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Letters to the Editor
http://www.ceei-news.org/major.php?majorID=239&name=*A+University+of+California+%28+UCLA%29+campus+protest%29
Re UCLA and University of CALIFORNIA TUITION INCREASE. !
It looks bad for the Republicans and Democrats in Sacramento and elsewhere and Congress wont even LIFT A finger regarding the mess that surrounds the state education system in California. What is going on in the President.’s Oval Office ?
If California allows its schools to be shut down, then the educational system breaks down. and it will spread. If the educational system breaks down then what happens to the teachers, the STUDENTS ? The parents and grand parents IN EVERY STATE ?
Each and every member of the Califoirnia Democratic party and Republican party should resign and see if the state can have a referendum on higher education. Re boot the whole system or boot them out. Heath care ? Whats that !
In LA county students are "dropping out "at a 50% rate. Surveys says they ( students are bored) is not generally known. Other studies show that head start kids will develop over the social economic group if they are even motivated before kinder garden. ! CEEI is working on that too.
This is where it will happen with students that will care and that will become motivated.
Your kinder garden is where it all happens for sure. Parents must help this process.
(That mysterious energy that drives young people to learn more and more). CEEI sees this for the long term given the stakes.
If it wern't for the oceans cooling the planet, we would be goners already ! Arctic temperature has been recorded 25 deg F above average 5 years ago ! The world average is talking about 380 parts per million Dreamers!
NO WONDER THEY CALL IT HOPENNAGEN this week in Denmark !
In the mean time back at the ranch, why not investigate why universities are so unable to manage their bricks and mortar in the first place, and why does US education system produce boat loads of Chinese engineers, scientists and computer design people and all we can produce are squabling politians. Our governmental system is broken. It needs fixing badly. Why cant these people listen to each other. All they can manage to do is shut down the lives of the next generation.
Virtual universities are taking over. Check out the University of Illinois at Spring field Illinois. There are 20 others on line now.
Max Casebeau
CEEI Exec Director
Sun Valley idaho. 83353
www.ceei-news.org
208-578-1557
__________________________________________________________________
[Daily Kos]
Vigorous Student Protests at UCLA over UC Tuition Hike
by SumOfChange
[Digg this!] Share this on Twitter - Vigorous Student Protests at UCLA over
UC Tuition Hike[Tweet this] [submit to reddit]
Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 02:27:40 PM PST
Originally posted by Rachel Tepper of Plight of the Pumpernickel for Sum of
Change.
News of a steep hike in tuition fees at University of California public
schools have students riled up at campuses across the UC system.
The UCÕs Board of Regents met at UCLA on Wednesday to approve a plan which
will raise next yearÕs undergraduate fees by an astounding 32%. UC
President Mark Yudof told The New York Times that the fee increase was the
universityÕs only choice in light of significant state budget cuts in the
last decade. Yudof explained that the university system currently receives
half as much, per student, as it did about twenty years ago.
* SumOfChange's diary :: ::
*
Despite current measures in place which have slashed staff salaries, laid
off teaching assistants, eliminated free printing for students and cut
library hours, the board insisted that the university will be unable to
maintain the same level of academic excellence without raising tuition.
Anger within the student body was most acutely felt at UCLA, where students
from across the university system rallied outside the boardÕs meeting.
Protests at times turned nasty, leading to the arrests of several students
and accusations of police brutality.
Darlene Tran, a sophomore at UCLA, received bruises to her chest and wrist
courtesy of officers responding to protests outside the meeting. Tran said
she was chanting with a mass of students blocking the board membersÕ exit
from a university building. She explained that she and others were
demonstrating peacefully, but officers used unnecessary force when they
pushed through the crowd to clear an exit path.
ÒFrom my perspective, I understand why they did it,Ó admitted Tran. ÒBut I
donÕt think they needed to have been so aggressive. It was almost brutal,
in a way.Ó
Tran noted that the Board of RegentÕs meeting had originally been scheduled
to take place on a day earlier on Thursday. She believes that the
rescheduling was a deliberate attempt to thwart studentsÕ plans to assemble.
Students representing every institution in the UC system planned to bus to
rallies at UCLA, but arrived a day late.
ÒWe thought it was very sketchy,Ó said Tran.
