Feature Archives

In the recently released itemized receipts for repairing Kerr Hall, following an occupation of the building in November 2009, there appears to be evidence that the UC Santa Cruz administration filed a claim for damages that occurred, and may have been reimbursed for the costs. This implies that the UCSC students being held responsible for participating in the occupation are being charged for expenses that have been covered by the UC's insurance policy. This raises questions about the validity and legality of those restitution charges.

On Monday, May 3rd, the Chican@/Latin@ community at Cal, which includes RAZA, Mecha, Xinaxtli, and others began a hunger strike in front of California Hall in response to the new Arizona SB1070 Law and to the charges imposed on student protesters this school year. The six demands issued include that President Yudof and other UC Chancellors publicly denounce Arizona’s SB1070 and that charges be dropped against student activists. Strikers issued a call to action against racism and oppression for Friday, May 7th. On May 10th before dawn, police moved in to clear strikers from the lawn they were occupying. Demonstrators then massed at the Chancellor's house. The strike continued through May 12th.

After having worked for over two years without a contract, Oakland teachers watched the Oakland Unified School Board unilaterally impose a labor contract last week. The new contract largely ignores the recommendations of a recent fact-finding panel, allows for no pay raises for teachers, increases class sizes, lays off teachers, and threatens adult education programs. A one-day city-wide strike was called for April 29th. Oakland teachers, students, and community members picketed at neighborhood public schools in the morning then rallied at Frank Ogawa Plaza.

An Academic Senate meeting at UC Santa Cruz on April 23rd turned into a heated forum to criticize Chancellor Blumenthal’s hesitancy in changing the student judicial proceedings. Various faculty members voiced concerns about the current judicial proceedings relating to the three day protest at Kerr Hall in November 2009, saying they violate students’ right to due process and also have a chilling effect on political protests.

On April 16th, veteran Indybay reporter David Morse moved to quash a search warrant issued for photographs he took at a December 11th protest on the UC Berkeley campus. The photographs were taken while Morse was covering the protest for Indybay. Despite clearly identifying himself as a journalist, Morse was arrested along with seven others, had his camera and photographs seized, and was charged with multiple felonies. The charges were dropped within days. On June 18th, Judge Yolanda Northridge quashed the warrant, ordering the UC Regents to return the original photographs and all copies.

On April 5th, Teachers for Class War spoke with Hollister educator and poet Joe Navarro about local struggles, his 1st grade students, poetry and history. An educator since 1994, Navarro is a "literary vato loco," teacher, student and community activist. He also has experience as a factory worker, union leader, author and poet, and a father.

On February 8th, 2010, the UC Santa Cruz judicial affairs office sent approximately 45 emails to various undergraduate and graduate students. The emails present a list of ten of the university codes of student conduct that had been allegedly broken by these students; these emails were identical, all including allegations of theft, destruction of property, disorderly or lewd conduct, among other codes said to have been broken at the November 2009 occupation of Kerr Hall at UCSC. Then on April 7th, 36 students received a resolution stating that they were each responsible for breaking all ten codes and would need to pay restitution. Of the 36 students, seven are faced with not only a restitution of $944, but other sanctions as well, including being immediately barred from campus, at least one suspension, and an expulsion.