Rally Against the Suspension of Student Protesters

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Date:

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Time:

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Event Type:

Protest

Organizer/Author:

Location Details:

Sproul Plaza, UC Berkeley Campus

Rally Against the Suspension of Student Protesters/Dedication Ceremony for Jonathan Poullard's Anti-Student Union

Today, at 1:30 pm there will be a combination rally/UCMeP event in solidarity with those who have been on a hunger strike since Monday, and those students who are still facing threats of suspension for their participation in political activism on campus.

Currently, nearly 40 students still face possible suspension for the occupation of Wheeler Hall on November 20, through a university disciplinary process which, according to the ACLU of Northern California, "has not met constitutional standards for due process." Following this finding, 140 members of the faculty have said that the Office of Student Conduct "proceedings are not only seriously flawed, but ... no just outcome can emerge from these procedures in their current form."

With the school year wrapping up, the university intends to hold these hearings during the summer, out of the view of most students. This rally continues a string of events and shows of solidarity on the part of students, faculty, and staff with those at risk of suspension.

Much of the event will be run by the UC Movement for Efficient Privatization (UCMeP), a political satire group on campus previously known for naming university spokesperson Dan Mogulof the Top Outstanding Oratorical Leader of the Year (TOOL of the Year). Today they will re-dedicate the MLK Student Union for the Dean of Students, Jonathan Poullard, who has overseen much of the student conduct process. The building will be named the "Jonathan Poullard Anti-Student Union." See below for the group's invitation to the rally.

Additionally, the rally will echo the demands of those who have been on a hunger strike in front of California Hall since Monday:

1) Publicly denounce Arizona’s SB1070 Law and ask President Yudof and other UC Chancellors to do the same as such blatant signs of racism are not representative of the values of the UC education system.

2) Implement the promised AB540 Taskforce to begin Fall 2010 and to include student representation.

3) Drop any and all student conduct charges related to protest actions that occurred during the academic year 2009-10.

4) Stop cuts to low-wage workers on campus and stop attacks against union activists; rehire all AFSCME service workers and UPTE union activists and Cal performances employees.

5) Suspend the Student code of conduct and initiate a democratic student-led process to review the code. Those participating in this process should be charged with attending particularly to concerns about students’ due process rights and to free speech considerations. If, through this review, it is determined that a new code can be written in any way that adequately addresses these concerns, a new code should be written by a democratic, student-led body. If not, the student code of conduct should be abolished.

6) Accept responsibility for the violence and escalation of the confrontation surrounding Wheeler Hall on November 20th and December 11th 2009 that resulted in injuries to many students and jeopardized the safety and security of AB540 students. Additionally, commit to using non-violent means of ensuring safety at student demonstrations in the future.

Added to the calendar on Wed, May 5, 2010 11:23AM

§UCMeP Invitation

by via email

Wed, May 5, 2010 11:25AM

Dear UCMeP Faithful,

As we all are well aware, the University of California is currently going through a profoundly profitable rebranding process. Administrators and government officials alike are working hard and getting paid top dollar to transform our beloved university from a decrepit bastion of free speech and what Ronald Reagan once called “a hotbed of communism and homosexuality” to something a bit more upstanding.

Like insects of the Lepidoptera order that magnificently metamorphose from dull and ugly caterpillars into graceful butterflies, so too is the UC finally coming into its own by changing beyond all recognition. Once UC has made it through the growing pains of this transformation (we like to call it an “educational process”), the university will be but a shell of its former self — leaner, meaner, less diverse, with far fewer students!

In an effort to better reflect UC Berkeley’s emerging identity, the UC Movement for Efficient Privatization (UCMeP) is spearheading a direct action campaign to rename prominent campus buildings in honor of those who are most responsible for the new direction UC Berkeley is currently barreling down.

With this said, UCMeP is wasting no time. On May 5, 2010 we will change the name of UC Berkeley’s “Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union” to “Jonathan Poullard’s Anti-Student Union.” This new moniker recognizes the inspiring commitment our Dean of Students has repeatedly demonstrated to revoking the civil rights of students at UC Berkeley.

By overseeing the extra-legal prosecutions of over 100 students for their misguided activist efforts to defend public education, Mr. Poullard has gone above and beyond the call of duty (not to mention the law) to ensure that students are not guaranteed the same rights and privileges afforded to them by kangaroo courts of law like the US Supreme Court. Along with his faithful companions Susan Tregaser, Christina Gonzalez, and Jeff Woods, the ironically titled “Dean of Students” has worked tirelessly to create a second class of students on our fair campus. Moreover, Mr. Poullard never hesitates to remind us that contrary to the US Constitution, free speech is not a right but in fact a privilege that must be policed at all times and revoked when it conflicts with the interest of the property-owning minority.

Let’s be honest, figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Mario Savio, and Cesar Chavez (and the struggles for social justice and equal rights they represent) are – thankfully – a thing of the past. In their place stand a brave, new cohort of mid-level administrators dressed whose dedication to turning a blind eye to all ethical systems is nothing if not impressive. These heroes will undoubtedly be the names and faces our children and grandchildren read about in their history books.

In eager anticipation, then, we invite you to show your support for Jonathan Poullard and the metamorphosis he represents by joining us on Sproul Plaza this Wednesday, May 5 at 1:30PM for a dedication ceremony and inaugural ribbon cutting of the new “Anti-Student Union.”

We do hope you can join us to celebrate of this man’s innumerable noble accomplishments. And we encourage you to use the attached photo as your profile picture on Facebook in honor of Mr. Poullard.

Faithfully Yours,
UCMeP

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