In a last ditch attempt to convince the board to reverse its decision, some
students stormed Campbell Hall, a building on UCLAÕs campus, and occupied it
from 2 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday in protest.
Tran noted that the protests had hit a particularly sensitive chord with
students.
"WeÕre students, we can not handle this fee increase," said an exasperated
Tran. She believes many students will be forced to drop out of school
because of the increased fees. "WeÕre smart and weÕre knowledgeable. We
know there are other ways, there are other solutions, but we want to be
protesting.Ó
Senior Sharya de Silva said the vigorous demonstration was a unique display
of a particularly emotional student body.
ÒIt was more students than I have seen in a long time. When it first started
on campus, I would say at least 300 kids [were protesting],Ó explained
Silva. ÒBut then when we walked down Westwood BlvdÉanother group of
students showed up. I think while marching we had around 600 kids.Ó
She described the scene outside Covel Hall, a building on UCLAÕs campus, as
Òa mad house,Ó and said she believes about 1000 were protesting there.
Silva echoed sentiments of undue police force against what she described as
passionate but nonviolent protest.
ÒI saw one officer swinging a baton around to try and clear room,Ó she said.
ÒIn the process he hit two guys and almost hit me. This one girl was
actually trying to help the cops by calming the crowd down, and they got
her. It was sad, she just hit the ground.Ó
Silva believes the police Òdidn't know how to handle the volume of students
with that much passion,Ó and their actions were preemptive measures taken in
fear that protests would turn violent.
Despite the widespread discontentment in regard to increased fees and the
fervor demonstrated by protesters, some students questioned the
effectiveness of such displays.
ÒEveryone is unified in their opinion about it, well, sucking, but not
everyone supports the protests,Ó said junior Nathan Stein. He said the
demonstrations are Òcausing a lot of disturbance to people living in the
dorms and not accomplishing much.Ó
Both Tran and Silva confessed that they believed the decision made by the
Board of Regents will likely stick.
Protests have currently died down, though students continue to stew over the
possible implications the increase.
For now though, students must turn their thoughts to another problem:
finals. Exams for the fall semester will begin taking place in a matter of
days. Little time, said Stein, to worry about tuition.
ÒI think most students are spending their time studying,Ó he said.
Tags: budget crisis, budget cuts, education funding, public education, UCLA,
University of California (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions
Permalink | 27 comments
Comments: Expand Shrink Hide (Always) | Indented Flat (Always)
Daily Kos Help
* Tip Jar (9+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
science, trashablanca, koNko, One Pissed Off Liberal, beltane,
velvet blasphemy, kevinpdx, mahakali overdrive, samanthab
Socially, Politically, and Culturally Conscious Videos: Sum of Change
by SumOfChange on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 02:27:41 PM PST
* Your view of this strikes me as unempathetic (1+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
SumOfChange
to some degree.
I've tipped and rec'd it, because it's a great matter of concern for
me. However, are you aware of the extent of the protests, who backs
them, and why?
Focusing on the wayward militants while ending on the note that "most
students" are spending time studying belittles the argument here.
And if the Board of Regents stands fast with this, there are going to
be ramifications.
And it is TRUE that students are, at some state schools, locked in to
the system badly in a way that has cost them and their families up to a
year of rent (if they've leased) with a year set back to education.
The situation is serious.
Prominent Professors are leaving some of these Universities over it.
This is not going to die down. That's not realistic. The unrest has
been brewing for some time. The situation is not entirely based on CA
state funding.
What is President Yudof's confidence rating amongst Professors? I
honestly don't know, but if it looks like that of some of the other
public University systems nearby, I'd guess it were very low.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain / Question me
again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 02:35:51 PM PST
o Also, UCLA was the first to protest (0+ / 0-)
and the protests weren't organized. They were reactionary. They
were what one might call "a revolt" and not a "protest." That's
why they WERE angry. Similar at UCBerkeley. There was no
consultation, other than a perfunctory one, about how to protest.
