Gonzalez Family Vida Loca: Playing "Who is the Mole?"

Right before Spring Break, on the week of the General Strike in Spain, students at the Autonomous University of Barcelona voted not to block access to classrooms, which I thought was a step in the right direction. The only problem is that they also voted to protest cuts in education (which means increases in tuition) in other ways. So instead, they blocked access to the university and made the statement, "we won't block classrooms, but good luck getting past us"). I didn't make it to class on one of those days, and the university became a ghost town. One professor who tried to meet with students in her office had her door unhinged by protesters who were committed to disrupting one way or the other. Apparently, security guards did very little to prevent the situation.

Classes have been back to normal for two weeks and four class days in a row. That is the most classes in a row since February, and it feels great to have that consistency. That doesn't mean that more strikes will not follow, but for now, I'd rather not think of that possibility. However, as much as I'm trying to keep a positive outlook on that front, I'm feeling very curious about the players in this sometimes physically threatening game of blocking access to education. All kinds of rumors abound--that some of the faculty are advising students, if not managing the protest process, that some students are going back and forth and telling others about what is said in classrooms.

I have had students come into my class asking to make announcements to the class about "meetings." The first time I encountered that, I went ahead and allowed the students to speak, but as it turned out, the political speech went on for at least five minutes. The second time they knocked and asked, I told them no, and they were clearly upset as they came as close as one can to slamming a door.

All of this has made me think of how underground revolutions create an environment in which we suspect each other of supporting one side or the other. Apparently, students think faculty aren't supportive enough. As someone who doesn't know who can possibly be doing what behind the scenes, I find myself looking around--at colleagues, at students, wondering who is responsible for classes being cancelled, for trains being blocked, and for the signs of protest that have been sprayed throughout the campus (graffiti is a favored pastime of local protesters). Honestly, I don't know enough about the two sides to feel strongly about whose beliefs are closer to mine. But I do wonder whether individuals at the university are trusting each other the way one would when being in total agreement over an educational institution's mission. Or whether they're walking around with suspicion over who is guilty, or in their eyes, who is wrong.