top
California
California
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

UCSC expands occupations

by gazuedro
SANTA CRUZ - 3pm, Thursday, November 19, UCSC students have now occupied a second building on campus. Both Kerr Hall & Kresge Town Hall are now occupied by students enraged by the budget cuts and the fee hikes.
640_kerrhall1.jpg
On Wednesday, November 18th over five hundred students gathered at the Quarry Plaza and marched to the base of campus. After holding a general assembly at the base of campus, the students decided to trek back up to campus and occupy a space. At 3:45pm students occupied the Kresge Town Hall. The students stayed the night and planned for a general assembly the next day.

On Thursday, students held a general assembly in Kresge Town Hall at 1pm. At the conclusion of meeting, students decided to expand their occupation to Kerr Hall, the main administrative building. They created a list of demands and around 5pm provided the demands to the Executive Vice-Chancellor David S. Kliger.

As of this writing (6pm) both Kerr Hall and Kresge Town Hall is occupied.

Demands:

1. Repeal the 32% fee increase
2. Stop all current construction on campus
3. UC funds and budget are made transparent
4. Verbal and written commitment to Master Plan
5. Total amnesty to all people occupying buildings and involved in student protest concerning budget cuts including: Doug G., and Brian Glasscock and Olivia Egan Rudolph
6. Keep all resource centers open: engaging education, women's resource center, and all other diversity centers
7. Keep the campus child-care center open
8. Repeal cuts to the Community Studies Field Program
9. Re-funding the CMMU field studies coordinator positions
10. Get verbal and written agreement from admins to shut-down campus for one day for the purpose of educating students on the budget cuts
11. Said support for AB656
12. Said commitment to work-study for all who are eligible
13. Making UC Santa Cruz a safe campus for all undocumented (AB540) students and workers
14. Keeping LALS professors Guillermo Delgado & Susan Jonas
15. Repeal all furloughs to all campus employees, renege the 15% cut in labor time for custodians
16. Stop the gutting of funding for fellowships and TAships and the re-instatement of TAs who lost their jobs due the budget cuts from this quarter
17. Re-prioritizing funding so that essential student services i.e. the library get adequate funding to ensure regular library hours
18. Censure Mark Yudof
19. Un-arming UC police of all weapons including tasers
20. NO SCPD police allowed on campus
21. An apology from the regents and the state
22. Creating a free and permanent organizing space on campus for student activists and organizers (first options: Kresge Town Hall)
23. Due process for students:
a. trial by peers
b. constitutional rights for students tried under the UC judicial system
24. Making rent affordable for Family Student Housing, ensuring that the price does not exceed that of operating costs

Long Term:
1. no student fees
2. return to master plan
3. abolition of regents' positions
4. abolition of all student debts
5. tripling of funds from the state to public universities
6. all eligible students get work-study
7. highest UC salaries are tied proportionally to the lowest waged workers
8. Impeach Mark Yudof
9. Representation of students and faculty equal to UCOP/UC Regents
10. All UCSC tuition fees stay at UCSC
11. UC Money is only invested to education
a. cut ties with Lockheed Martin, Los Alamos & Livermore National Labs

signed,
The Occupants
§Kerr Hall 2
by gazuedro
640_kerrhall2.jpg
§Kerr Hall 3
by gazuedro
640_kerrhall3.jpg
§Spanish Translation
by Occupy California
Exigimos

1) Revocación del 32% de aumento de colegiatura para estudiantes

2) alto a toda construcción en el campus

3) Hacer los fondos de Universidad de California y sus usos transparentes

4) Compromiso verbal y escrito al Master Plan de los 60s

5) Amnestía Total a todas personas que ocupan edificios en la protesta con respecto a cortes de presupuesto incluyendo: Doug G., y Bryan Glasscock y Olivia Egan-Rudolph

6) Mantener todos los centros de recursos estudiantiles abiertos: El Centro E Squared, Centro de Recurso de Mujeres, y todos los otros centros de diversidad