The students have felt screwed for awhile, and this final insult
resulted in "a riot." Yes, a riot. So expecting an ideologically
cohesive protest is ridiculous. This is a revolt that may become a
sustained protest. We'll see. But the mistake many are making is
not viewing it for what it is: a student uprising that was not
coordinated and that grew organically over a few hours.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain / Question
me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 02:38:44 PM PST
[ Parent ]
o by no means are we... (1+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
mahakali overdrive
"unempathetic." And yes, we are somewhat knowledgeable about the
extent of the protests (we first covered it in September)
This report was written based on what we were hearing from people
on the ground.
Thanks for the tip and the rec, you are absolutely right that this
issue is critically important.
Socially, Politically, and Culturally Conscious Videos: Sum of
Change
by SumOfChange on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 03:01:33 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ It may be that I'm overly invested in this (3+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
oyka1, Preston S, One Pissed Off Liberal
The diary contents (of the article) pointed to a fair amount
of militance, and I was explaining why. The term "protest" is
a misnomer, in my view. This was a... not a riot, but a
spontaneous, largely uncoordinated uprising.
I'm burnt out by how many diaries have come up about this,
perhaps, that aren't understanding of students, professors,
and staff who support this and may be in hyper-vigilance
mode.
Thus said, I've been following this for over two years
directly, and have been in deep discussion with people who
have been involved in the state university system financial
situation since the 1970's.
My husband is a Professor at a state University. My views are
independent of his. Still, my finger is on the pulse of this
on, closely. I have read the union listservs and wondered
when this would erupt into something. I don't think we've
seen the half of it.
My kid brother attends UC Berkeley. I know many Professors
(and some administration as well) in the overall state
university system.
The common argument made by many is that this is primarily a
problem of knee-jerk students who don't understand that the
funding, due to the CA budget crisis, isn't there. I think
that's an incorrect assessment. The problems lie so much
deeper than that. I could pretty much write a book on this.
Thank you for caring and keeping tabs with people on the
ground. During the UC Berkeley situation, I was in direct
contact with my brother frequently during his several hours
of engaging with protesters.
Because of my husband, I cannot detail much further.
But this situation must have more attention drawn to it. And
it must NOT be blamed on CA state, because that is part, but
by no means all, of the problem here. Nor do I believe
students knee-jerked. I think they did good.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain /
Question me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 03:32:36 PM PST
[ Parent ]
* Boycott sports (3+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
formernadervoter, mahakali overdrive, SumOfChange
The best way students can show their anger over these fee hikes is to
stop going to all sports events. Sports is the only thing
administrators take seriously.
Big Joe Helton: "I pay Plenty."
Chico Marx: "Well, then we're Plenty Tough."
by Caelian on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 02:43:03 PM PST
* Wait a second (0+ / 0-)
I understand the frustration---I got my degree from UCLA in the 70's,
was heavily involved with anti-war protests (was even shoved around
near Murphy Hall by riot police), and paid only $208.50 per quarter.
So I get it.
But the FACT is that the state's contribution to UCLA has been
drastically cut, and simply saying NO, NO, NO is stupid without
explaining what the alternatives are. And complaining about a few
administrator's salaries are is silly--the numbers don't compare.
This reminds me of the typical Republican mantra of "cut taxes, cut
taxes" and when asked where the money is to come--"cut waste, fraud and
abuse" and pointing to a few examples of wasteful spending that are
less than a percent of the proposed taxcuts.
So before I have any sympathy, I would like to see the protestors state
EXPLICITLY---where would money come from. Either propose explicit
revenue enhancers that aren't tuition, or massive cuts, or some
combination. But WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM?
by science on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 03:30:31 PM PST
o The money is there, more or less (4+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
formernadervoter, science, Preston S, One Pissed Off Liberal
but the schools are overpaying administration and on-campus law
enforcement, and creating a privatized-style school system with
what would be considered "pork barrel projects," like the
development of multi-million dollar projects while programs get
slashed. Also, the programs being slashed are almost all in the
traditional University GE pattern of Liberal Arts and Humanities,
while Business, Law, and certain vocational programs are receiving
funding. There is a lot of unnecessary personnel and construction
ongoing, to make the schools appeal to MBA type students, while
the schools were primarily established as region-based liberal
Universities. The students are very aware of this (at least many).
The Professors are also sympathetic of the problem. This year,
many programs were cut that were previously PRIVATELY endowed. The
over-reliance on private endowments by Yudof and others has caused
possible resistance in the CA legislature to give out further
monies. That's the choice of the Regeants, and is why many are
pissed off.
