| Category List Back |
| Major: * BULLETIN STUDENTS RIOT OVER TUITION AT UCLA |
| Sub: (Click below) |
| No Subcategories found! |
|
| * BULLETIN STUDENTS RIOT OVER TUITION AT UCLA |
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/education/20tuition.html?_r=1&8au&emc=au
As the University of California’s Board of Regents met Thursday at U.C.L.A. and approved a plan to raise undergraduate fees — the equivalent of tuition — 32 percent next fall, hundreds of students from campuses across the state demonstrated outside, beating drums and chanting slogans against the increase.
Skip to next paragraph
Multimedia
University of California Approves Tuition IncreaseSlide Show
University of California Approves Tuition Increase
Related
A Crown Jewel of Education Struggles With Cuts (November 20, 2009)
Readers' Comments
Share your thoughts.
* Post a Comment »
* Read All Comments (298) »
Isaac Miller and Irene Van, who traveled to U.C.L.A. late Wednesday night in a bus caravan from Berkeley, said they worried about how higher fees would affect illegal immigrant students, who are not eligible for financial aid, and minority students, already dwindling in number since Proposition 209 prohibited affirmative action.
“Diversity is central to this,” Mr. Miller said. “It’s at stake here.”
Mr. Miller and Ms. Van wore shreds of the red armbands adopted at a Sept. 24 walkout, when more than 5,000 students demonstrated outside Sproul Hall at Berkeley.
After Thursday’s vote, as news trickled out to students rallying outside, the chants grew louder and students linked arms to block regents from leaving the building. The police intervened, and as one regent left, about 100 students clustered around him, yelling “Shame on you!”
Mark Yudof, the university president, said the state budget cuts had left the university no choice but to raise fees, and noted that the system received only half as much, per student, from the state as it did in 1990.
“My biggest fear,” Mr. Yudof said, “is an exodus of faculty.”
At U.C.L.A. on Wednesday, 14 demonstrators, including 12 students, were arrested for disrupting the Regents meeting. Some demonstrators barricaded themselves inside Campbell Hall, where they spent Wednesday night; others spent the night in tent cities on campus.
Rodrigo Verdugo, 18, a freshman at Cal State San Marcos and the first in his family to go to college, carried a sign that said “no fee hikes.” He said he worried that if his parents, migrant farm workers from Mexico, could not afford state university fees, his younger siblings “might have to work in the fields, too, if this becomes so expensive.”
Standing next to him, Maria Isabel Rocha mentioned ways the budget cuts were already being felt. “The library has cut hours, we can’t print, staff have been furloughed and T.A.s have been cut,” she said, referring to teaching assistants. “So there is less instruction and less office hours, but we’re still responsible for the same amount of material.”
Ms. Rocha, 19, said she already worked two jobs, and higher fees would mean taking on another. “I might have to take a quarter off to make money to afford tuition,” she said.
Tamar Lewin reported from New York and Rebecca Cathcart from Los Angeles.
______________________________________________________________________________________[Daily Kos]
Vigorous Student Protests at UCLA over UC Tuition Hike
by SumOfChange
[Digg this!] Share this on Twitter - Vigorous Student Protests at UCLA over
UC Tuition Hike[Tweet this] [submit to reddit]
Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 02:27:40 PM PST
Originally posted by Rachel Tepper of Plight of the Pumpernickel for Sum of
Change.
News of a steep hike in tuition fees at University of California public
schools have students riled up at campuses across the UC system.
The UCÕs Board of Regents met at UCLA on Wednesday to approve a plan which
will raise next yearÕs undergraduate fees by an astounding 32%. UC
President Mark Yudof told The New York Times that the fee increase was the
universityÕs only choice in light of significant state budget cuts in the
last decade. Yudof explained that the university system currently receives
half as much, per student, as it did about twenty years ago.
* SumOfChange's diary :: ::
*
Despite current measures in place which have slashed staff salaries, laid
off teaching assistants, eliminated free printing for students and cut
library hours, the board insisted that the university will be unable to
maintain the same level of academic excellence without raising tuition.
Anger within the student body was most acutely felt at UCLA, where students
from across the university system rallied outside the boardÕs meeting.
Protests at times turned nasty, leading to the arrests of several students
and accusations of police brutality.
