members of the “Munk Out of UofT” campaign staged a banner drop this Sunday morning to bring attention to the man who wants to brand the University of Toronto’s Foreign Affairs School. The banner, which reads “‘Gang Rape is a Cultural Habit’ – Peter Munk” makes reference to a dismissive comment Munk made recently to a Globe and Mail reporter in response to his company’s security being implicated in the gang rape of many women near a Barrick Gold mine in Papua New Guinea. Barrick had denied allegations of gang rape at this mine for years, but recently supported an internal investigation when a Human Right Watch report also confirmed these offenses.

Petition and Munk Primer now online!

Please take a moment out to sign this petition against the Corporatization of the University of Toronto!

Also, spread the word! We just completed a full, 6-page Munk Primer with a 6-point, bullet-proof critique of the Munk Contract. Namely, that:

• The Contract Was Negotiated and Approved in Secret
• The Contract has strings attached, compromising academic integrity
• The Donor has a Conflict of Interest in the School’s Area of Focus
• The Donor’s company has a reputation worldwide for Human Rights Abuses and Environmental Devastation
• The Donor has a History of Intimidating and Threatening Academics
• The Contract demands that UofT House a Right-wing Think Tank

And if you’d rather watch a video to learn more about Peter Munk, check out this must-see viral video of Munk’s speech at Barrick’s last Annual General Meeting!

Having problems downloading the Primer? Try this link!

CONFRONTING THE HOSTILE TAKEOVER: Stop Corporate Control of Education

WHAT: (An Anti-corporate Teach-In) with keynote speaker Linda McQuaig!
WHEN: Saturday Feb. 26, 2011 11am- 5pm
WHERE: The Bahen Centre, room 1130. 40 George Street, Toronto

Recent corporate contracts made by the University of Toronto as exemplified by the Memorandum of Agreement between The Peter and Melanie Munk Charitable Foundation and the University of Toronto, reveal an ongoing trend towards increased corporate control of academic spaces.

Make a Mockery of Peter Munk!

WHAT: Protest and Street Theatre in front of UofT Governing Council
WHEN: Thursday, Feb 17. 3:30pm (official Governing Council meeting starts at 4:30)
WHERE: Simcoe Hall, 27 Kings College Circle, University of Toronto

Is it not absurd that the head of the world’s largest gold mining company could also brand a prestigious university’s Foreign Affairs School? Isn’t it a bit too ironic that a company that has a global reputation for intimidating and silencing their critics (including academics) with lawsuits is held in such high esteem at the UofT? Do we expect the Governing Council to honor a contract that was deliberately discussed and approved in private, especially when it contains such obvious conflicts of interest?

Peter Munk is making a mockery of our educational system and using it to promote his own narrow and destructive interests. We need to stand up and show the Governing Council that we want nothing to do with Peter Munk or his company, Barrick Gold. We won’t let our university play the fool and ignore the dangerous precedence that the Munk Contract creates. We aren’t the fools, he is the fool!

Come ready to make a scene. We will have props to express our outrage, with a healthy sense of the absurd.

We will have $15 million carrots on sticks, $$$ eyeglasses, gold coffins, and plenty of plaques!

folks are encouraged to dress as executives, students, and wolves in many different clothings! (costume is definitely not required!)

Organizing meeting this Monday!

Fallacies of Mining Development: Peter Munk in his own words, a speech at the Barrick Gold AGM 2010

The photos in this slide show were provided by the communities impacted by Barrick’s operations and journalists who have visited Barrick-impacted areas. If you would like to know more information about any of these photos, contact protestbarrick@gmail.com or visit protestbarrick.net. The following is a summary of some of the images and their source.

Great Minds for Whose Future?

Corporatization and Resistance, UC Berkeley to U of T

WHAT: Anti-Corporatization teach-in
WHEN: Saturday, January 22 · 10:00am – 2:30pm
WHERE: Sidney Smith Hall, University of Toronto

Event Details: Peter Munk is the founder and chairman of the world’s largest gold-mining corporation. Last year the Munk Charitable Foundation donated a large sum to the University of Toronto in order to create the Munk School of Global Affairs. In an era of chronic public underfunding of post-secondary education, universities are becoming increasingly reliant on private donations. This model of funding has changed how universities operate

Munk Donation Memorandum (now publicly available!)

The Munk Foundation’s contract with the University of Toronto is now publicly available on the UofT’s website.

This contract was negotiated behind closed doors and not made public until after it was finalized. Additionally, the contract imposes many conditions on the University that compromises its academic integrity, offering undue influence to donors for a price.

Most troubling in this contract is the inclusion of annual progress reports as a condition of receiving funds.