French Strikes Hit Close to Home

Some Harvard students studying in France may face the loss of a semester of education in the midst of a revolt that has gripped several of the nation’s universities since February.

Schools in France have been forced to cancel classes and scramble for order while discontent with French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s handling of a bold higher education reform program has erupted into strikes and walkouts.

For some of the 12 Harvard undergraduates who, according to the Office of International Programs, are currently studying in Paris, the situation has posed difficulties.

French professors have used classroom time not to lecture, but to inform students about the reasons why several university intellectuals have chosen to strike, said Lawrence Arbuthnott ’10 in an interview with The Crimson this weekend.

“At the beginning of class, I would walk into my classes and was surprisingly greeted by a professor at the front of the room,” Arbuthnott said.

“Once class started, however, the professor would sit down with the students and start informing the class about the strike,” he added.

Once universities began closing their doors in France, many students quickly grew nervous about jeopardizing their academic standing and took immediate steps to counteract this possibility, Arbuthnott said.

“At first, it was very disconcerting,” Sonia Coman ’11 wrote in an e-mail.

“But gradually I succeeded in establishing contact with my professors, who kindly helped me to find solutions for each course affected by the strikes,” Coman wrote.

With more and more universities remaining closed for extended periods of time, Arbuthnott said he was forced to drop a class he initially signed up for and go elsewhere in order to fulfill his academic requirements.

“In order to take four full courses and maintain my academic standing, I decided that it was in my best interest to drop some of my classes at public universities which were affected by the strike and instead take classes at private universities,” said Arbuthnott.

Because the strikes have been centered on public universities, Crimson expatriates pursuing studies at private French universities have been entirely unaffected by the recent strikes.

“The strikes have not had an impact on my classes, as I take all of my classes at Sciences Po, a private university,” wrote Annie Shoemaker ’10.

“I have had a wonderful experience studying abroad and I hope that the strikes won’t deter future students from studying here,” she wrote.

Office of International Programs Director Catherine H. Winnie suggested in an e-mail yesterday that the value of the international experience in France may not be entirely compromised even for those Harvard students who are experience difficulties.

“I expect that our students will have some interesting tales to tell about studying in Paris, and have an enhanced understanding of French culture after these strikes,” Winnie wrote.