Darlene Tran, a sophomore at UCLA, received bruises to her chest and wrist
courtesy of officers responding to protests outside the meeting. Tran said
she was chanting with a mass of students blocking the board membersÕ exit
from a university building. She explained that she and others were
demonstrating peacefully, but officers used unnecessary force when they
pushed through the crowd to clear an exit path.
ÒFrom my perspective, I understand why they did it,Ó admitted Tran. ÒBut I
donÕt think they needed to have been so aggressive. It was almost brutal,
in a way.Ó
Tran noted that the Board of RegentÕs meeting had originally been scheduled
to take place on a day earlier on Thursday. She believes that the
rescheduling was a deliberate attempt to thwart studentsÕ plans to assemble.
Students representing every institution in the UC system planned to bus to
rallies at UCLA, but arrived a day late.
ÒWe thought it was very sketchy,Ó said Tran.
In a last ditch attempt to convince the board to reverse its decision, some
students stormed Campbell Hall, a building on UCLAÕs campus, and occupied it
from 2 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday in protest.
Tran noted that the protests had hit a particularly sensitive chord with
students.
"WeÕre students, we can not handle this fee increase," said an exasperated
Tran. She believes many students will be forced to drop out of school
because of the increased fees. "WeÕre smart and weÕre knowledgeable. We
know there are other ways, there are other solutions, but we want to be
protesting.Ó
Senior Sharya de Silva said the vigorous demonstration was a unique display
of a particularly emotional student body.
ÒIt was more students than I have seen in a long time. When it first started
on campus, I would say at least 300 kids [were protesting],Ó explained
Silva. ÒBut then when we walked down Westwood BlvdÉanother group of
students showed up. I think while marching we had around 600 kids.Ó
She described the scene outside Covel Hall, a building on UCLAÕs campus, as
Òa mad house,Ó and said she believes about 1000 were protesting there.
Silva echoed sentiments of undue police force against what she described as
passionate but nonviolent protest.
ÒI saw one officer swinging a baton around to try and clear room,Ó she said.
ÒIn the process he hit two guys and almost hit me. This one girl was
actually trying to help the cops by calming the crowd down, and they got
her. It was sad, she just hit the ground.Ó
Silva believes the police Òdidn't know how to handle the volume of students
with that much passion,Ó and their actions were preemptive measures taken in
fear that protests would turn violent.
Despite the widespread discontentment in regard to increased fees and the
fervor demonstrated by protesters, some students questioned the
effectiveness of such displays.
ÒEveryone is unified in their opinion about it, well, sucking, but not
everyone supports the protests,Ó said junior Nathan Stein. He said the
demonstrations are Òcausing a lot of disturbance to people living in the
dorms and not accomplishing much.Ó
Both Tran and Silva confessed that they believed the decision made by the
Board of Regents will likely stick.
Protests have currently died down, though students continue to stew over the
possible implications the increase.
For now though, students must turn their thoughts to another problem:
finals. Exams for the fall semester will begin taking place in a matter of
days. Little time, said Stein, to worry about tuition.
ÒI think most students are spending their time studying,Ó he said.
Tags: budget crisis, budget cuts, education funding, public education, UCLA,
University of California (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions
Permalink | 27 comments
Comments: Expand Shrink Hide (Always) | Indented Flat (Always)
Daily Kos Help
* Tip Jar (9+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
science, trashablanca, koNko, One Pissed Off Liberal, beltane,
velvet blasphemy, kevinpdx, mahakali overdrive, samanthab
Socially, Politically, and Culturally Conscious Videos: Sum of Change
by SumOfChange on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 02:27:41 PM PST
* Your view of this strikes me as unempathetic (1+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
SumOfChange
to some degree.
I've tipped and rec'd it, because it's a great matter of concern for
me. However, are you aware of the extent of the protests, who backs
them, and why?
Focusing on the wayward militants while ending on the note that "most
students" are spending time studying belittles the argument here.
And if the Board of Regents stands fast with this, there are going to
be ramifications.
And it is TRUE that students are, at some state schools, locked in to
the system badly in a way that has cost them and their families up to a
year of rent (if they've leased) with a year set back to education.
The situation is serious.
Prominent Professors are leaving some of these Universities over it.
This is not going to die down. That's not realistic. The unrest has
been brewing for some time. The situation is not entirely based on CA
state funding.
