Students Rally to Prioritize Languages at UCSC

yes. What strikes me as strange here is that humanities professors often are the lowest paid and least expensive to maintain at a university. Not each professor is paid the same.

It is true that in the sciences professors spend about half their time writing grant applications, and universities typically will take 40% or more of an NIH or NSF grant for overhead for the university. So some labs really provide net income for the university. However, as far as classroom spending goes, humanities are cheap. Their labs required almost no supplies, and computer science professors are typically paid at least $30,000 more per year. PhD students in the humanities are in a big pyramid scheme where only a fraction will get teaching jobs. So if you get rid of these inexpensive classrooms that have no overhead costs, those same students will have to go into more expensive classes.

"They expressed frusteration over lucrative salaries and perks for top-administrators, and excessive amounts of money going towards war in Iraq, while students and workers are told there is a 'budget crisis' that requires cuts to needed programs."


What does the war in Iraq have to do with this program? What are the current wages for those teaching in these positions? While I am sympathetic to these protestors concerns, I would like to see what they feel is sufficient funding.

Look Oscar, this is called Indymedia. That means that you should be getting off the computer and covering events as they happen. Then come back to Indymedia and publish what you get.

"What does the war in Iraq have to do with this program?"

Are you joking? You have been visiting the SC-IMC website for long enough to figure this one out! UC is key to the "military-industrial-complex" aka "war machine" aka imperialism. Obviously UC has the money to teach languages. Connecting all these dots is not that hard.

The UC uses sweatshops, pays low wages and charges lots of money:
Students Strip for Sweat-Free UC
http://www.indybay.org/archives/archive_by_id.php?id=4317&category_id=60

Workers at UCSC are treated poorly:
AFSCME Workers Take Struggle to UCSC Chancellor's Doorstep
http://www.indybay.org/archives/archive_by_id.php?id=4344&category_id=60

Here are some more links you need to check out:

A People's History of UC Weapons Lab Management
http://santacruz.indymedia.org/feature/display/17258/index.php

DeNuke UC! -- UCSC Students Rally Against Bechtel and Nuclear Proliferation
http://santacruz.indymedia.org/feature/display/17247/index.php

Students Denounce Pentagon Surveillance of Counter-Recruitment Activities
http://santacruz.indymedia.org/feature/display/17259/index.php

"What are the current wages for those teaching in these positions? While I am sympathetic to these protestors concerns, I would like to see what they feel is sufficient funding."

Oscar, you should be publishing on Indymedia with coverage of issues that you think are important. If you have questions about why people are protesting, then how about going to the next protest and speaking with the people protesting.

Josh went to the protest, took some photos and published them. But don't expect Josh or anyone else to reply to your questions about "what they feel" Really, get off the internet and make some media. Do something to help people. Otherwise, your questions seem to be trying to engage people in a discussion/debate... The little time people have is better spent organizing than engaging in endless debate.

Ok “not here to debate,” how about this. Indy media claims to be a news source. The news has standards whether you believe it or not. If this site is simply a blog for people and their feelings, then call it such. But if you can’t deal with tough questions being asked of biased news media, then you need to go back to kinder garden and play in a sand box all day. It is the real world kid.

And lets not be ridiculous. Indymedia is not going to publish articles it feels are threatening to their ideological preferences. I will stick to writing on more open minded sites when it comes to producing news related articles.

If no one in ‘the movement’ wants to debate why they are doing things, then what is the point? Sounds like a line the Bush administration constantly pushes.

I am a UCSC alumna with a BA in French and Francophone studies. And you know what I am doing with my life currently (at age 22!) working passenger service for Air France at LAX airport with good prospects of advancement!

"So if you get rid of these inexpensive classrooms that have no overhead costs, those same students will have to go into more expensive classes."

can you explain this statement? what more expensive class would humanities grad students be forced into? i'm confused.

Erica is right, if you are looking for a job in this global economy, having another language or two under your belt is going to give you a leg up. I hope more students take advantage of the foreign language program then they did in my day.

"Look Oscar, this is called Indymedia. That means that you should be getting off the computer and covering events as they happen. Then come back to Indymedia and publish what you get.

"What does the war in Iraq have to do with this program?"

Are you joking? You have been visiting the SC-IMC website for long enough to figure this one out! UC is key to the "military-industrial-complex" aka "war machine" aka imperialism. Obviously UC has the money to teach languages. Connecting all these dots is not that hard. "

But I doubt the federal government is goint to give a whole lotta money to the language department despite the war in Iraq.

The first being that science funding and promotion is now a priority for the government and the nation as whole as we start to lose are lead in the field...l

The second being that science is always going to recieve far more funding because it is more useful, and simply more expensive.

You can complain about American imperialism all you want, but if it wasn't for military funding this wonderful tool called the internet that you now use to complain about said government wouldn't even exist... How ironic...

two of the most beautiful leading ladies in the org. showing strength and support for the languages. yay