UCSC Hahn Occupation: Purpose and Explanation

[On] November 28, 2011, a group of UCSC student activists picketed and proceeded to occupy Hahn Student Services Center. This was an action of civil disobedience carried out as a result of a decision reached by the UCSC General Assembly in solidarity with UC Davis Students who were pepper sprayed and beaten by UCPD. We targeted Hahn because of the strategically placed offices it holds: the Offices of Financial Loans and Judicial Affairs. The Office of Financial Loans is the location where students are shackled with a lifetime of debt to finance ever-increasing administrative paychecks. The Office of Judicial Affairs consistently oppresses activists and violates their first amendment rights. These are important offices in our protest movement:

Business as usual has failed.

We realize the gravity of consequence incurred by our occupation to students attempting to complete business services in the building. A fundamental component of occupation is disruption of day-to-day activities. However, protesters in Hahn were given faulty information that regular building functions were relocated to other parts of campus. When we learned [the morning of November 29th] that this was untrue, we worked rapidly and in solidarity to return the building to students, who have always been a primary concern.

Let there be no confusion: we are a student-led movement, with aims to work toward a superior higher education system for faculty, students, and workers.

We have left this building as an exercise in student sovereignty; harnessing our power to return services to students, and in order to open negotiations of our demands in good faith. There will be a General Assembly on Monday at 7pm to further these discussions. [Location TBA]