What is President Yudof's confidence rating amongst Professors? I
honestly don't know, but if it looks like that of some of the other
public University systems nearby, I'd guess it were very low.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain / Question me
again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 02:35:51 PM PST
o Also, UCLA was the first to protest (0+ / 0-)
and the protests weren't organized. They were reactionary. They
were what one might call "a revolt" and not a "protest." That's
why they WERE angry. Similar at UCBerkeley. There was no
consultation, other than a perfunctory one, about how to protest.
The students have felt screwed for awhile, and this final insult
resulted in "a riot." Yes, a riot. So expecting an ideologically
cohesive protest is ridiculous. This is a revolt that may become a
sustained protest. We'll see. But the mistake many are making is
not viewing it for what it is: a student uprising that was not
coordinated and that grew organically over a few hours.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain / Question
me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 02:38:44 PM PST
[ Parent ]
o by no means are we... (1+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
mahakali overdrive
"unempathetic." And yes, we are somewhat knowledgeable about the
extent of the protests (we first covered it in September)
This report was written based on what we were hearing from people
on the ground.
Thanks for the tip and the rec, you are absolutely right that this
issue is critically important.
Socially, Politically, and Culturally Conscious Videos: Sum of
Change
by SumOfChange on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 03:01:33 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ It may be that I'm overly invested in this (3+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
oyka1, Preston S, One Pissed Off Liberal
The diary contents (of the article) pointed to a fair amount
of militance, and I was explaining why. The term "protest" is
a misnomer, in my view. This was a... not a riot, but a
spontaneous, largely uncoordinated uprising.
I'm burnt out by how many diaries have come up about this,
perhaps, that aren't understanding of students, professors,
and staff who support this and may be in hyper-vigilance
mode.
Thus said, I've been following this for over two years
directly, and have been in deep discussion with people who
have been involved in the state university system financial
situation since the 1970's.
My husband is a Professor at a state University. My views are
independent of his. Still, my finger is on the pulse of this
on, closely. I have read the union listservs and wondered
when this would erupt into something. I don't think we've
seen the half of it.
My kid brother attends UC Berkeley. I know many Professors
(and some administration as well) in the overall state
university system.
The common argument made by many is that this is primarily a
problem of knee-jerk students who don't understand that the
funding, due to the CA budget crisis, isn't there. I think
that's an incorrect assessment. The problems lie so much
deeper than that. I could pretty much write a book on this.
Thank you for caring and keeping tabs with people on the
ground. During the UC Berkeley situation, I was in direct
contact with my brother frequently during his several hours
of engaging with protesters.
Because of my husband, I cannot detail much further.
But this situation must have more attention drawn to it. And
it must NOT be blamed on CA state, because that is part, but
by no means all, of the problem here. Nor do I believe
students knee-jerked. I think they did good.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain /
Question me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 03:32:36 PM PST
[ Parent ]
* Boycott sports (3+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
formernadervoter, mahakali overdrive, SumOfChange
The best way students can show their anger over these fee hikes is to
stop going to all sports events. Sports is the only thing
administrators take seriously.
Big Joe Helton: "I pay Plenty."
Chico Marx: "Well, then we're Plenty Tough."
by Caelian on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 02:43:03 PM PST
* Wait a second (0+ / 0-)
I understand the frustration---I got my degree from UCLA in the 70's,
was heavily involved with anti-war protests (was even shoved around
near Murphy Hall by riot police), and paid only $208.50 per quarter.
So I get it.
But the FACT is that the state's contribution to UCLA has been
drastically cut, and simply saying NO, NO, NO is stupid without
explaining what the alternatives are. And complaining about a few
administrator's salaries are is silly--the numbers don't compare.
This reminds me of the typical Republican mantra of "cut taxes, cut
taxes" and when asked where the money is to come--"cut waste, fraud and
abuse" and pointing to a few examples of wasteful spending that are
less than a percent of the proposed taxcuts.
So before I have any sympathy, I would like to see the protestors state
EXPLICITLY---where would money come from. Either propose explicit
revenue enhancers that aren't tuition, or massive cuts, or some
combination. But WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM?
by science on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 03:30:31 PM PST
o The money is there, more or less (4+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
formernadervoter, science, Preston S, One Pissed Off Liberal
but the schools are overpaying administration and on-campus law
enforcement, and creating a privatized-style school system with
what would be considered "pork barrel projects," like the
development of multi-million dollar projects while programs get
slashed. Also, the programs being slashed are almost all in the
traditional University GE pattern of Liberal Arts and Humanities,
while Business, Law, and certain vocational programs are receiving
funding. There is a lot of unnecessary personnel and construction
ongoing, to make the schools appeal to MBA type students, while
the schools were primarily established as region-based liberal
Universities. The students are very aware of this (at least many).