7) Mantener abierta la guarderia de la universidad

8) Revocación del corto de prosupuesto en el programa de Community Studies

9) Reintegrar al coordinador de estudios de campo de CMMU

10) Conseguir el acuerdo (verbal y escrito) de Administraciones para cerrar la Universidad por un dia con el propósito de educar a estudiantes sobre el aumento en colegiatura y el recorte de presupuestos educativos

11) El apoyo necesario para estudiantes AB656

12) Acuerdo (verbal y escrito) en compromiso con todos los estudiantes que sean eligibles para el programa de Work Study

13) Tener una Universidad segura para todos los estudiantes y trabajadores indocumentados “AB540”

14) Mantener los trabajos de los profesores de LALS Guillermo Delgado y Susan Jonas

15) Renunciamos al recorte de horas en el salario de los trabajadores y negamos el 15% de recorte en el tiempo de trabajo del equipo de limpieza

16) Detengan el recorte de fondos para companerismos y asistentes de profesores y la reinstalacion de asistentes que han perdido sus trabajos debido a los recortes de presupuesto en este cuatrimestre.

17) Que la prioridad financiera sea en beneficio estudiantil y se mantenga la biblioteca y servicios estudiantiles abiertos durante mas horas

18)Exigimos la censura de Mark Yudof

19) que se desarmen las fuerzas policiacas del systema UC en el campus

20) que no se permita la policía del Departamento de Policia de Santa Cruz en el campus

21) Una disculpa de los Regents del systema UC y del estado

22) Queremos un espacio libre y permanente para la organizacion de estudiantes y para la existencia de activismo(primer opción: El Ton Hall de Kresge)

23) aplicacion adecuada de las leyes para estudiantes: A. opcion de un jurado de iguales B. derechos constitucionales para los estudiantes penalizados bajo el systema judicial de UC

24) Hacer renta económica para estudiantes en las viviendas de Family Housing, asegurando que el precio no exceda los gastos de mantener el lugar en servicio

Exigimos a largo plazo

1) Educacion gratuita

2) la reinstitucion del Master Plan

3) Abolición de Regents en el systema UC

4) Abolición de todas las deudas estudiantiles

5) la triplicacion de los fondos de parte del estado para las universidades publicas

6) Que se les de trabajos en Work Study a todos los estudiantes elegibles

7) Que los salarios mas altos en la UC sean proporcionales a los salarios de los trabajadores con menos pago

8) Que sea sensurada (impeached) la decision de Mark Yudof

9) Representación de estudiantes y facultad por igual ante los Regents de UCOP/UC

10) Que el dinero de colegiaturas se reinvierta en UCSC

11)Que el dinero de UCse invierta solamente en la educacion:

-que se detanga el companerismo con Lockheed Martin, Los Alamos & Livermore National Labs


Firma,

Los Ocupantes
§a communique
by Occupy California
To our friends everywhere:

Yeah it’s overwhelming, but what else can we do -
search idiotically for nonexistent jobs in offices and wake up for the morning news?

Or:
Begin and act from our own conditions.
November 2009, this is what is happening: we have found each other, and we are learning to act,
finally.

This means developing close bonds,
learning what it truly is to say ‘comrade’;
someone who shares your conditions, shares your enemies,
and who you trust with your life.
Someone who knows that it is always necessary to take sides.
We have learned what it means to say we.

Now more than ever is the time to experiment, to try and try again.
To learn how to make better barricades, to discover our courage, to fight without end.
Of course we’ll make mistakes – we are only just beginning to wake up.

We’ve got the vision
We’ve got each other
Now let’s have some fucking fun.

We are with those barricaded in buildings, throwing rocks in the
streets, and drinking their Chancellor’s champagne.
From now on, this is all solidarity means.

To our comrades: multiply, expand, deepen what we have begun.
To our enemies: have fun with your ruins.

TOTAL SOLIDARITY WITH BERKELEY, DAVIS, UCLA, FRESNO, FULLERTON, NAPA VALLEY!

FREE THE ARRESTED!

DROP ALL CHARGES AND RESTRAINING ORDERS!

ADMINISTRATORS AND COPS OFF CAMPUS!

