May 7th marks the 6th month anniversary of the tree-sit on Science Hill at UC Santa Cruz, and of the two-month ground occupation which was born in torn fencing and broken police lines. The tree-sit has been a continuous act of resistance against the University's expansion plans, including a Biomedical Sciences Facility at the site of the tree-sit and the development of over 120 acres of Upper Campus' redwood and chaparral.

Supporters of the tree-sit say, "May 7th will be just another day of routine, unless you act on your own initiative to make something happen. If you consider the tree-sit worthy of celebration, do something to celebrate--other people can't celebrate for you. Any time during the day is good to stop by, say hi, send food up."

There will be a gathering at 8pm underneath the tree-sit for an open-ended collective celebration. People are encouraged to bring food to share, candles for lighting, games to play, music, ideas... Read More and View Photos

previous coverage: Standoff with Police as Activists Occupy Redwoods to Oppose UCSC Expansion (11/7/07) || Santa Cruz Community Supports Tree-sitters (11/16/07) || Winter Break at the UCSC Tree-sit (12/19/07) || Police Attack Cop Watcher at Science Hill Tree-sit (1/10/08) || Judge Rules that University Violated First Amendment Rights (3/10/08) || Interview with Owl, a Tree-Sitter at the Science Hill Tree-Sit (3/20/08)

Thirty-eight years ago, on May 4, 2008, at Ohio’s Kent State University, the National Guard opened fire on students protesting the US war in Vietnam. The students were shot from distances of 275 to 400 feet, giving lie to claims that the students posed a threat to the Guardsmen. Four students were murdered and nine were injured. Nobody ever did time for those murders.

Before May 4, 1970, an anti-war movement had been building in the United States. The American people were increasingly impatient with the war, and an active anti-war movement helped build that kind of consciousness. People wanted an end to the war and Nixon kept promising a “light at the end of the tunnel.” On April 30, 1970, Nixon announced the invasion of Cambodia. This was the opposite of what people wanted to hear. Protests erupted on campuses that had not had them in the past, like Kent State. For many, the cold blooded murder of students at Kent State and murders of students soon after at Jackson State, were the final straw. Read More

Over 600 San Francisco State University students walked out of their classes and blocked traffic May 1st to protest further cuts to California's education system. After the walk out students joined the May 1st march in Dolores Park marching with thousands of people. The students protested a proposed increase to next semester's fee increase, which is an increase of 113 percent since 2002. The proposed increase of student fees are a part of a $14.65 million cut to next year's SFSU budget and part of a larger $4.8 billion budget cut to California's education system. As a result essential services will have to be cut, people will lose their jobs, students will have fewer classes and be forced to pay more for less.

Students, concerned about the fate of higher education, have organized on campus at San Francisco State to address the lack of resources that will be made available to them. These cuts mean the equivalent of 100 full time teachers will no longer be returning and up to one third of all Ethnic Studies classes will be cut among many other classes. Groups on campus, such as the Fight the Fees campaign and the New Front Coalition, have led a series of teach-ins and rally this past semester to educate students. This included a march to Sacramento in an attempt to sway California's legislators. The students have participated in direct action on International Workers day to ally themselves with the workers on campus and to show solidarity with a broad worker-led movement on May 1st.

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The All-Alumni Reunion Luncheon held in the College 9/10 multipurpose room at UC Santa Cruz on April 26th was interrupted when students marched in demanding fair contracts for UCSC's underpaid service workers. The luncheon was part of the annual UCSC Reunion Weekend where alumni were invited back to campus to "learn how innovation is going global, sip wine, tour new facilities on campus, explore the "unnatural" history of UCSC, and more..." The brief interruption was widely supported by alumni who clapped, smiled, listened, and took souvenir photos as students passed out flyers, chanted and spoke on stage to inform alumni about the contract campaign for UC service workers.