The Professors are also sympathetic of the problem. This year,
many programs were cut that were previously PRIVATELY endowed. The
over-reliance on private endowments by Yudof and others has caused
possible resistance in the CA legislature to give out further
monies. That's the choice of the Regeants, and is why many are
pissed off.
This is just a tiny slice of how funds are being misused,
internally.
I can't detail further without risking my anonymity here, sorry.
There should be articles online about this.
Look to both the UC's and the CSU's. SFSU ALSO protested.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain / Question
me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 03:38:06 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ thank you (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
Preston S, mahakali overdrive
that's the sort of thing I'm looking for, and I will check up
on it. But this isn't really coming out in the news
stories... Also, it seems as if the structural problems you
discuss can't be changed overnight, alas.
by science on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 03:41:08 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ The news stories frustrate me (0+ / 0-)
Of course, how many times have we see the media get this
wrong? Laugh... And honestly, when I began discussing
this in the first thread, there were some points I had
wrong as well. I sought direct clarification, and, while
unable to really cite my sources (other than the one I
did), want it to be known that the students are onto
something good here. They are to be commended. They
should also push at the state level. But I've said that
even if the state wasn't broke, we MIGHT still be seeing
protests in the public universities here. But these
days, students are in an insecure position and don't act
with the same politicism so quickly. It sort of took
this tuition hike to channel their frustrations.
Check out the previous threads on this. There is plenty
of disinformation in them as well, of course. But
there's a great deal of conversation.
And I've been privvy to the larger conversation, ad
nauseum, for some time now, so none of this is a
surprise to me.
Administration and those in Business programs will also
present very different views than I will.
A great article written was by Judith Butler, published
in the NYTimes. Try googling it. I see a definite lack
of coordinated media information about all of this
dissent; it reflects some lack of understanding about
the economic tensions. But they're real and warranted.
Try googling "vote of confidence" issues with various UC
and CSU Presidents, and funding grievances. Curious what
turns up. Been chafing me for years now.
Best!
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain
/ Question me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:08:59 PM
PST
[ Parent ]
+ Judith Butler's piece was in the Guardian, not (1+
/ 0-)
Recommended by:
mahakali overdrive
the NYT. You're given the American MSM way too much
credit. The NYT was busy running this inane
Freaknomics post in support of the hike:
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.co...
by samanthab on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:27:30 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ Danke! (0+ / 0-)
All by memory; not looking... think I read an
email forwarding of the piece :)
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through
midnight rain / Question me again." - Seamus
Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at
04:37:11 PM PST
[ Parent ]
o I think the biggest frustration comes from... (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
formernadervoter, mahakali overdrive
an odd sense of priorities. The state spends more on jails than on
schools, and as one organizer told us in September, "The message
that the state is sending to kids is that it is more prepared to
send you to the prison system than the education system."
You are right that the admin salaries would do little to help the
tuition hikes, but students aren't only upset about tuition hikes,
they are also upset with plans to cut the budget for a lot of
programs. In that case, yes, cutting admin salaries could actually
save programs.
Socially, Politically, and Culturally Conscious Videos: Sum of
Change
by SumOfChange on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 03:41:16 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ Yes... (0+ / 0-)
Admin salaries, and also the amount of admin jobs. Schools
need this much bureaucracy? Really? They did without it for a
long time. Ditto the level of law enforcement on campus,
flashy new construction projects, etc.
But the solution doesn't lie entirely in these cuts either. I
think the general move toward cutting out Liberal Arts and
Sciences, which are foundations of a University Education
(and part of the GE pattern to achieve one), conjoined with
the move toward private endowments for non-traditional
programs, like Business/Law schools, are the problem.
If the state public Universities want to be those type of
institutions, that's fine. They can rely on those private
endowments. But they need to be up front about it and not
portray themselves as Liberal Arts (or Research 1)
Universities, or service-region colleges.