From inside occupied Santa Cruz,
In the fullest complicity,
An autonomous faction of the UCSC Kerr Hall Occupation
§Statement from the Kerr Hall Occupation
by Occupy California
November 20, 2009

Yesterday, we occupied Kerr Hall. But we were not the only ones to occupy. A movement is building across California. In the past two days, there were occupations at Davis, Berkeley, UCSC, UCLA, and SF State. Students are planning a library sit-in at CSU Fresno for later this afternoon. Students at Napa Valley College are already camping out on their quad. We need to accept this increasingly obvious truth: if we all did what we are doing here — if we had not hundreds but thousands and tens of thousands, then suddenly, our demands would become reality.

We ask for a free education. People say, that’s impossible. But throughout the world, higher education is free. It is free in countries that are much less wealthy than we are. It used to be free here in the US, too. It remains free in other countries because, whenever the administration or the state tries to raise tuition, students occupy. In 1999, at the National Autonomous University of Mexico — the largest university in Latin America — students took over their school for ten months to prevent a fee increase, which would have drastically reduced admissions among the working-class. Across Europe, around 30 universities have been occupied in the past few weeks, fighting the same struggle we are. In fact, they are fighting against attempts to “Americanize” their universities.

People say, well, they have a different “culture” there. We are creating that culture, right here, right now. This doesn’t stop with the 15 occupations and sit-ins that have occurred in California since September 24th. Let’s take over the all the universities. Let’s MAKE education free.
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by Luz Clemente
Keep up the struggle!! La lucha sigue!!!!

In the spirit of resistance, we support your struggles.

Yudolf must be fired immediately as he is clearly destroying UC. The Board of Regents must be abolished and UC must be made part of the State University system run by the California Department of Education. All 4 year universities in this state should be top quality schools, free of charge to the students, paid for with our tax dollars from the progressive income tax, with the taxes on those making over $200,000 a year raised to pay all bills. Also, the California budget must be approved by a simple majority instead of the current 2/3 rule. These should be added to your demands. I can assure you, the entire State of California is watching this and we are outraged the the Democratically controlled Legislature sits and does nothing and does not speak out, and allows Yudolf and the Board of Regents to run the university. Since the garbage is apparently not being picked up on many UC campuses every day but instead once a week, the State Health Department should tell UC to either hire more janitors or close all campuses as it is unsanitary and unsafe to have filthy schools.
by Student
Why not retract the LRDP and save upper campus from destruction? Wouldn't this save a boatload of money?
by c
Is that some sort of yule tree in the foyer? Isn't that a bit early?
by Gene
OMG could you dilute your position more?
by $
It is illegal to promote any religion on public property, and that includes having Christmas trees. As to timing, the Money Season is already in full swing in the private profit world with Xmas trees at commercial areas like SF's Union Square, and tree lighting profit-promoting events scheduled for Shopping Day, a federal and state holiday, the day after Genocide Day #2 (the first being Columbus Day) on November 27, 1 week from today. The SF Financial District office buildings have the food and toy barrels from charities as of this week, cluttering the lobbies, encouraging people to buy more and promoting the illusion that these crumbs of charity somehow solve the poverty problem. We even received Xmas cards from other businesses in our office this week already! Walgreens, which is everywhere in San Francisco, especially the Financial District, put up their Xmas decorations on November 1. If Christmas did not exist, they would have to invent it, and essentially they have, as the biggest private profit racket of the year. What is very strange is how adults from Christian backgrounds (although they never attend church) can somehow get excited about the gift exchange, trees, decorations and stupid parties, which are exactly the same, wasteful nonsense every single year. Again, it is illegal to have Xmas trees on public property, and that includes Union Square in San Francisco, where they also have the illegal menorah in December, as both glorify superstitious religion.
by that collects toys for children
That evil tree is covered with pieces of paper that list the names of a poor child in Santa Cruz county whose parents can't afford to buy them things they want or need. The paper lists several items the child would like; most of the ones I read are selfish, extravagant items like warm coats, shoes, and other bourjois items like that.

