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Weeping Wednesday: A Protest Against the UC Regents
The first big protests of the 2006-2007 school year at UC Santa Cruz took place on October 18th, 2006, the day the UC Regents came to visit campus. It had been five years since all 26 UC Regents came to UCSC. During the second demonstration of the day by hundreds of students outside the new Humanities Building at Cowell College, police pushed, swung and jabbed with their batons before taking three students hostage and hurling streams of pepper spray directly into the eyes of demonstrators.
In the first protest of the day, which began at noon, AFSCME workers and students held a rally in the Bay Tree Plaza and then marched to the base of campus calling on UC President Dynes to release funds promised by the California Legislature to low-paid UC workers. AFSCME workers and students are also demanding wages comparable to those of neighboring colleges and universities where people are paid up to 30% more for doing the same amount or less work.
More information and photos from the first protest can be found by visiting:
AFSCME and Friends March for Wage Parity, Justice
Action Kicks off Day of Unrest During UC Regents Visit to Santa Cruz
The second demonstration of the day got started at 2:45pm with a rally in the Bay Tree Plaza. Hundreds of students then marched to the new Humanities Building at Cowell College. There, a community speak-out was held while the UC Regents, flanked by University police, made their way into the building. UC administrators told students that the public comment period was cancelled by the Regents because they were worried about the large demonstration taking place outside the new Humanities Building.
"one of many" students at the demonstration outside the new Humanities Building at Cowell College published a summary of the protest. Please read this summary:
Summary of Events: UCSC Protests Regents Visit
The summary is "one student activist's attempt to provide one perspective of the story." I read the summary and feel that it is an accurate retelling of events.
Also, please be sure to read:
Why We're Here and What We're Fighting For (on the UC Regents protest)
The article was authored by "concerned members of the ucsc community" and the text was extracted from a flyer passed out by organizers during the UC Regents protest.
The following is an excerpt from "Why We're Here and What We're Fighting For"
But why mess with the public comment period?
We know that many in our community have serious issues that need to be communicated with the Regents. But we also know that the Regents have no real desire to address our concerns. It’s been 5 years since they’ve visited UCSC – and yet they just hold a couple short comment periods, giving us mere seconds to speak? Even this they do not because they’re interested in what we have to say, but because they’re required by law to hold public comment periods whenever they get together.
We’ve been to Regents’ meetings. We’ve made our speeches. We’ve tried to make them listen. But all they do is laugh, turn their backs, take naps, and kick us out of their meetings. The public comment period is not our few minutes of opportunity, but a farce intended to hold up an undemocratic and unaccountable system. When we reject this comment period and hold our own community speak-out, we are taking back our voices, taking back our university, and showing the world how we really feel.
-------------------
please see more Indymedia coverage and photos at:
UCSC Community Confronts Regents, Cops Respond with Violence, Pepper-Spray
More information and photos from the first protest can be found by visiting:
AFSCME and Friends March for Wage Parity, Justice
Action Kicks off Day of Unrest During UC Regents Visit to Santa Cruz
The second demonstration of the day got started at 2:45pm with a rally in the Bay Tree Plaza. Hundreds of students then marched to the new Humanities Building at Cowell College. There, a community speak-out was held while the UC Regents, flanked by University police, made their way into the building. UC administrators told students that the public comment period was cancelled by the Regents because they were worried about the large demonstration taking place outside the new Humanities Building.
"one of many" students at the demonstration outside the new Humanities Building at Cowell College published a summary of the protest. Please read this summary:
Summary of Events: UCSC Protests Regents Visit
The summary is "one student activist's attempt to provide one perspective of the story." I read the summary and feel that it is an accurate retelling of events.
Also, please be sure to read:
Why We're Here and What We're Fighting For (on the UC Regents protest)
The article was authored by "concerned members of the ucsc community" and the text was extracted from a flyer passed out by organizers during the UC Regents protest.
The following is an excerpt from "Why We're Here and What We're Fighting For"
But why mess with the public comment period?
We know that many in our community have serious issues that need to be communicated with the Regents. But we also know that the Regents have no real desire to address our concerns. It’s been 5 years since they’ve visited UCSC – and yet they just hold a couple short comment periods, giving us mere seconds to speak? Even this they do not because they’re interested in what we have to say, but because they’re required by law to hold public comment periods whenever they get together.