Since August the UC and the service workers' union, AFSCME Local 3299, have been negotiating a new three-year contract. These negotiations present an important opportunity for workers to receive more recognition for their hard work. While George Blumenthal and other UC executives have declared their support for labor, little has been done to meet the demands of the workers. Read More and View Photos | More Photos

David Sackman comments, "I opened the door. I was the alumnus who opened the door, letting in the protestors supporting the University workers. To answer a previous post: No, it was not planned that way. I have no idea how the organizers of the protest planned it. I just know that I found myself on the wrong side of a picket line. To someone who has been involved in the labor movement since I attended UCSC myself, this was intolerable. So I opened the door, and invited my guests in." Read More

previous actions: Student and Worker Solidarity Kicks Off School Year at UCSC (September 27th, 2007) || UC Workers and Students Picket in Support of AFSCME's Contract Fight (December 6th, 2007) || UCSC Workers Offer New Year Resolutions To Shape Up UC (January 31st, 2008) || Students and Workers Block Road at UCSC to Protest Poverty Wages (February 28th, 2008) || Prospective Students of Color Visit UCSC and Demand a Fair Contract for Workers (April 11th, 2008)

Students Against War write, "As students of UC Santa Cruz, we oppose the presence of military recruiters on campus. As an employer that uses predatory and discriminatory practices in recruitment, recruiters directly represent the homophobic, sexist and racist ideologies that have no place in this University. Furthermore, the military’s inhumane treatment of soldiers during and after tours of duty – through, for example, the neglect of the psychological and medical consequences of war – demonstrates that they view troops not as employees, but as property to be used and then discarded. Recruiters offer false promises of education and opportunity in order to manipulate people into signing away the fundamental rights to which we are all entitled. We will not let our University be a vehicle for a system based on hateful ideologies and manipulation. We will not let our University be a vehicle to perpetuate the unjust war in Iraq."

It is for these reasons that on April 22nd, Students Against War organized a counter-recruitment action against the presence of military recruiters at UCSC's "Last Chance Job & Internship Fair." Students rallied in the Baytree Plaza and marched to the career fair held in the College 9/10 multipurpose rooms. Outside the career fair, students demonstrated with banners, flyers, zines, photos from Iraq, theatre of tortured detainees, juggling and more. Meanwhile on the inside, student protestors were dancing, questioning military and FBI recruiters, chanting and otherwise disrupting the recruiting efforts of the FBI, Army, Marines and Police (Sacramento, San Francisco and UCSC). After three hours of trying to recruit in the midst of a protest, both Army recruiters packed up their glossy propaganda an hour early. Photos: Rally and March | Outside and Inside

On April 17th, community supporters and student activists at D-Q University received letters from the Yolo County District Attorney that informed them that the charges against the 18 arrested on campus on March 31, 2008 have been dropped. The Associated Student Body held an Honoring of the Elders Gathering as well as a press conference on Sunday, April 20, 2008. D-Q University, which is California’s only Tribal College was founded in 1971 by Native American and Chicano activists. Through misappropriation of funds and administrative corruption, the University lost its accreditation in 2005. Since then, students and supportive community members have protested the lack of investigation into the missing documents, transcripts, and funding taken from the University by the former and current Board of Trustees. The current board has not worked toward attaining accreditation, hiring new administration, or bringing in funding for the school, in spite of three years of existence. The community and students demand that accredited classes be held at the University.

Students say, "The board has gone on a smear campaign in retaliation against the community and students for blowing the whistle on their mismanagement of the University." Five students still have cases pending in court. Friends of D-Q University will continue to demand justice for the three students arrested on February 20, 2008 on campus, as well as the two students that were arrested at gunpoint by the Yolo County Sheriffs as they slept next to the sweat lodge on ceremonial grounds on April 2, 2008. D-Q U's ASB and supporters are demanding an end to the harassment against the students by the Board of Trustees, the Yolo County Sheriffs Department and the Yolo County Board of Supervisors. Friends of D-Q U are sending letters in support of the students who still face charges be sent to: the Yolo County District Attorney, the Yolo County Sheriffs Department, CA Attorney General Jerry Brown, Sacramento and the Washington D.C. BIA Offices and the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, demanding that these agencies end the "reign of terror" against students and organizers in support of the University. The community demands that its rights to an education and a right to assemble and hold ceremonies on D-Q U campus be respected. D-Q University supporters seek justice for all the caretakers of D-Q U and for the health and safety of the land.

Students are holding classes, programs and workshops on campus in order to remain compliant with regulations stated in the deed to the University. These classes include the Bio-diesel Program, the Indigenous Permaculture Program and Indigenous Nations Network Media Workhops, along with bi-weekly ceremonies.

Indybay's Past Coverage 3/31 | 2/20 || D-Q U on MySpace

Addy writes, "Since the administration is closing campus on 4/20, the UCSC students are extending an invitation to everyone to come up on Friday, April 18th to take over the quad. Come and have some beer, bring music and signs. We'll have our 4/20 celebration early, to let them know that it is our campus, that we pay THEM. This new 4/20 policy is draconian and unnecessary as there have been no issues in the past.

