The United States Student Association called a nationwide Day of Action on March 2 that mobilized thousands at public universities across California and in 12 other states.
At UC Berkeley, 100 people marched in opposition to the $500 million budget cuts, according to The Daily Californian. Several hundred students gathered at UC Santa Cruz’s East Field, spelling “FREE EDUCATION” on their bodies, as well as engaging in a sit-in.
Students were not active at UCSD, unlike on March 4, 2010, when a crowd of around 800 people marched to protest fee increases and demand worker’s rights. San Diego City College organized protests and teach-ins on March 2 as well.
“Nobody decided to take it on,” Vice President of External Affairs Michael Lam said, when asked why UCSD students did not take part in the day of action. “We stand in solidarity with student protesters,” he said.
Demands varied by campus, but budget cuts and the defense of public higher education were the primary focus.
“Fee increases were not really the centerpiece as they were last year; this year it was the $500-million cut to higher education proposed by Governor Brown,” UC Student Regent Jesse Cheng said.
Cheng said students organized collectively, and no one group or individual was responsible alone.
“UC was heavily involved in the organizing of March 2nd, but it was meant to be a nationwide effort,” Cheng said. “The UC students have highly invested in the day itself.”
The March 2 protests came after UCSA’s Week of Action, which culminated in a Student Lobby Conference in Sacramento, Calif.
On Monday, Feb. 28, four hundred UC students travelled to Sacramento to appeal to legislators for increased funding for public higher education during the University of California Student Association Student Lobby Day at Sacramento. Cheng, a UC Irvine senior, said he was pleased with the results.
“Staffers were aware that UC was in the building,” he said. “We wanted to make sure that UC was standing out of the crowd.”
If Gov. Brown’s tax extensions do not appear on the June ballot, higher education budget may face increased cuts.
“In future weeks, the key thing is that students need to tell legislators to vote for tax extensions,” Cheng said.
Marcos Perez, an ethnic studies major at San Diego City College and member of the Education for All Coalition, said that there were several successful demonstrations in the San Diego area. Based out of SDCC, the Coalition includes students and faculty from all over San Diego, including UCSD.
The peaceful demonstrations included 75 to 200 people marching from City College to the state building in downtown San Diego.
There was also a midday forum, in which 80 to 100 students participated in a discussion about the international crisis in higher education, including the struggles of students and workers in Wisconsin, where students have occupied a building at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
“These efforts represent how we can fight back in California against these austerity measures to privatize public education,” Perez said.
Although reports are still coming in, Perez believes a significant number of states participated in the nationwide Day of Action.
Perez said San Diego actions will be continued throughout the month of March, including solidarity rallies with students in Puerto Rico March 11, anti-war demonstrations on the March 19, and a nationwide walk-out March 31.