Look into what happened at SFSU this year with, I believe it
was the drama department. It was published two weeks ago in
the school newspaper there (I was on campus, visiting).
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain /
Question me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:13:56 PM PST
[ Parent ]
* This student agitation is encouraging (1+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
mahakali overdrive
Any chance the anti war movement can be re catalyzed based on this
model?
"I happen to be a proponent of a single payer health care program."
Pres. Goldman Sachs Obama, 6/30/03
by formernadervoter on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:00:55 PM PST
* Peter Phillips on the roots of this crisis (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
TomP, mahakali overdrive
As suspected, it's the rich arranging for massive tax cuts and hiding
their wealth:
The Higher Education Fiscal Crisis Protects the Wealthy
by Peter Phillips / November 24th, 2009
http://dissidentvoice.org/...
"I happen to be a proponent of a single payer health care program."
Pres. Goldman Sachs Obama, 6/30/03
by formernadervoter on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:19:18 PM PST
o Thank you, Peter Phillips is a good guy (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
formernadervoter, TomP
;)
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain / Question
me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:21:47 PM PST
[ Parent ]
o No the root cause is a suck economy. Get (0+ / 0-)
the economy going again and the revenues flow in. Make California
more business friendly and revenues flow in. Blaming it on the
rich doesn't address the fundamental problem. The economy sucks.
Eat recycled food. It's good for the environment and OK for you.
by thestructureguy on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:25:56 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ Read downthread: 96% CA Professors disagree (3+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
formernadervoter, TomP, samanthab
with your assessment that this is a problem with the CA state
legislature, exclusively.
I understand the ease of mistaking the two, and how they do
contribute to one another, but the no confidence votes
totally preceded the budget crisis (at least in many
Universities).
You can't claim that Economics and Pol Sci Professors, who
are counted in these numbers, don't understand the root of
this problem.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain /
Question me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:30:24 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ Incorrect. Blaming the rich is the root (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
TomP, mahakali overdrive
and probably much of the rest of the tree as well.
Don't forget, even when the economy doesn't suck, these elite
privileges are firmly in place. And for many people even
when the economy doesn't suck, it sucks for them.
"I happen to be a proponent of a single payer health care
program." Pres. Goldman Sachs Obama, 6/30/03
by formernadervoter on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:31:21 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ Welcome to the corporatization of the public (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
formernadervoter, TomP
university system...
sigh...
and you know, I was unnecessarily rude to you last
night. I'm sorry for that.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain
/ Question me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:34:03 PM
PST
[ Parent ]
+ How the wealthy hide their money (1+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
TomP
and the rest of us struggle as our daily costs keep going up
(and notice how they aren't reflected in the CPI).
And, what this does is perpetuate inequality (our public
school system essentially does it's part to further this as
well with it's focus on drill and kill instruction and
testing to line kids up for the already existing job slots).
Rachel Keeler has the scoop:
http://www.dollarsandsense.org/...
"I happen to be a proponent of a single payer health care
program." Pres. Goldman Sachs Obama, 6/30/03
by formernadervoter on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:42:28 PM PST
[ Parent ]
* For once I'd like to see a protest that (0+ / 0-)
gives solutions instead of great film at 11. I'm a parent of a UCLA
student and I want to hear some solutions.
Eat recycled food. It's good for the environment and OK for you.
by thestructureguy on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:22:37 PM PST
o Write to President Yudof (1+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
samanthab
and express your concerns. Demand he fixes his confidence rating
with the 96% of his employees who have none, or risk losing
students, as well as more Professors. UCLA has already lost some
over this. Berkeley as well.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain / Question
me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:32:12 PM PST
[ Parent ]
* Pres. Yudof recieved a 96% no confidence vote (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
formernadervoter, samanthab
http://blogs.csun.edu/...
But when labor unions representing about 70,000 UC employees
said Thursday that 96 percent of staff and faculty at all 10
campuses had signed a vote of no confidence in UC President
Mark Yudof, the message was clear: Employees at the public
university are angry.
Students are right to be angry.
But so are UC employees (including staff).
Usually a vote of no confidence like this is expected to follow with a
resignation. President Yudof, despite only having a 4% vote of
confidence from his employees, is still there.
I'd say that this signals a serious problem.
CSU employees are on par here, with a 79% vote of no confidence in
Chancellor Reed, and only a 4% vote of actual confidence in him (the
equivalent of President Yudof, in that system):
http://www.turlockcitynews.com/...