This is just a tiny slice of how funds are being misused,
internally.
I can't detail further without risking my anonymity here, sorry.
There should be articles online about this.
Look to both the UC's and the CSU's. SFSU ALSO protested.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain / Question
me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 03:38:06 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ thank you (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
Preston S, mahakali overdrive
that's the sort of thing I'm looking for, and I will check up
on it. But this isn't really coming out in the news
stories... Also, it seems as if the structural problems you
discuss can't be changed overnight, alas.
by science on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 03:41:08 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ The news stories frustrate me (0+ / 0-)
Of course, how many times have we see the media get this
wrong? Laugh... And honestly, when I began discussing
this in the first thread, there were some points I had
wrong as well. I sought direct clarification, and, while
unable to really cite my sources (other than the one I
did), want it to be known that the students are onto
something good here. They are to be commended. They
should also push at the state level. But I've said that
even if the state wasn't broke, we MIGHT still be seeing
protests in the public universities here. But these
days, students are in an insecure position and don't act
with the same politicism so quickly. It sort of took
this tuition hike to channel their frustrations.
Check out the previous threads on this. There is plenty
of disinformation in them as well, of course. But
there's a great deal of conversation.
And I've been privvy to the larger conversation, ad
nauseum, for some time now, so none of this is a
surprise to me.
Administration and those in Business programs will also
present very different views than I will.
A great article written was by Judith Butler, published
in the NYTimes. Try googling it. I see a definite lack
of coordinated media information about all of this
dissent; it reflects some lack of understanding about
the economic tensions. But they're real and warranted.
Try googling "vote of confidence" issues with various UC
and CSU Presidents, and funding grievances. Curious what
turns up. Been chafing me for years now.
Best!
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain
/ Question me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:08:59 PM
PST
[ Parent ]
+ Judith Butler's piece was in the Guardian, not (1+
/ 0-)
Recommended by:
mahakali overdrive
the NYT. You're given the American MSM way too much
credit. The NYT was busy running this inane
Freaknomics post in support of the hike:
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.co...
by samanthab on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:27:30 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ Danke! (0+ / 0-)
All by memory; not looking... think I read an
email forwarding of the piece :)
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through
midnight rain / Question me again." - Seamus
Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at
04:37:11 PM PST
[ Parent ]
o I think the biggest frustration comes from... (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
formernadervoter, mahakali overdrive
an odd sense of priorities. The state spends more on jails than on
schools, and as one organizer told us in September, "The message
that the state is sending to kids is that it is more prepared to
send you to the prison system than the education system."
You are right that the admin salaries would do little to help the
tuition hikes, but students aren't only upset about tuition hikes,
they are also upset with plans to cut the budget for a lot of
programs. In that case, yes, cutting admin salaries could actually
save programs.
Socially, Politically, and Culturally Conscious Videos: Sum of
Change
by SumOfChange on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 03:41:16 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ Yes... (0+ / 0-)
Admin salaries, and also the amount of admin jobs. Schools
need this much bureaucracy? Really? They did without it for a
long time. Ditto the level of law enforcement on campus,
flashy new construction projects, etc.
But the solution doesn't lie entirely in these cuts either. I
think the general move toward cutting out Liberal Arts and
Sciences, which are foundations of a University Education
(and part of the GE pattern to achieve one), conjoined with
the move toward private endowments for non-traditional
programs, like Business/Law schools, are the problem.
If the state public Universities want to be those type of
institutions, that's fine. They can rely on those private
endowments. But they need to be up front about it and not
portray themselves as Liberal Arts (or Research 1)
Universities, or service-region colleges.
Look into what happened at SFSU this year with, I believe it
was the drama department. It was published two weeks ago in
the school newspaper there (I was on campus, visiting).
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain /
Question me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:13:56 PM PST
[ Parent ]
* This student agitation is encouraging (1+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
mahakali overdrive
Any chance the anti war movement can be re catalyzed based on this
model?
"I happen to be a proponent of a single payer health care program."
