UC Day Of Action: Thousands Protest Across State

Today is the National Day of Action To Defend Public Education. Students across the country are holding protests, walk-outs and teach-ins to decry the state of American higher education.

The activity is most concentrated in California, where the movement originated. On March 4 of this year, thousands of students protested the state's public education system, which has faced massive budget shortfalls and tuition hikes -- and will see more positions cut in January, alongside online course development and increased out-of-state student enrollment.

The Daily Californian is live-blogging the day's events here. Students began convening at the University of California-Berkeley before 8 a.m. PST, and the number of protesters has grown significantly through the day. The early demonstrators drafted a list of complaints and delivered them to Chancellor Robert Birgenau.

Around 12 a.m. PST, the Californian reported that nearly 1,000 protesters were on the campus's Upper Sproul. Fire alarms on campus were pulled, evacuating at least one building, and students moved to occupy the Doe Library.

The blog Occupy CA has updated rundowns of what's happening on campuses across the state.

Pertinent links:

Coverage of the day's events from the San Jose Mercury News.

Coverage from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Continued reporting and analysis from Angus Johnston at Student Activism.

See California's education budget, by the numbers.

And check out more background information on California's education crisis via Neon Tommy:

California Community Colleges Hit Hard By Budget Cuts, Funding Delays

What California's Budget Means For UC Students

What California's Budget Means For CSU Students

What's happening on your campus? Let us know below.

Comments

[farmilyman]

04:18 AM on 10/11/2010

That's what happens when you put a conservative in charge of the state.

[Snapper Snap]

04:48 AM on 10/11/2010

Your so ignorant its not worth responding.

Why don't you look up their entire state government.

[farmilyman]

08:53 AM on 10/11/2010

Conservatives caused the near depression.

[chumt1]

12:07 AM on 10/11/2010

Money should go to public secondary schools before it goes to prestigious UCs where students might have *gasp*... wait a semester before they can fit into General Biology.

[healthanalyst]

06:32 PM on 10/10/2010

Cal students always protest. 20 years ago it was a tuition increase instead of a free education. Though back then you could work and go through college. U Cal State were the worst for undergrads. Faculty had tenure on a scale where 50% was student feedback. So courses were watered down so the little darlings would give decent evaluations. Of course salaries haven't kept up with housing costs. Forget about owning a house unless your parents left one to you.

But college students think everything is about them. Its not, they're just a passing parade of sheep in a classroom. There will be another cohort next year. And so it goes. Now, if you can teach and do research, that is a golden prof. Usually they're at the better schools. With the course load at the Cal State schools, its hard to do both well, those that do, well, most students don't get it.

Pretty much a nothing to see here story, move along.

Some programs are very very good. Some are just dismal. Like most colleges, you don't know until you get into them. Pity.

[rocknrollinhoneybadger]

10:00 AM on 10/09/2010

Defend public education - but then they say that public education is lagging. So by defending public education aren't you defending the pathetic standard?

[eric14]

05:09 AM on 10/09/2010

Demos - echoes of actions that signalled strength. They signal weakness.
Semiotics, where are you when we need you?

[Seafarer61]

03:50 AM on 10/09/2010

"Fire alarms on campus were pulled, evacuating at least one building"

...and yet they wonder why public education has failed?

[PersonFromEarth]

09:06 PM on 10/08/2010

I'm not friend of big government myself, but if there was an amendment that I'd include in the US Bill of Rights, it's that education should be a right to every child in the states.

[corwin]

02:03 PM on 10/09/2010

I'm not trying to denigrate your intellect,but there's already that right.DO you mean for as long as it's wanted.?
SHould the right be extended to illegal immigrants?
What about folks who've flunked out and wish to re enroll?
Blanket staztements like yours often are ill thought

[olddognewtrick]

08:40 PM on 10/08/2010

It's Berkeley...Jake...

[janmB]

05:36 PM on 10/08/2010

EUROPE has tuition free colleges and free-industrialized countries where everyone has healthcare rich or poor.....
In France 50% of the board of governors of a company have to be made up of workers and ask why Germany has had the best quarter ever in their recent history.
Norway--has thriving capitalism yet generous benefits for citizens.
If you ask WHY we are way behind in education and well being of citizens then refer to the party who says no to everyone and everything except the millionaries and billionaires who fund them.