Of those voting, only 4% said they had confidence in the
Chancellor’s leadership. 79% voted "no confidence" and
17% responded "don’t know."
Say what you want about students, whomever reads this, but when 96% of
your Ph.D. level employees say you aren't fit to be their boss, you
should probably step down.
The problem simply isn't in the CA state budget crisis. That's an
aspect of this. But CA state Professors, including Economics
Professors, study these matters closely. Being research-oriented types
and all. This is a giant, systemic mess.
Look to these staff votes of no confidence to understand the student
dissent.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain / Question me
again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:28:12 PM PST
o Oh, that's such a damned distortion (0+ / 0-)
In the Turlock Article, there's a statement about Prof's voting to
furlough because of the CA state budget situation. Actually, many
voted to keep adjuncts on, since they were the ones being
threatened to be cut. Yeah, this was one of those things where
someone put the interests of others before their own, in many
cases. But to say it was all just a pool of money that couldn't be
spread around... there were PLENTY of Professors who would have
axed the adjuncts, guest lecturers, etc, and not furloughed. But
it came down to a moral issue for so many.
So that's more nuanced than it's being presented by this media
story as well.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain / Question
me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:44:32 PM PST
[ Parent ]
* Fix the Problem (0+ / 0-)
You can protest all you like. Its will do nothing. The hike in
tuition is because CA is ungovernable, and cannot raise revenue.
If you want to return to the halcyon days of public education in the CA
you must:
1. repeal Prop 13
2. Dump initiatives
3. Dump the 2/3 needed to increase taxes.
That will fix the problem.
E pluribus unum.
by Plubius on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 05:29:41 PM PST
Permalink | 27 comments
[Quantcast]
formernadervoter, trashablanca, koNko, One Pissed Off Liberal, velvet
blasphemy, mahakali overdrive
Navigation
Menu
* Home
* Diaries
* dKosopedia
* Search
* Create account
* Login
* Lose Your Password?
Advertising
[Support Bloggers' Rights!]
Support Bloggers' Rights!
blog advertising is good for you
Candidates
Blue Majority Candidates
[Site Meter] Daily Kos homepage
© Kos Media, LLC
Site content may be used for any purpose without
explicit permission unless otherwise specified.
"Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC
Privacy Policy
_____________________________________________________________________________________
UNREST AT UCLA
Police in riot gear, students laying in the streets -- sounds like the UCLA
of the 1960s. But with rising costs and slashed LGBT history courses, is
holding the UC Board of Regents captive a necessary move for gay students?
By Rhiza Dizon
[UCLA PROTEST THUMB X100 (RICH YAP) | ADVOCATE.COM]
A year after Proposition 8's passage and following earlier protests to keep
tuition affordable, University of California students last week found
themselves with picket signs and raised voices once again, awaiting a vote
that would affect their futures. On November 19, the UC board of regents
approved a 32% increase in tuition, including a midyear hike effective in
January and another increase in the fall, bringing the tuition at the
University of California past the $10,000 mark for the first time, tripling
the cost of attending a UC school over a decade ago.
University officials insist that the $505 million to be raised by the
tuition increases is needed to prevent further cuts because of California's
ongoing financial crisis. While UC president Mark Yudof says families with
incomes of less than $70,000 a year won‰Ûªt be affected, some students
remain skeptical.
‰ÛÏOffering me more loans doesn‰Ûªt mean that my tuition will be covered,‰Û*
said Samantha Lustado, a geography undergraduate student.
Lustado, a board member of UCLA‰Ûªs undergraduate Queer Alliance and member
of various queer student organizations, fears that many of her fellow
underclassmen may not be able to continue at the university because of these
increases, herself included. Because federal aid for students is allocated
by the beginning of fall terms, students will have to find other means to
pay for the midyear increase. For some, this may mean taking on a second or
third job, applying for a loan through private banks, or commuting from home
rather living near or on campus. Some may simply drop out.åÊ
Budget cuts have already made themselves felt through a decrease in library
hours and reduced course offerings. The cuts continue to threaten the
diversity and richness of public higher education. UCLA‰Ûªs schedule of
classes for next spring tentatively lists only one course in LGBT studies.
