NationMaster - Encyclopedia: International Students Day

International Students Day is an international observance of student activism, held annually on November 17. Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization with the stated purpose of promoting all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international standards. ... International observance denotes a day, week, year, decade or other period of time under the Gregorian calendar which is set aside to observe some principal or issue of international interest or concern. ... Student activism is work done by students to affect political, environmental, economic, or social change. ... 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece. ...

Taking the day differently than its original meaning, a number of universities mark it, sometimes on a day other than November 17, for a nonpolitical celebration of the multiculturalism of their international students. Multiculturalism is the public policy for managing cultural diversity in a multi-ethnic society, officially stressing mutual respect and tolerance for cultural differences within a countrys borders. ... International students are students, usually in early adulthood, who study in foreign schools. ...

Origin

The date commemorates the anniversary of the 1939 Nazi storming of the University of Prague after demonstrations against the killing of Jan Opletal and the occupation of Czechoslovakia, and the execution of nine student leaders, over 1200 students sent to concentration camps, and the closing of all Czechoslovakian universities and colleges. 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Charles University of Prague (also simply University of Prague; Czech: Univerzita Karlova; Latin: Universitas Carolina) is the oldest and most prestigious Czech university and among the oldest universities in Europe, being founded in 1340s (for the exact year, see below). ... Jan Opletal (January 1, 1915–November 11, 1939) was a student of the Medical Faculty of the Charles University in Prague, who was killed in an anti-Nazi demonstration during the German occupation. ... == On the same day, Hitler met with Chamberlain at Berchtesgaden and demanded the swift return of the Sudetenland to the Third Reich under threat of war. ...

The day was first marked in 1941 in London by the International Students Council (which had many refugee members) in accord with the Allies, and the tradition has been kept up by the successor International Union of Students, which has been pressing with National Unions of Students in Europe and other groups to make the day an official United Nations observance. National Unions of Students in Europe (ESIB) is an association of 50 National Unions of Students from 37 European Nations. ...

Observances

The Athens Polytechnic uprising against the Greek military junta of 1973 came to a climax on November 17, with a violent crackdown and a tank crushing the gates of the university. The Day of the Greek Students is today among the official holidays in Greece. Military tank standing in front of the Athens Polytechnic. ... The references in this article need to be cleaned up to use proper footnotes and proper citation style. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... Holidays in Greece: ...

The 1989 Prague demonstrations for International Students Day helped spark the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia. Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day is today marked among both the official holidays in the Czech Republic (since 2000, thanks to the efforts of the Czech Student's Chamber of The Council of Universities) and the holidays in Slovakia. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Velvet Revolution (Czech: samatovÃ¡ revoluce, Slovak: neÅ¾nÃ¡ revolÃºcia) (November 16 - December 29, 1989) refers to a bloodless revolution in Czechoslovakia that saw the overthrow of the communist government there. ... Public holidays in the Czech Republic Categories: Public holidays by country | Czech Republic ... This article is about the year 2000. ... National holidays in Slovakia See also Remembrance days in Slovakia. ...

External links

Categories: Holidays | Student culture

Results from FactBites:

International Students Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (232 words)
	International Students Day is an international observance of student activism, held annually on November 17.
	Taking the day differently than its original meaning, a number of universities mark it, sometimes on a day other than November 17, for a nonpolitical celebration of the multiculturalism of their international students.
	The Athens Polytechnic uprising against the Greek military junta of 1973 came to a climax on November 17, with a violent crackdown and a tank crushing the gates of the university.

Students - definition of Students in Encyclopedia (473 words)
	In many countries, the word student is however reserved for higher education or university students; persons attending classes in primary or secondary schools being called pupils.
	November 17 is the International Students' Day, which commemorates those students killed at the beginning of World War II who called for peace; specifically, the date was chosen as a memory to Jan Opletal, and events following his death.
	A freshman is a first-year student in college or university, or, chiefly in the United States, in high school.

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