We’ve been to Regents’ meetings. We’ve made our speeches. We’ve tried to make them listen. But all they do is laugh, turn their backs, take naps, and kick us out of their meetings. The public comment period is not our few minutes of opportunity, but a farce intended to hold up an undemocratic and unaccountable system. When we reject this comment period and hold our own community speak-out, we are taking back our voices, taking back our university, and showing the world how we really feel.
-------------------
please see more Indymedia coverage and photos at:
UCSC Community Confronts Regents, Cops Respond with Violence, Pepper-Spray
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Why do you guys oppose the long range development plan? Are you in alliance with NIMBY upper-westside affluent homeowners?
It seems clear to me that this is in direct opposition to the goal of diversity as well as liberal immigration into the state. It's almost ridiculous what it takes to get into UC these days - students have to pass several AP tests and essentially know the material in their college textbooks before they get into college. If there are no more spaces created at the university, then less than the desired 12% of graduating Californian students will be admitted (which is already happening), and instead only kids from private school who were able to take AP Latin, calculus, physics, comparative government etc. will be able to come here.
It seems clear to me that this is in direct opposition to the goal of diversity as well as liberal immigration into the state. It's almost ridiculous what it takes to get into UC these days - students have to pass several AP tests and essentially know the material in their college textbooks before they get into college. If there are no more spaces created at the university, then less than the desired 12% of graduating Californian students will be admitted (which is already happening), and instead only kids from private school who were able to take AP Latin, calculus, physics, comparative government etc. will be able to come here.
good job covering this action!!!!!! thank you for the report and information. make media, make trouble!!!!!!!!
The UC system needs to expand for purposes of diversification as well as to allow more students access.
BUT, the current expansion model is highly flawed. Why?
1) Expansion doesn't have to mean adding #s to current universities. Ideally, it should mean building more campuses in other regions of the state. Right now, the only inland UCs are Davis and Merced, while the rest (UCB, UCSB, UCSC, UCSF, UCLA, UCI, UCR) are, for the most part, on the coast.
2) UCSC is the only UC on a nature preserve. Expansion means the elimination of thousands of rare redwoods, in addition to the decades-old trailer park.
3) UCSC's reputation is not that of a huge research university. It's value is that it's a smaller more alternative space with an emphasis on teaching. An editorial by the UCLA student paper touches on these subjects:
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=38444
3) 'Expansion' is not the best way to describe the LRDP. In fact, what it's doing is RADICALLY CHANGING THE NATURE of UCSC. All you have to do is look at the programs that are being cut or having significant financial issues (writing, journalism, American Studies, Politics, the languages, the arts, etc.) and look at the programs that are growing (the physical sciences, engineering and computer-related fields) and you can see what exactly is going on. In fact what we're effectively talking about is the PRIVATIZATION of UCSC and the UC system. Private corporations will provide millions in funding for the physical sciences and engineering, yet leave the humanities and social sciences hanging. Rather than to respond to this and say that you can't educate the next generation with only science and business skills, the UC and UCSC top-management has EMBRACED this PRIVATIZATION.
Just look at the leadership of the UC system and UCSC. President Dynes (see http://www.fiatpax.net/dynes.html) used to be a physics professor who played a vital role as a board member for Los Alamos (where nuclear weapons are produced). All the Regents are, in some way or another, businessmen and women with much to profit from the privatization of the UC. Former UCSC Chancellor Denton was an Engineering professor brought to UCSC to advance Science Hill. She was a sort of compromise 'cus of her value in diversity, but her core concern was ultimately the sciences. And now the current UCSC Chancellor Blumenthal was an Astrophysics professor. Then you've got Executive Vice Chancellor David Kliger, who many argue is the person who really calls the shots, who used to be a Chemistry professor.
This leads you to ask the question, what about the humanities and social sciences? They don't hold leadership positions within the state UC power structure. They don't bring in the corporate bucks like the physical sciences and engineering. And they don't hold the leadership positions at UCSC (unless you consider the faculty senate chair). Even though the humanities and social sciences are some of the largest majors on campus (such as phychology), the students have very little power (besides protest), and the elimination of programs (such as journalism) means that as time goes on, the percentage of the campus involved in the humanities and social sciences will get smaller and smaller.
Look back at UCSC 30-40 years ago and you would see a COMPLETELY different university than you see today. The Long Range Development Plan isn't anything new - this process of privitization and the growth of Science Hill has been happening for some time now. The introduction of grades (rather than plain Evals) was one of the significant moments that predicted this shift, but now the LRDP is, in effect, the 'final straw' - as the LRDP's passage may mean the final end of UCSC as an alternative school focused on teaching.