I hope the protesters have flung it out of the building in disgust by now.
by Ponies for all my friends!
The list of demands is so incredible that I can't take you seriously.
by unamused
Congratulations anarchists, you ruined the "liberal" plans for a day of outreach and a mass strike that could have accomplished something, and instead, you turned a fortress full of administrative workers into our enemies.

is another one of these dance parties really the best way to react to the 32% hike? I can't exactly feel my feet a-movin' to the news.
by fuck off
ehhhh these occupiers seem way more liberal than any anarchist i've ever known. they listed demands!

anarchists don't make demands! they intervene!
by at 1pm
It is raining hard here in Santa Cruz.
by Incredulous
Un-arming the UC police? Un-arming? Are you serious???? How the hell did you people get into college in the first place?

(psst... it's DISarming)
by repost
“we seek to push the university struggle to its limits.”
-communique from an absent future

“there is nothing in the world of capital that compares to the feelings of comradery and power in the moments when it is only possible to speak of i-as-we.”
-politics is not a banana

this is not a rational discourse, only some brief reflections of an arrow in flight.

tonight around 200 people are occupying the largest administrative building at ucsc. the chancellor’s office is denied to him as education will be denied to thousands of youth in california, as the uc and csu approved 32% tuition hikes earlier today in so cal. (police were exceptionally violent at the ucla protest, where regents were trapped inside the building for a time. lots of pictures of them tasing and beating the fuck out of people. pigs also got pretty brutal at the solidarity demo in nyc and 45 people were arrested occupying an admin building at uc davis. the ucla occupation dissolved today due to threat of police attack.)

but wait how did this happen? weeks ago we said “don’t even bother talking about kerr hall, it’s a pipe dream”. the only way to make the impossible possible is by building action through action. today there was a general assembly at occupied kresge where 3-400 people decided “let’s go occupy something!” really, it was that simple. we marched around campus for about 20-30 minutes chanting. hahn and the bookstore were both on lockdown. then suddenly we were descending on kerr hall. they locked the doors inside as the swarm approached. we started runnning. someone finds an open window and a door is propped open from inside.

then there are 300 people running through kerr hall, chanting, screaming, pounding on the walls. such a tremendous feeling of collective-being. into the stairwell, but the doors are locked; someone hops in an elevator and then we are pouring up into the second floor, where the main entrance lobby and the chancellor’s office both are. HOLY FUCK! we just occupied kerr hall!! um… what do we do now?!

how easily it is done, and how difficult. not to over-dramatize what is happening here, but it immediately brings to mind, for instance, what we’ve heard about mai 68 from theorie communiste. once we make the insurrectionary rupture – then what?? how to organize, how to spread?

there are those who view our struggle as moral or philosophical rather than material or tactical. they are lost in abstractions. they think we all want “democracy” and “openness”, they think not in terms of communication but of appearance, and they feel that they have common ground with bureaucrats. well, let them have it. the strength of our movement, of our communization, if it takes strength, is in our material force and our ability to collectively impose what we want. not to dialogue democratically with those who own the means of our existence; not to recognize, acknowledge and thus reinforce their position but to render it irrelevant.

to push the university struggle to its limits. obviously, it has limits and we are bearing down on them. splits “within the movement” will be clarified (perhaps as brutally as at berkeley, where, again, a certain “section” literally took it upon itself to police the “rest of” the movement, as far as collaborating with the actual police). we’ll see.

the occupation at kerr hall compiled a very long list of demands. this happened because people with a megaphone decided that as soon as we had taken the floor the first thing to do was have a very long meeting where we decide on demands that we want to be satisfied before we would leave the building. demands are all well and good, there were many beautifully impossible demands issued. some of us however ditched this meeting because arguing about impossible demands is silly and pointless and most of all so if there is no occupation – ie no leverage to make them with. so we set about working on the practical details of inhabiting the space.

anyway, obviously the demands are ungrantable. a crisis period means that this will be more and more common, for instance, wage struggles in europe and asia, boss napping in france and riots in bangladesh and china… if there is nothing to pay them, there is just nothing to pay them. at this point it is only the police – the state – who enforce class belonging and prevent forceful communization via rioting and looting. this is the direction in which existing contradictions must currently be pushed.

