Faculty and students at all 10 UC campuses marked the first day of classes Sept. 24 ‘mdash; except UC Berkeley and UC Merced, which employ the semester system ‘mdash; with mass protests targeting UC President Mark G. Yudof and the Board of Regents.
The UCSD walkout began with a midday rally in front of Gilman Parking Structure, and continued as over 200 protestors marched up Library Walk to Peterson Hall.
The two-hour demonstration culminated in conflict as groups of protesters marched into classrooms and demanded that teachers and students walk out.
Carolan Buckmaster, president of the Union of Professional and Technical Employees San Diego chapter, said the number of protestors had increased to about 300 by the end of the demonstration.
Systemwide, the walkouts attracted about 7,000 students ‘mdash; 4,000 less than organizers had originally expected.
Faculty and staff voiced concern over salary reductions that are hurting lowerpaid employees, the prohibition of mandatory furloughs during instructional days and the perceived decline in educational quality at the university.
‘I’m worried about access and affordability,’ literature professor Shelley Streeby said. ‘A lot of hardworking students that deserve to be here can’t be. This [university] is a good investment. It is stupid not to invest in education.’
Student objections focused primarily on Yudof ‘s proposed 32-percent student-fee increase that would be fully implemented by Fall 2010, if approved by the UC Board of Regents this academic year.
‘I think that whatever your major, you will be affected by the budget cuts,’ John Muir College junior Traci Kim said. ‘The budget cuts affect everyone’s education. I wish that students would think about the things that affect the world outside their own class, their own grade and their own department.’
Chants of ‘Lay off Yudof ‘ and ‘Yudof must go’ broke out during the rally as the crowd began to call students out of lecture halls and into the crowd.
‘[Yudof] has his head stuck in the sand and seems unwilling to deal with the issue at hand, so if he’s not going to step up to the plate and do his job, then we need someone else who is going to,’ literature graduate student Andrea Dominguez said.
However, Dominguez added that Yudof is not the only one at fault for the university’s current financial predicament.
‘We are all responsible for what happens on this campus. The students and teachers allow it to function,’ visual arts professor Micha Cardenas said.
A number of instructors continued to hold class despite the commotion. Other faculty members dismissed their students from class, encouraging them to attend the teach-in being held concurrently at Pepper Canyon Hall.
‘I do think that many faculty are divided on how they should respond to the convergence between student, faculty and service workers’ grievances,’ literature professor John Blanco said. ‘Some [faculty] depend on state funding, others don’t; some can afford to live comfortably without a percentage of their annual salary; others can’t.’
Literature graduate student and long-time campus activist Benjamin Balthaser was pleased with Thursday’s turnout.
‘Students and educators in the UC system are starting to wake up to the fact that their right to an affordable, high quality education and a secure workplace has been stolen,’ Balthaser said. ‘It has reached a breaking point now.’
Rally leaders encouraged members of the crowd on Library Walk to attend a meeting Wednesday evening in the Cross- Cultural Center to discuss their next course of action.
‘[I think the next step should be] contacting elected officials,’ literature graduate student Adam Lewis said. ‘We need a coalition of faculty, students and staff to come together to form a concrete list of demands. Educating people through more teach-ins and protests w
ill be a good way to encourage greater support and keep the pressure on state and university policymakers.