The Psychology of the Lesbian Experience, a historic class and staple at the
university taught by Linda Garnets for more than 20 years, will be offered
for the last time this winter. Along with budget cuts, campuses may begin to
feel student cuts as well.
As news of the vote spread, so did anger, heartbreak, and passion. Students
and faculty across California converged on the University of California, Los
Angeles, the epicenter of action, where the board of regents made their
fateful decision. Many utilized their social networks, updating information
on Facebook and sending mass text messages to organize various peaceful
demonstrations. A flash mob of students dropped dead for a minute,
symbolizing the death of public education in front of Covel Commons, where
the regents met on the UCLA campus.
Not everything was peaceful.
‰ÛÏMy friends got tazed by the police,‰Û* read the Facebook status of UCLA
undergraduate Ruth Mendez. "They only sat peacefully, and this is what the
police do?! They tazed two members of my community and allies to my struggle
as a queer Pinay.‰Û*
UCLA's Queer Alliance director, Melanie Simangan, says the battle parallels
another infamous California decision.
‰ÛÏI realized that the protests weren't just about fighting fee hikes,‰Û*
she said. ‰ÛÏWe were fighting so we could stay at UCLA and get our degrees,
but also so we could continue the work we've been doing. What would happen
if all these queer leaders suddenly disappeared? What would happen to the
queer community at UCLA because of this? Like Proposition 8, we were being
stripped of a fundamental right, though in this case we were being stripped
of our right to an education.‰Û*
åÊ
Lustado agrees.
åÊ
‰ÛÏI can‰Ûªt keep paying more for less and less,‰Û* Lustado replied to the
news. ‰ÛÏStudents defending visibility and acceptance on campuses all over
California could become invisible. Diversity is what‰Ûªs at stake here.‰Û*
While the protests eventually died down, students at their respective UC
campuses are continuing to organize acts of peaceful protest and mobilizing
various community meetings in order to determine the best course of action.
UC officials said state budget cuts left them no choice but to raise fees
and noted that the system receives only half as much per student from the
state as it did in 1990.
UC president Yudof told reporters he couldn't rule out raising student fees
again if the state cannot meet his request for an additional $913 million
next year for the 10-campus system."I can't make any ... promises," he said.
‰ÛÏWhile the increased cost presents an insurmountable barrier to college
access for thousands of students and potential students, it's only the tip
of the iceberg, Gregory Cendana, president of the United States Student
Association, said in a statement. Nationwide, states are balancing
budgets on the backs of students, slashing higher education funding and
raising tuition and fees. Students need financial relief now more than
ever.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Contact:
UC Berkeley student, Marika Iyer — marikaiyer@gmail.com
Other student Organizers of Live Week:
Laura Zelko, student organizer with Live Week: laura_z@berkeley.edu
Callie Maidhof, student organizer with Live Week: callie.maidhof@gmail.com
UC Police arrested 8 more people – many whom eyewitnesses say had not been engaging in any illegal activity – on the final night of a 5-day, 24-hour-a day “Live Week” open university, held
by Cal students and faculty to protest and provide an alternative to the “dead week” at the end of the semester resulting from recent furloughs and budget cuts. The final event of the week, a free
performance featuring Boots Riley, a hip hop artist from The Coup, had to be moved at the last minute after a morning police raid on Wheeler Hall, the primary site for “Live Week” activities.
Some 200 students gathered for the concert at the UC Berkeley campus from UC Davis, SF State, UC Santa Cruz, and UCLA as well as Berkeley. Following the concert, which had been
interrupted by police cars constantly circling the area, some of the attendees joined a night march that left campus for the residence of UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau. Some of the
protesters carried torches to light up the path, they said. Some dragged newspaper boxes into the street.
“Regardless of what one thinks about the events of last night, the minor vandalism that occurred cannot be viewed outside the context of the physical violence inflicted by police on student
activists and the broader assault on public education,” said Callie Maidhof, a student organizer with Live Week.
Many of the marchers were upset about the arrests that had been made earlier that day, when police stormed into a building where students had been holding Live Week events since Monday.
Sixty-five people who had been sleeping or studying were loaded onto Alameda County Sheriff’s buses during the cold pre-dawn hours, some of them barefoot and wearing only their
underwear. Most of the students were given misdemeanor trespassing charges and released by the afternoon, but some say they’re fearful of additional charges that either the District Attorney or
the UC administration could add on in the coming year.