Pres. Goldman Sachs Obama, 6/30/03
by formernadervoter on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:00:55 PM PST
* Peter Phillips on the roots of this crisis (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
TomP, mahakali overdrive
As suspected, it's the rich arranging for massive tax cuts and hiding
their wealth:
The Higher Education Fiscal Crisis Protects the Wealthy
by Peter Phillips / November 24th, 2009
http://dissidentvoice.org/...
"I happen to be a proponent of a single payer health care program."
Pres. Goldman Sachs Obama, 6/30/03
by formernadervoter on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:19:18 PM PST
o Thank you, Peter Phillips is a good guy (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
formernadervoter, TomP
;)
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain / Question
me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:21:47 PM PST
[ Parent ]
o No the root cause is a suck economy. Get (0+ / 0-)
the economy going again and the revenues flow in. Make California
more business friendly and revenues flow in. Blaming it on the
rich doesn't address the fundamental problem. The economy sucks.
Eat recycled food. It's good for the environment and OK for you.
by thestructureguy on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:25:56 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ Read downthread: 96% CA Professors disagree (3+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
formernadervoter, TomP, samanthab
with your assessment that this is a problem with the CA state
legislature, exclusively.
I understand the ease of mistaking the two, and how they do
contribute to one another, but the no confidence votes
totally preceded the budget crisis (at least in many
Universities).
You can't claim that Economics and Pol Sci Professors, who
are counted in these numbers, don't understand the root of
this problem.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain /
Question me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:30:24 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ Incorrect. Blaming the rich is the root (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
TomP, mahakali overdrive
and probably much of the rest of the tree as well.
Don't forget, even when the economy doesn't suck, these elite
privileges are firmly in place. And for many people even
when the economy doesn't suck, it sucks for them.
"I happen to be a proponent of a single payer health care
program." Pres. Goldman Sachs Obama, 6/30/03
by formernadervoter on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:31:21 PM PST
[ Parent ]
+ Welcome to the corporatization of the public (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
formernadervoter, TomP
university system...
sigh...
and you know, I was unnecessarily rude to you last
night. I'm sorry for that.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain
/ Question me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:34:03 PM
PST
[ Parent ]
+ How the wealthy hide their money (1+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
TomP
and the rest of us struggle as our daily costs keep going up
(and notice how they aren't reflected in the CPI).
And, what this does is perpetuate inequality (our public
school system essentially does it's part to further this as
well with it's focus on drill and kill instruction and
testing to line kids up for the already existing job slots).
Rachel Keeler has the scoop:
http://www.dollarsandsense.org/...
"I happen to be a proponent of a single payer health care
program." Pres. Goldman Sachs Obama, 6/30/03
by formernadervoter on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:42:28 PM PST
[ Parent ]
* For once I'd like to see a protest that (0+ / 0-)
gives solutions instead of great film at 11. I'm a parent of a UCLA
student and I want to hear some solutions.
Eat recycled food. It's good for the environment and OK for you.
by thestructureguy on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:22:37 PM PST
o Write to President Yudof (1+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
samanthab
and express your concerns. Demand he fixes his confidence rating
with the 96% of his employees who have none, or risk losing
students, as well as more Professors. UCLA has already lost some
over this. Berkeley as well.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain / Question
me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:32:12 PM PST
[ Parent ]
* Pres. Yudof recieved a 96% no confidence vote (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
formernadervoter, samanthab
http://blogs.csun.edu/...
But when labor unions representing about 70,000 UC employees
said Thursday that 96 percent of staff and faculty at all 10
campuses had signed a vote of no confidence in UC President
Mark Yudof, the message was clear: Employees at the public
university are angry.
Students are right to be angry.
But so are UC employees (including staff).
Usually a vote of no confidence like this is expected to follow with a
resignation. President Yudof, despite only having a 4% vote of
confidence from his employees, is still there.
I'd say that this signals a serious problem.
CSU employees are on par here, with a 79% vote of no confidence in
Chancellor Reed, and only a 4% vote of actual confidence in him (the
equivalent of President Yudof, in that system):
http://www.turlockcitynews.com/...
Of those voting, only 4% said they had confidence in the
Chancellor’s leadership. 79% voted "no confidence" and
17% responded "don’t know."
Say what you want about students, whomever reads this, but when 96% of
your Ph.D. level employees say you aren't fit to be their boss, you
should probably step down.
