3. OCCUPYING
agetting in is the first challenge, and we can’t tell you how people did it, otherwise the administration would shut down those options! You’ll have to figure that one out, but there is a history of rad administration building occupiers that will be able to help!
Make media a priority and use it wisely!
• The 6Party suffered from an unplanned media strategy. Divest Mcgill, on the contrary, designated 2 occupants as spokespeople whose tasks were to communicate with the outside world. They also managed to get a journalist from the Mcgill Daily to come with them to liveblog the experience, and were contacted by many news outlets around Montreal once the occupation started. Media serves to give your occupation digital presence and to let your demands be known.
Team dynamics and roles
• During the Divest Mcgill occupation, everyone had a specific role:
1 person took charge of negotiation with the administration
1 person was the security liaison, who was aware of the code of conduct and what they could be reproached for
2 people managed food
2 people took care of the media
2 people were camp counsellors: they provided emotional support, and entertained everyone — this was especially critical because an occupation is an emotionally trying time
Know your rights:
• Technically, what you are going to do is against the university’s code of conduct, since you will be impeding on the normal functioning of the university. The code of conduct is incredibly broad in its definition of what can be considered a misconduct.; Divest and 6Party bet on the fact that unless you are actively harming someone, security agents cannot touch you. Make sure to tell agents that they can’t touch you if they approach you—6party did that successfully.
Prepare for the administration’s intimidation tactics (the following allegedly happened during previous occupations):
• Playing with temperature: turning off ventilation, making the room stuffy or turning off the heat during the winter
• Leaving glaring neon lights on during the night and making it difficult to sleep
• Cutting off access to the bathroom
• Cutting off power