[javadrinker]

07:32 PM on 10/08/2010

Teachers in the U.S. have lost control of their classes(worried about lawsuits) and students have no respect for most teachers. Unruly students are not removed from classes so they continue to disrupt the class. It is a much better learning environment in college, high school was hell.

[valeskas]

09:13 AM on 10/08/2010

You got to fight for what is right. Sitting on your bottoms does not help, so students, show them what you need and march for it.

[ID-TenTango]

09:11 AM on 10/08/2010

I don't know. I think more than ever college campuses are more like corporate entities. Take a look at these salaries, and this is at the University of Georgia where I went. I mean, I don't think anyone would have figured a UGA Accounting Prof to be making almost $342k.

http://www.redandblack.com/2010/02/08/pay-day-eighteen-of-the-20-highest-paid-univ-employees-received-raises-in-2009/

[cloudminder]

08:47 AM on 10/08/2010

# Schwarzenegger Vetoes Open Govt Transparency At UC, CSU (2010)
# How the University of California Regents Spin Public Money into Private Profit, 8 part series (2010)
# UC Weighs What To Do With Abandoned President's Mansion (2010)
# UC Administrators Get Failing Grade (2010)
# Cal baseball, rugby refuse to go quietly after termination of their programs (2010)
# Dept. of Energy Investigating Armed Livermore Lab Guards’ Trip to the Airport (2010)
# Former Workers at Los Alamos Charged with Transmitting Classified Nuclear Weapons Data to Injure the United States (2010)
# Buying A Business School - UCLA's (2010)
# In Investment Votes, UC Skirts Own Review Policy (2010)
# A Plan To Save Public Education By Abandoning It (2010)
# Cost Cuts Could Choke Innovation at UC Berkeley (2010)
# UC regents shore up retirement funds — and a key executive's pay (2010)
# U.C. to Manage RENTAL Home Costs of President - Hopes To Avoid Another $700,000 In Expenses (2010)
# UC President's Housing Raises Ire and Expenses (2010)
# U.C. Spokespeople's Dueling Rationales For Booting Filmmaker Out of Regents Meeting (2010)
# Why No Campus Protest Over Berkeley-BP Connection? (2010)
# Thomas Peele: UC Execs Could Do With Some Education of Their Own (2010)
# UC Denies Filmmaker's Right to Tape Regent Meeting (2010)
# UCI Medical Center Results of a surprise federal inspection could put the hospital's Medicare funding at risk.(2010)

http://cloudminder.blogspot.com/

[cloudminder]

08:44 AM on 10/08/2010

# Is UC Regent's Vision for Higher Education Clouded By His Investments? (2010)
# UC Davis Uses Anti-SLAPP Provisions To Kill Prof's Discrimination Lawsuit (2009)
# Former UCD Police Officer SLAPPed For 20K in Fees in Civil Rights Suit (2010)
# UC Davis Principles Apparently Also Include the Undermining of Civil Rights Protections for Employees (2010)
# UC Regents Schwarzenegger and Wachter – Are They Making A Profit From University Investments? (2010)
# Billion Dollar Baby: The University of California Invests $53 Million In Two Diploma Mills Owned By A Regent. (2010)
# Sen. Yee clashes with UC, CSU over Alumni , Donor Privacy (2010)
# UCSF Head Has Millions In Medical, Drug Stocks (2010)
# Audit Demands Investment Reform, We Hope- Daily Bruin (2010)
# UCSF Chancellor and Controversial Tobacco Stock(2010)
# UC Regents sue UCLA radiology professor Robert Lufkin for engaging in non-UC work (2010)
# Federal Civil Rights Suit Brought Against UCLA, UC Regents For Copying Prof Lufkin's Hard Drive (2010)
# Operational Mediocrity- Daily Californian (2010)
# Protest Studies, The New Yorker (2010)
# Protest Studies: California is broke, and Berkeley is in revolt (2010)
# UCLA Consultant Involved In Accounting Scandal (2010)
# More Scandals Uncovered at UC, Yee Requests State Audit (2010)
# UC Regents OK Millions In Incentive Pay To Top Execs (2010)
# UC Davis Pays Settlement To Whistleblower Over Retaliation- Food Stamps Program Involved (2010)

http://cloudminder.blogspot.com/

[cloudminder]

08:42 AM on 10/08/2010

the link in the story to "What CA's budget means for UC students" does NOT work.

[MMRDO]

08:13 AM on 10/08/2010

In other news no one cares...