4) What pisses off us students the most is that our education is SUFFERING right now and the UCSC administrators have the DISRESPECT to simultaneously claim there's no money to help with our dying programs, WHILE pushing for expansion. How can you have money to expand but no money to fix a fucked up university? What do I mean? Well.. try getting into a language class. Go to the first class and you'll see 3 times as many people wanting to get in than can fit. Try being a politics major, having NO T.A.'s for upper division classes. Try being a student interested in Art, but not being an Art major and being DENYED from taking any art classes 'cus there's only money to have classes for those that are majors. And this is all while our tuition is going up...
Halting expansion is our ONLY tool to bring awareness to our struggle as students.
TUITION IS UP
CLASSES ARE DOWN
IT'S TIME TO TURN IT ALL AROUND!
BUT, the current expansion model is highly flawed. Why?
1) Expansion doesn't have to mean adding #s to current universities. Ideally, it should mean building more campuses in other regions of the state. Right now, the only inland UCs are Davis and Merced, while the rest (UCB, UCSB, UCSC, UCSF, UCLA, UCI, UCR) are, for the most part, on the coast.
2) UCSC is the only UC on a nature preserve. Expansion means the elimination of thousands of rare redwoods, in addition to the decades-old trailer park.
3) UCSC's reputation is not that of a huge research university. It's value is that it's a smaller more alternative space with an emphasis on teaching. An editorial by the UCLA student paper touches on these subjects:
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=38444
3) 'Expansion' is not the best way to describe the LRDP. In fact, what it's doing is RADICALLY CHANGING THE NATURE of UCSC. All you have to do is look at the programs that are being cut or having significant financial issues (writing, journalism, American Studies, Politics, the languages, the arts, etc.) and look at the programs that are growing (the physical sciences, engineering and computer-related fields) and you can see what exactly is going on. In fact what we're effectively talking about is the PRIVATIZATION of UCSC and the UC system. Private corporations will provide millions in funding for the physical sciences and engineering, yet leave the humanities and social sciences hanging. Rather than to respond to this and say that you can't educate the next generation with only science and business skills, the UC and UCSC top-management has EMBRACED this PRIVATIZATION.
Just look at the leadership of the UC system and UCSC. President Dynes (see http://www.fiatpax.net/dynes.html) used to be a physics professor who played a vital role as a board member for Los Alamos (where nuclear weapons are produced). All the Regents are, in some way or another, businessmen and women with much to profit from the privatization of the UC. Former UCSC Chancellor Denton was an Engineering professor brought to UCSC to advance Science Hill. She was a sort of compromise 'cus of her value in diversity, but her core concern was ultimately the sciences. And now the current UCSC Chancellor Blumenthal was an Astrophysics professor. Then you've got Executive Vice Chancellor David Kliger, who many argue is the person who really calls the shots, who used to be a Chemistry professor.
This leads you to ask the question, what about the humanities and social sciences? They don't hold leadership positions within the state UC power structure. They don't bring in the corporate bucks like the physical sciences and engineering. And they don't hold the leadership positions at UCSC (unless you consider the faculty senate chair). Even though the humanities and social sciences are some of the largest majors on campus (such as phychology), the students have very little power (besides protest), and the elimination of programs (such as journalism) means that as time goes on, the percentage of the campus involved in the humanities and social sciences will get smaller and smaller.
Look back at UCSC 30-40 years ago and you would see a COMPLETELY different university than you see today. The Long Range Development Plan isn't anything new - this process of privitization and the growth of Science Hill has been happening for some time now. The introduction of grades (rather than plain Evals) was one of the significant moments that predicted this shift, but now the LRDP is, in effect, the 'final straw' - as the LRDP's passage may mean the final end of UCSC as an alternative school focused on teaching.
4) What pisses off us students the most is that our education is SUFFERING right now and the UCSC administrators have the DISRESPECT to simultaneously claim there's no money to help with our dying programs, WHILE pushing for expansion. How can you have money to expand but no money to fix a fucked up university? What do I mean? Well.. try getting into a language class. Go to the first class and you'll see 3 times as many people wanting to get in than can fit. Try being a politics major, having NO T.A.'s for upper division classes. Try being a student interested in Art, but not being an Art major and being DENYED from taking any art classes 'cus there's only money to have classes for those that are majors. And this is all while our tuition is going up...