there will be no business as usual tomorrow at kerr hall. there will be a union-organized rally at noon followed by an enrage-organized general assembly. the admin will begin threatening us that they need the building back on monday. instead of listening to their bullshit, we need to underline our demands. one of which was that school be canceled for a day; this could be monday. the admin obviously don’t know what to do about the fact that they keep losing control of parts of campus, other than wait it out. obviously this may change but we need to keep the initiative.

they also like to portray themselves as being “on our side”, against the cuts. this is a chance to demand that they PROVE IT instead of just talking out their asses like we know they do. they can take our side against the regents. or they can catalyze further struggle. or whatever. again, the point is we want them to become irrelevant. the point is we will hit our limits soon and have some choices to make.

anyway. two buildings are occupied right now. hella tight.

can’t stop, won’t stop. push the contradictions. escalate.

occupy the fucking shit out of everything.
by Engineering Students Can Do Math
While you are correct that some small fraction of the problem is waste within the UC system, your demands are incoherent and self-centered. The money is simply not there to meet all of your demands, and a number of your demands will decrease what IS available. In case you missed the memo, there is an economic crisis at hand, California is facing a horrific budget crisis due to poor money management, and the entire UC system has gotten the shaft. Whining to the administration will not make money fall from the sky.

If you actually wanted to change the situation, you would be protesting in Sacramento, where the budget is determined. I can only conclude that you don't actually want to be part of the solution, you want an excuse to smash things and throw parties, because it is easier than actually learning how to exercise political power. You are a disgrace to the rest of us who are here for an education (and who pay our own way and know where money comes from).

Respectfully,
An Engineering Student.
by John Thielking
I sympathize with the students who are protesting. When I attended UCSC from 1984-1988 I had to pay my own tuition which was only about $500 per quarter. That is a bargain compared to the proposed $10,000 per year for next year's tuition. I'm not sure if the proposal to provide tuition assistance to families who make less than $70k per year makes sense. It makes sense if the money is given as a grant. It does not make sense if it is given as a student loan. On this web site there is a third paradigm radio show talking about the student loan scams. Student loans are the only debt that is not dischargeable in bankruptcy and that can garnish your social security payments (unless you are permanently disabled). For most other debts, social security is supposed to be judgement proof. And in California, most other unsecured debts have a statute of limitations of 4 years. Student loans can follow you for life.

As for taking the demands to Sacramento instead of occupying a local campus building, that is not really practical. Most of these students could not afford to spend $50 or so to take the bus or $100 to gas up the car for the trip to Sac. Nor can they afford to take time off from work to do this either. Besides, I doubt that the lawmakers in Sac are too lazy to turn on their tv's at night and find out what is going on all over California. The fact that the protests made the national tv news last night speaks to their effectiveness. On that program, it was revealed that student fee hikes did not exceed 10% in other states. 32% seems out of line in that context.
by That's disingenuous
They can't afford the time to take a daytrip to Sacramento, 3 hours away? But they've had time to occupy buildings for 2 days at the Bookstore, an evening at Humanities, an evening at the Library, and now 2 days at Kerr Hall?

Not buying that. I think you're avoiding the more credible reality that protesting on campus is convenient, sexy, and safe. Protesting in Sacto. takes committment, determination, and implies risk of real repercussions that are far less likely here in the Cruz.

I'm unimpressed by this "action". It smacks of self-indulgence and the easy route. A liberal protest in what is arguably one of the most liberal towns in Cali, at the most liberal campus in the system...is sort of preaching to the convereted in my view.

And frankly, your explanation of why here is more valid than there only reinforced my opinion.
by John Thielking
You are right that it would not be wise to attempt to occupy the state capitol building the same way as they are occupying other buildings on campus. The administration even said that they wanted to go easy on the students and did not want a confrontation or violence, though apparently one of the bystanders in Berkeley was beaten by the cops.