The problem simply isn't in the CA state budget crisis. That's an
aspect of this. But CA state Professors, including Economics
Professors, study these matters closely. Being research-oriented types
and all. This is a giant, systemic mess.
Look to these staff votes of no confidence to understand the student
dissent.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain / Question me
again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:28:12 PM PST
o Oh, that's such a damned distortion (0+ / 0-)
In the Turlock Article, there's a statement about Prof's voting to
furlough because of the CA state budget situation. Actually, many
voted to keep adjuncts on, since they were the ones being
threatened to be cut. Yeah, this was one of those things where
someone put the interests of others before their own, in many
cases. But to say it was all just a pool of money that couldn't be
spread around... there were PLENTY of Professors who would have
axed the adjuncts, guest lecturers, etc, and not furloughed. But
it came down to a moral issue for so many.
So that's more nuanced than it's being presented by this media
story as well.
"Dawn-sniffing revenant / Plodder through midnight rain / Question
me again." - Seamus Heaney
by mahakali overdrive on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 04:44:32 PM PST
[ Parent ]
* Fix the Problem (0+ / 0-)
You can protest all you like. Its will do nothing. The hike in
tuition is because CA is ungovernable, and cannot raise revenue.
If you want to return to the halcyon days of public education in the CA
you must:
1. repeal Prop 13
2. Dump initiatives
3. Dump the 2/3 needed to increase taxes.
That will fix the problem.
E pluribus unum.
by Plubius on Wed Nov 25, 2009 at 05:29:41 PM PST
Permalink | 27 comments
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Unrest at UCLA
Police in riot gear, students laying in the streets -- sounds like the UCLA
of the 1960s. But with rising costs and slashed LGBT history courses, is
holding the UC Board of Regents captive a necessary move for gay students?
By Rhiza Dizon
[UCLA PROTEST THUMB X100 (RICH YAP) | ADVOCATE.COM]
A year after Proposition 8's passage and following earlier protests to keep
tuition affordable, University of California students last week found
themselves with picket signs and raised voices once again, awaiting a vote
that would affect their futures. On November 19, the UC board of regents
approved a 32% increase in tuition, including a midyear hike effective in
January and another increase in the fall, bringing the tuition at the
University of California past the $10,000 mark for the first time, tripling
the cost of attending a UC school over a decade ago.
University officials insist that the $505 million to be raised by the
tuition increases is needed to prevent further cuts because of California's
ongoing financial crisis. While UC president Mark Yudof says families with
incomes of less than $70,000 a year won‰Ûªt be affected, some students
remain skeptical.
Offering me more loans doesn mean that my tuition will be covered, said Samantha Lustado, a geography undergraduate student.
Lustado, a board member of UCLA‰Ûªs undergraduate Queer Alliance and member
of various queer student organizations, fears that many of her fellow
underclass men may not be able to continue at the university because of these
increases, herself included. Because federal aid for students is allocated
by the beginning of fall terms, students will have to find other means to
pay for the midyear increase. For some, this may mean taking on a second or
third job, applying for a loan through private banks, or commuting from home
rather living near or on campus. Some may simply drop out.
Budget cuts have already made themselves felt through a decrease in library
hours and reduced course offerings. The cuts continue to threaten the
diversity and richness of public higher education. UCLA schedule of
classes for next spring tentatively lists only one course in LGBT studies.
The Psychology of the Lesbian Experience, a historic class and staple at the
university taught by Linda Garnets for more than 20 years, will be offered
for the last time this winter. Along with budget cuts, campuses may begin to
feel student cuts as well.
As news of the vote spread, so did anger, heartbreak, and passion. Students
and faculty across California converged on the University of California, Los
Angeles, the epicenter of action, where the board of regents made their
fateful decision. Many utilized their social networks, updating information
on Facebook and sending mass text messages to organize various peaceful
demonstrations. A flash mob of students dropped dead for a minute,
symbolizing the death of public education in front of Covel Commons, where
the regents met on the UCLA campus.
Not everything was peaceful.
ÏMy friends got tazed by the police, read the Facebook status of UCLA
undergraduate Ruth Mendez. "They only sat peacefully, and this is what the
police do?! They tazed two members of my community and allies to my struggle
as a queer Pinay.
