Students have cancelled a Friday rally aimed at the provincial government's education funding after the University of Northern B.C. called in a mediator to end the picket lines, at least temporarily.
Rally organizer James Mangan said most students will be back on campus Friday for the first day of classes in two weeks, but the issue of underfunding remains.
"It's shameful at this point and students aren't going to forget it, we're going to keep doing our best to demonstrate," said Mangan, who is completing an education degree at UNBC. "Unfortunately demonstration (Friday) can't go through because of classes but we hope to continue working to improve education in British Columbia."
The group, named UNBC Students for Faculty Association, had planned a rally Friday morning in front of MLA Shirley Bond's office.
Mangan said student reaction is mixed about the administration's move to invoke a section of the Labour Relations Code to halt a strike in favour of further mediation.
"I've heard it best described as a band aid solution. I guess we'll wait and see, see if they can get a fair deal out of this."
But one outcome of the strike, has been more organization and activism from students since Mangan's group emerged during the strike.
"I think students are a little different, students don't get so much angry as they get smarter, they get organized," he said. "I'm very much hoping that these strikes that are occurring now will be remembered come the next election."