Still, if this were 1988 and if it were me who was showing up for a protest on campus, I probably would have to be at work by 5pm that day at the local hamburger joint and would appreciate the opportunity to express my views locally.
by John Thielking
Actually, in 1988 I was so busy working and going to school that I never paid much attention to issues such as the sleeping ban or political protest in Santa Cruz. If anything I was totally reactionary (particpating in evicting a tennant from the apartment building where I lived). It wasn't until 1991 when I had weekends off and was working 4 days per week that I got the idea of becoming an activist and built an electric car. I would suggest that many students may feel the pain of the fee hikes but don't know where to start. Going to Sac to protest would be just too big a step for them. Safe and sane is the way to go for many of them. Even so at Berkeley there were only a couple of hundred hangers on outside the building that was being occupied. How to get people motivated is a big problem these days.
by Craig
So, your "demands" are essentially boiled down to:

"Stop all spending cuts"

and

"Stop all fee or tuition increases"

so.... where's the money supposed to come from? Have any of you even studied CA legislative process and/or politics? Once again, thanks for debasing the value of my degree from UCSC with your absolutely childish demands that are not based in any form of reality.
by js
Some of the demands may be silly; they are made by students! Notoriously silly, young, inexperienced folks...

Silly as it may be, and overblown, yet I applaud you all. The only way to move the center is go out there and do crazy stuff, say crazy stuff. Those of us (myself included) inclined to roll our eyes at their excess should remember that it's easy to sit on the sidelines and point out deficiencies of this action. All the same, we should be thankful that they're taking immoderate, ill-thought out action. It's the only way to get momentum happening.
by Occupy California
Friday evening:

The administration has cut off internet access, in both wireless and wired forms, which not only potentially demonstrates the administration’s attempt to silence occupiers, but has very realistically damaged student journalists’ ability to report information and upload relevant videos online.
by The Real Money Counter
I think many are confused by our stance:

We all completely understand that there is a budget crisis, and money is in short supply. And yes, it does boil down to "no more fee increases" and "no spending cuts".

Where on earth could we find money at UCSC? A corporation that pays its president $850,000 a year, which is down a whopping $50,000? A "public" institution that continues to build new buildings and research facilities and hire more researchers with money it apparently "doesn't" have?

We understand that there is less money now than there was before. Our stance is that isn't our problem. There is excess money here, our tuition currently pays for administration salaries higher than most of us could ever understand.

Our stance is to stop wasting our money on making a bunch of people filthy fucking rich.
by Robert Norse
I'll be in the Free Radio Santa Cruz studio 9:30 AM - 1 PM tomorrow (Sunday 11-22) if anyone wants to call in with an update, solidarity call, informational background wrapup, etc. 831-469-3119. 101.1 FM http://www.freakradio.org
by Carter-Huggins Fan
640_sspx0630.jpg
Much love and support from down south. Stay loud!
by community college student
The money didn't just evaporate - it got siphoned off by those at the top. California lawmakers will insist that the 2/3rds majority required to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy has them hamstrung, but both parties have consistently passed tax breaks for the wealthy and for corporations over the years (which needs only a simple majority.)

UC, CSU and community college administrators will continue to tell us that they "understand our anger" but that there is nothing they can do because there's "no money." I see from the comments here that some students have bought this lie, and predictably see it as the reason we should back away from supporting disruptive direct action.

The money is there - and we need to get it back for our social needs. The reason why it was taken from the people in the first place is because the elite are incredibly well-organized and lawmakers believe that if they vote against the elite's interests, all hell will break loose. Is there anything more threatening than the implicit, and often explicit, threat that if taxes get raised, rich corporations will take their goodies and leave? (By the way, they won't.)

We need to be more organized, and more threatening, in the the protection of OUR interests than the elite are in the protection of theirs.

Marching, shutting down, sitting in, occupying, disrupting, organizing - all are needed to build pressure on every level of authority and decision-making around our society's money and resources. The elite tell the legislators what to do, the legislators tell the regents what to do, etc., etc. It might seem ineffective to put pressure on administrators at our campuses but when we do that we are attempting to force them to put pressure on the next level above them. When we pressure legislators we are trying to force them to take money back from the elite. Every area of pressure is important - the way things are set up makes it impossible to identify one single lever of pressure.