UCLA's Queer Alliance director, Melanie Simangan, says the battle parallels
another infamous California decision.
ÛÏI realized that the protests weren't just about fighting fee hikes,
she said. We were fighting so we could stay at UCLA and get our degrees,
but also so we could continue the work we've been doing. What would happen
if all these queer leaders suddenly disappeared? What would happen to the
queer community at UCLA because of this? Like Proposition 8, we were being
stripped of a fundamental right, though in this case we were being stripped
of our right to an education.
åÊ
Lustado agrees.
keep paying more for less and less, Lustado replied to the
news. Students defending visibility and acceptance on campuses all over
California could become invisible. Diversity is what at stake here.
While the protests eventually died down, students at their respective UC
campuses are continuing to organize acts of peaceful protest and mobilizing
various community meetings in order to determine the best course of action.
UC officials said state budget cuts left them no choice but to raise fees
and noted that the system receives only half as much per student from the
state as it did in 1990.
UC president Yudof told reporters he couldn't rule out raising student fees
again if the state cannot meet his request for an additional $913 million
next year for the 10-campus system."I can't make any ... promises," he said.
While the increased cost presents an insurmountable barrier to college
access for thousands of students and potential students, only the tip
of the iceberg,
Gregory Cendana, president of the United States Student
Association, said in a statement. Nationwide, states are balancing
budgets on the backs of students, slashing higher education funding and
raising tuition and fees. Students need financial relief now more than
ever.
_________________________________________________________________
Subject:
Google Alert - student unrest
Date:
Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:50:32 +0000
From:
Google Alerts
To:
cgcsas@cox.net
Google News Alert for: student unrest
Restoring lost glory of Presidency College won't be easy
Thaindian.com
... with around 2500 students, still churns out talent, standards have fallen due to politics in teacher recruitment and frequent
student unrest. ...
See all stories on this topic
Google Blogs Alert for: student unrest
Sindh Today – Online News » Restoring lost glory of Presidency ...
By SindhToday
Though Presidency, with around 2500 students, still churns out talent, standards have fallen due to politics in teacher recruitment
and frequent student unrest. There has also been a steady refusal on the part of the authorities to give ...
Sindh Today - Online News - http://www.sindhtoday.net/
Iran limits Internet access, restricts journalists before expected ...
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI
Iranian authorities have slowed Internet connections to a crawl or choked them off completely before expected student protests
Monday to deny the opposition a vital means of communication. ... The opposition has sought to display unity and resolve after
relentless crackdowns on their protests and a mass trial of more than 100 activists and prominent pro-reform figures accused of
fomenting the postelection unrest and seeking to topple the government. ...
Washington Examiner Site Feed - http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/templates/rss
Iran bans foreign media from student rally - KURDISH BLOG
By eastkurd
Iran has banned foreign media from reporting on a student rally next week that authorities fear could turn into a. ... Authorities
deny vote-rigging and portrayed the unrest as a foreign-backed bid to undermine the state. "Any illegal gathering outside
universities will be strongly confronted," said police chief Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam, quoted in the Etemad newspaper. The
Paris-based press freedom watchdog ... 0 Comments to Iran bans foreign media from student rally ...
KURDISH BLOG - http://eastkurd.blog.co.uk/
Baltimore Nonviolence Center: UC Protesters Invoke Free Speech ...
By Max Obuszewski
Reminiscent of campus unrest in the 1960s, some were filmed beating students with batons, and pushing them with metal
barricades. Some demonstrators showed up at hospitals with broken fingers, saying they had been smashed by police. ...
Baltimore Nonviolence Center - http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
The Green Brief #75 (Dec 05 – 14 Azar) - The Daily NiteOwl
By Nite Owl
Protests / Unrest. 1. A gathering of Mourning Mothers – an Iranian women's organization which seeks the release of detained
protesters – was violently attacked by security force at Laleh Park this afternoon in Tehran. .... Kazem Rezaie – a student of Shiraz
University – and Yahya Tawoosi – another student from the same institution – were sentenced to prison terms today. Rezaie will
spend years and eight months while Tawoosi three years behind bars. Both students are human ...
The Daily NiteOwl - http://www.dailyniteowl.com/wordpress/
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