VLVL: PR3 context: FSM Declaration of Independence

[pynchonoid]

In addition to their support for the civil rights and
anti-war campaigns, Berekeley students also wanted
control over their own lives:

<http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt6g5004r8/>

Texts >Free Speech Movement Archives >Leaflets
                        
 Declaration of Independence

The Free Speech Movement at Berkeley was formed to
defend the rights of free speech and political
activity. Through negotiations,                       
 petitions, sit-ins, and a strike, we finally
established the principle that the University may not
regulate the content of                        
speech. At the same time, the FSM has given students a
new and well-deserved sense of dignity and
self-respect.                      

Throughout this semester, however, the Regents have
harassed the Berkeley campus in many ways. They are
now preparing to impose                         new
regulations that would destroy everything we fought
for. In the last few months, we have become
increasingly aware that                         it is
not merely free speech and political activity to which
the Regents object. They insist upon their right to
govern every                         facet of
University life — student conduct, student government,
educational policy, political rights, and other areas
of no                         proper concern to them. 
                    

The FSM, born in crisis, has never paused to organize
a permanent membership nor to develop the close and
continuous contacts                         between
leaders and constituency necessary to a democratic
movement. We never before believed that it would be
necessary to                         form a permanent
organization which would institutionalize the
struggle; we never believed it would be necessary to
plan on                         a long-term basis. The
events of the past few weeks have proved us wrong. Now
is the time for students to join together to          
              form a permanent, democratic membership
organization to carry on the fight to free this
university from outside control. The                  
      successor to the FSM shall be the Free Student
Union, based upon the following declaration:          
           

As students, we have certain rights which no agency
can legitimately grant or deny; among these the right
to govern our own                         internal
affairs, to set our own standards of conduct, and
jointly with the faculty to determine the form and
nature of our                         education.      
               

Our University exists for the extension and
transmission of human knowledge. It is a community
consisting of students and                        
faculty and those who are employed to serve our needs.
Final authority in this community must therefore rest
with us, the                         students and
faculty.                      

Yet a body external to the life of the University —
the Board of Regents — claims full power to govern the
University in every                         detail,
either directly or through its agent, the
administration. No rights are reserved to the
University community; neither                        
the students nor faculty deliberative bodies have any
powers save at the pleasure of the Regents.           
         

Therefore, we the students of Berkeley now establish a
Union which will fight to secure our rights and to end
continual outside                        
interference.                      

The FSM executive committee has voted to serve as an
organizing committee for the union and to assume only
interim responsibilities                         until
such time as the union is functioning; the FSM will
then officially dissolve. The FSM urges all students
to join the                         Union. Membership
cards shall be available for a 25 cents joining fee.
The only requirement of membership is basic agreement 
                       with the above declaration and
a committment to fight for those principles.          
           

One of the main reasons for the establishment of the
Union is to form an organization in which every
student is able to take                         part
as a member. We shall hold our first general union
meeting on May 5th, at which time proposals for
internal organizational                        
structure will be debated and voted upon. We hope that
organizational forms will be developed which will
encourage responsibility                         of
every elected union official to a definite
constituency, will maximize the amount of influence
the individual member will                         be
able to have on the union's policies, and will
guarantee representation of minority views within the
union. We also hope                         that the
constitution will contain provisions for referenda, by
the membership, on crucial policy decisions. Time,
place,                         and manner of the first
general union election will also be established at
this meeting. We expect that well before the May      
                  21st Regents' meeting, at which the
Meyer Committee proposals may be adopted, the Union
will be well organized and leading                    
    the struggle.                      

Membership cards available at the free student union
table.

labor donated FSM 4-28-65

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