The alternative is to once again take the fall for the elite, to give them another pass, and to allow them to continue to siphon off the wealth we created.

When THEY pay, it means they might have to put off resurfacing the decks of their yachts for six more months. When WE pay, it means our kids' cavities don't get fixed.

Fuck that. THEY need to pay.
by The Watsonville Brown Berets
Here in the community of Watsonville, many are proud of the courage displayed by the student protesters at UCSC. Shame on the university officials for failing to negotiate and meet any of the demands raised by students. Continue to organize. We stand with you.

Watsonville Brown Berets
by Occupy California
Just wanted to send a word of support from Atlanta, GA. I am not a student, in fact I am a 49 year old sales manager but, I do have a 2 year old son and I appreciate what you guys are doing so that my son and others may have educational opportunities. Most countries, including many so called third world countries offer free college education for their citizens. Its disgusting how we force our young people to take on huge debt in order to get an education. my wife is 36 and still has many years to go before her student loans are paid. Good luck!
by Occupy California
Dear colleagues, combatants and, fortunately, friends in Santa Cruz and in California!

Strike signifies the refusal of work.
In our case it means an enormous intensity of labour. For weeks people have been organizing, coordinating, communicating, writing, filming, photographing, cooking, doing media work and much more. We’re all re*learning to formulate demands, utopias, systems and structures, formulate things really as we want them to be, radically and without compromises. We don’t only re*claim our right to stand up and demand, but we re*claim the freedom of thinking, taking action and not only dreaming about changes but to change our everyday life practice. There are worldwide networks, liaisons and friendships being established.

The students and teachers at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (or, as we like to call it: Academy of Refusal) want to emphasize that WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS and we stand in solidarity with you!
Now is the time to stand up, revolt, demand and formulate utopias (and what else could we ever demand)! We all begin to notice that we’re no longer alone with our discontent, the number of occupied universities grows daily, people can’t wait to join the protests!

YOU´LL NEVER BE ALONE AGAIN!

Hugs and kisses of solidarity,

Forever yours

Academy of Refusal
by lol
I wonder how many of these protestors were also at the AFSCME wage protest. I wonder how they thought that wage increase would be paid for. Not by THEM of course! What a bunch of spoiled children. Way to follow through, guys. As soon as police give you an ultimatum, you walk. Pathetic. At least students at the other UCs had the dedication to follow through and deal with the consequences of their actions. Once again, making it painfully clear this has everything to do with the being seen as an "activist" and nothing to do with the actual issue.

How many tree-sits and sit-ins do you think UCSC students will be able to make headlines with before everyone realizes they're full of shit? It NEVER works. period. Of course that's neither here nor there for the painfully image conscious, insecure, self absorbed participants begging for drama and confrontation. As long as everyone gets their 15 min of fame, right? Grow up and stop dragging UCSC's reputation down with you.
by Gene
I also wonder if these same protesters realize that by demanding an increase in the wages, of those who do not make the effort to get an education and perform unskilled tasks, they, who did get an education and desire to work in a field that requires a skill and education, will be making less than the unskilled?
by Susan Song
Just wanted to send my love and solidarity from UIUC to UC strikers. Struggle on, we're with you in any way we can be! http://ucimc.org/content/uc-solidarity-banner-drop
by John Thielking
The little bit of info I have comes from watching dw-tv. According to them, there is a movement to require European students to qualify for and obtain bachelor and masters degrees. Apparently the bachelor degrees are to be obtained in only 6 semesters (3 years?). That would be a tall order for a student to complete a bachelors degree in only 3 years. In the US students take 4 years or more to complete a bachelors degree. (It took me 6 years including going to community college for 2 years.) It is not clear to me what the old degree requirements were.
by John Thielking
For a picture of what a really big campus occupation looks like, check out the featured video on this web site: http://free-education.info/

Also, for background on what is happening in Europe, check out:

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/94897?search_text=university+free and

http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1096111
by repost
this-is-our-uni.jpg
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network