Police swooped down on the activists in front of University House around 11:30 p.m. on Friday, resulting in pandemonium as the students and other activists dispersed in all directions.
“When everyone is running, you don’t think that clearly. My friends and I were trying to leave because things were getting out of hand,” said Jobert Poblete, a Cal alumni who participated in the
march.
Poblete was split up from his friends, who ran into the woods near Strawberry Creek. Police then swept up Carwil James, 34, a visiting Ph.D student from City University in New York.
“Carwil hadn’t been doing anything at the time. Now he’s in jail on his birthday, and they just raised his bail from $50,000 to $132,000. There’s no way we can raise that much money. This is a
travesty,” said Poblete.
David Morse, 41, an independent journalist, was filming the demonstration and police response when he was arrested, said witnesses.
“They were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time,” said a student who observed the chaos when police arrived at the chancellor’s house and declined to give their name. “Not all of the
protesters were students at Cal – but the issue here is larger than tuition hikes anyway. It’s about the state of public education and neoliberalism in the US and abroad.”
Eleven people arrested at student demonstrations during the past week remain in custody at Santa Rita Jail in
Dublin.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Subject:
Google Alert - student unrest
Date:
Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:51:22 +0000
From:
Google Alerts
To:
cgcsas@cox.net
Google Blogs Alert for: student unrest
John Sunol: Iran Cops Clash with Opposition Protesters
By sunolj@yahoo.com.au (johnsunol)
CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports that foreign media were banned from covering the unrest, so much of the
video was filmed by demonstrators themselves.Some protesters scuffled with hard-line students who were holding a ...
John Sunol - http://johnchristophersunol.youmailr.com/
student loan information » Blog Archive » Why Consider Offshore ...
By admin
Don't wait until a period of unrest brings you and your assets under federal scrutiny. By then, it will be too late. You won't be able
to protect what you've got because Uncle Sam will probably decide to “protect” it for you. ...
student loan information - http://www.student-loan-information.com.cn/
Google Islamic: A Veiled Movement for Women's Rights Sweeps Iran
By Syed Asadullah
This campaign was sparked by the government's attempt to humiliate leading student activist Majid Tavakoli. Authorities arrested
Tavakoli after he delivered a fiery anti-government speech during Iran's Student Day demonstrations on December 7th. Following
his detention .... PHNOM PENH — Cambodia said Saturday it would expel 20 Muslim Uighurs who sought refuge after unrest in
China's Xinjiang region, despite protests from the United States and rights activists. ...
Google Islamic - http://googleislamicads.blogspot.com/
Simple living & high thinking.: A Veiled Movement for Women's ...
By Syed Asadullah
This campaign was sparked by the government's attempt to humiliate leading student activist Majid Tavakoli. Authorities arrested
Tavakoli after he delivered a fiery anti-government speech during Iran's Student Day demonstrations on December 7th. Following
his detention, the semi-official Fars News ... More than 3700 people have been killed in five years of unrest in the region
bordering Malaysia, only a few hours by car from some of Thailand's most famous tourist beaches. ...
Simple living & high thinking. - http://adeebneyazi.blogspot.com/
Writers: The Doctor Who Defied Tehran
By Daughters Of the SUN
At the height of Iran's bloody civil unrest this year, a young doctor named Ramin Pourandarjani defied his superiors. He refused
to sign death certificates at a Tehran prison that he said were falsified to cover up murder. ... In Iran, students are placed in
universities based on their performance on a national entrance exam. In 2001, Ramin Pourandarjani ranked 1069 out of more
than a half-million applicants. He won entrance to Tabriz Medical University, one of the top ...
Writers - http://daughtersofthelight-articles.blogspot.com/
Google Web Alert for: student unrest
Unrest across Iran as students defy crackdown on protests - The ...
Unrest across Iran as students defy crackdown on protests - SECURITY forces and militiamen clashed with thousands of protesters
shouting "death to the ...
COLCHESTER STUDENT 1800: Download & Convert a Free colchester ...
Student Unrest at Merger Prospects - out student opinion on what should now replace the mural: “Banksy better get his graffiti
cans at the ready and hop on ...
Tip: Use a plus sign (+) to match a term in your query exactly as is. Learn more.
Remove this alert.
Create another alert.
Manage your alerts. |
|
|
National Geographic Image Collection/Annie Griffiths Belt |
|