Halting expansion is our ONLY tool to bring awareness to our struggle as students.
TUITION IS UP
CLASSES ARE DOWN
IT'S TIME TO TURN IT ALL AROUND!
I want youth to go to schools, not some place to be locked up.
How many colleges have been built in California since 1976?
How many prisions have been built in California since 1976?
I do not support the expansion of UC Santa Cruz, especially with all the current injustice on campus.
Why We're Here and What We're Fighting For
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/18/18321441.php
Build Schools, not Jails
http://ellabakercenter.org/bnb
How many colleges have been built in California since 1976?
How many prisions have been built in California since 1976?
I do not support the expansion of UC Santa Cruz, especially with all the current injustice on campus.
Why We're Here and What We're Fighting For
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/18/18321441.php
Build Schools, not Jails
http://ellabakercenter.org/bnb
Good job on getting Officer Brian Hughes on camera - well done indeed. That same individual was also present at an organizing meeting of the recent Santa Cruz Cannabis petition drive (which is on the ballot in November), though I have no photos; the main organizer took a few photos of everyone present, so there must be a record - Compassionate Care Inn was the organizer of the meeting. More illegal spying on community organizing...
This is yet more evidence that undercover police are involved in these protests at multiple levels - and they're probably using people that are a lot younger - they 'fit in' better. Nothing to worry about; the right to assemble and protest peacefully (and vocally!) is protected by the US Constitution (just don't allow yourself to be goaded into doing anything violent).
This is yet more evidence that undercover police are involved in these protests at multiple levels - and they're probably using people that are a lot younger - they 'fit in' better. Nothing to worry about; the right to assemble and protest peacefully (and vocally!) is protected by the US Constitution (just don't allow yourself to be goaded into doing anything violent).
For more information:
http://www.alternet.org
PLEASE pursue this information about Brian Hughes infiltrating an off-campus cannibus support meeting. This is vital information, especially considering he's just a CAMPUS officer. We need to build up a file on this guy! Post photos!
no such thing as a "campus officer" if he is a 'badged' officer of the law, and/or law enforcement official, what is unknown to many of you is that on the UC and CSU campus... the police force has full authorization to operate within a 1 mile radius of ANY university owned property, i.e. an actual campus site... in places like San Jose for example, wherein the university is literally in the middle of downtown San Jose, that one mile distance basically means that the SJSU police force, can act as a fully legal supplemental police force, within that juristictional area... which just happens to be the ENTIRE downtown.
This fact, is also shared at UCSC, understand that UC's in general own more property than any CSU, and much of it is spread not just throughout the city, but the entire county.
This fact, is also shared at UCSC, understand that UC's in general own more property than any CSU, and much of it is spread not just throughout the city, but the entire county.
demo'ing on campus on 10/22
I spent a year in Santa Cruz working on my own alternative media project -
during much of that time, I was followed around by the man I only knew as "videocop" until I saw is name published here. It got to the point that I had to test my possible paranoia by changing (city) buses at the last minute, just as they were leaving. Yes, the campus was NOT his only territotory. He is a government infiltrator who has been allowed free rein on campus. He was often seen in a knitted cap, and sometimes would wash himself in the bathroom of the music department, leaving puddles of water. he would then sit shirtless at one of the electric pianos. I have a few photos, enough to verify the distinctive shape of his head. The knitted cap was a lame attempt to hide that precious asset of his. YTou've also got a few prize specimens amongst your campus pigs: Andersen and Robinson who thing there on a mission from God combatting terrorism at whatever cost. Pigs with pull on the local kangaroo court. Your tax dollars at work.
during much of that time, I was followed around by the man I only knew as "videocop" until I saw is name published here. It got to the point that I had to test my possible paranoia by changing (city) buses at the last minute, just as they were leaving. Yes, the campus was NOT his only territotory. He is a government infiltrator who has been allowed free rein on campus. He was often seen in a knitted cap, and sometimes would wash himself in the bathroom of the music department, leaving puddles of water. he would then sit shirtless at one of the electric pianos. I have a few photos, enough to verify the distinctive shape of his head. The knitted cap was a lame attempt to hide that precious asset of his. YTou've also got a few prize specimens amongst your campus pigs: Andersen and Robinson who thing there on a mission from God combatting terrorism at whatever cost. Pigs with pull on the local kangaroo court. Your tax dollars at work.
For more information:
http://electromagnet.us/dogspot/
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