"Peace! And hope to see everyone up on campus all day long tomorrow having a blast! Don't forget to bring music so that we can all dance!"

see also: UCSC Reefer Madness! Campus lockdown!

Coverage from 2007: A Portrait: 420 at UC Santa Cruz

On March 31st at 9:45 am, the Yolo County Sheriff's Department raided D-Q University, California's only Tribal college. 18 elders, students and community supporters were arrested after police stormed onto campus with guns drawn. In a similar incident on February 20th, Sheriff's deputies came onto the sovereign campus and arrested three Native students. Their court date will be on Wednesday, April 2nd at 7:30 am at the Woodland Courthouse. Supporters are asked to contact the CA Office of the Attorney General Jerry Brown in defense of the students and to denounce the abuse of power by the Board of Trustees and police. A comment on the newswire reports that two more students were arrested at the sacred sweat lodge grounds on campus bringing the total number of arrests to twenty since the March 31st raid.

D-Q U was born of struggle in the 70's when people occupied an abandoned Army facility and retained it for the purpose of providing traditional and formal education for Indigenous people. The Board of Trustees who legally preside over D-Q U have become corrupt, betraying the true purpose of the university and abusing their power. In 2005, D-Q U lost its accreditation and the board demanded the school be shut down. Students who condemn the board's negligence have been holding classes themselves and have taken up residence on campus. They are dedicated to protecting D-Q U for the benefit of future generations and the education of all Native people.

Call for Support | Sheriff Visits DQU; Elders, Students and Supporters Prepare for Possible Raid | D-Q University Students Face New Threats of Arrests | Solidarity Needed | News Advisory | D-Q University Students and Elders Arrested | Students and Elders Arrested in Overwhelming Police Assault on DQ University | Police Raid D-Q University: Eighteen Students, Elders and Supporters Arrested | Update from April 1st

Outraged over the undemocratic nature of the University of California Board of Regents and the Regents’ continued management of the national nuclear weapon labs, on March 19th, students from the Coalition to Free the UC took nonviolent direct action at the UC Regents meeting at UCSF Mission Bay campus in an attempt to obstruct their ability to meet.

Twelve Free the UC members locked themselves to doorways with bicycle U-Locks around their necks, while others unfurled banners stating “Democratize the Regents,” “Money for education not nuclear weapons,” and “Eliminate the SAT.” Other issues raised included UC’s continued privatization and corporatization as evidenced by UC’s $500 million deal with British Petroleum, UC’s continued internment of 13,000 Native remains against the wishes of Tribal Leaders, the environmentally destructive UCSC Long Range Development Plan, and UC’s plans to cut down Berkeley’s Memorial Oak Grove.

Entitled “Free the UC Day,” the day of action was part of March 19th Direct Action to Stop the War in downtown San Francisco. Ten of those who locked down were ultimately arrested and cited for “disturbing the peace” and other misdemeanors, and released within a few hours on their own recognizance. Over 100 students from five UC campuses participated. Read More and View Photos | More Photos

Maestra writes, "The Pajaro Valley Unified School District board of trustees voted to send pink slips to 201 teachers, nurses, and school support staff.

"School districts are taking a dramatic financial hit all over Calfornia next year thanks to Arnold's slashing of public school funding. Pajaro Valley school district is looking at having to cut 9.4 million dollars from their general fund next year and those being most adversely affected are elementary school students, their teachers, and the nurses who keep them healthy.

"In a desperate move to balance a budget and save their own jobs, the administrators of PVUSD have decided not to trim the fat from the top of the pyramid, rather preserving their high salary positions while instead removing a possible 130 teachers from the classroom. What does this look like for students? Larger class size, for one. The current ratio of 20:1 in Kindergarten through 3rd grade could be bumped up to 34:1." Read More

Watsonville Third Graders Respond to Pink Slips

On Tuesday March 11th, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the State Building at McAllister and Van Ness, calling for the state to prioritize California's children and their education and demanding job security for educators. Governor Schwarzenegger's 2008-09 budget proposes a $4.8 billion cut in state education funds. This would create a $40 million deficit for the San Francisco Unified School District. Preparing for this eventuality, the San Francisco Board of Education sent out 535 pink slips to teachers and administrators this week.

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