Protesters have been marching into various buildings on campus, including the chancellor’s office in Murphy Hall, where a fire alarm reportedly was pulled.

No reports of police violence against protesters as in past demonstrations at UCLA.

is that small group of 100 walkers trying to get publicity ?

trying to effect real change ?

do more than walk around a fancy campus in that case.

students who are actually ACTIVE instead of passive strollers on campus can do more effective works than stand around with signs and yelling chants that are old, repetitive and futile.

the real work is to go to actual elected government so-called-
"representative" of these students/ the people and make a real appointment, visit them, talk to them, leave factual information others may not have or read. Not make a poor display of themselves wandering around a dulled-out- politically campus.

the continual LAZY REPETITION of what may have been effective and noteworthy in the 1960's & 1970's is no longer the way in USA. Other than helping mass media get some titillating local 'non-news' to up their ratings hopefully, the viewing public will only criticize and dislike the angry-mongers.

Active duty in any cause takes more than a stroll or passing out the same dull flyers.

Try something worthwhile...
for a real change ~

the time to REALLY take a stand was back in 1995 when the Board of Regents was about to rescind Affirmative Action from UC admissions. Now that Affirmative Action has ended, the most militant segment of society was removed (eliminated) from the UC campuses, giving us the sad situation we see today.

http://www.dailybruin.com/index.php/article/2010/10/october_7_day_of_action_protestors_rally_against_tuition_increases_and_budget_cuts#print


October 7 Day of Action protestors rally against tuition increases and budget cuts

By JAMES BARRAGAN

Updated: October 8, 2010, 2:16 AM


Isaac Arjonilla
Students demonstrate at the October 7 Day of Action rally in Bruin Plaza. Protests were held at UC campuses in response to budget cuts and tuition increases.

A crowd of more than 100 students and faculty protested against tuition increases, concerns about the privatization of the university and wage cuts for university workers outside Meyerhoff Park on Thursday.

The rally was followed by a march across campus to different locations associated with the university’s budget cuts, including Murphy Hall and Covel Commons. The crowd chanted slogans supporting students and calling for increased access to higher education.

The events were part of the October 7 Day of Action, which campuses across the University of California system took part in. Notably, about 700 protestors showed at UC Berkeley, more than 500 of whom staged a sit-in at Doe Library, according to the Daily Californian.

“We feel the university is one of the last places that should be affected because the future of the state, the country and the globe are in public education,” said Jason Ball, communications director for the Graduate Students Association.

Ball said he was angry about the solutions the University of California Board of Regents was offering, such as moving to three-year degrees and the possible privatization of the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

“It shows that they’re not concerned with education, but with selling the school,” he said. “We might as well call the diploma a receipt.”

Phil Hampton, UCLA spokesman, said the university has kept academics a top priority.

“Campus leadership has made it clear that in adjusting to these new funding realities, the No. 1 priority is preserving the academic excellence that students deserve,” Hampton said.

The rally had speakers from different parts of the campus population, including students, lecturers, librarians and workers.

Randy Fallows, a lecturer in writing programs, spoke about the possible privatization of the university and urged the administration to remember its mission statement of accessibility, affordability and diversity.

Fallows added that his program has been especially affected by the budget cuts because it is mostly comprised of lecturers who do not have the job security of professors with tenure contracts.

In the 10 years he has been at UCLA, Fallows said his program shrank from 32 members to 20, only 14 of whom are full-time. This shrink in faculty, he said, results in students being unable to enroll in classes they need.

But Fallows does not simply blame the administration and budget cuts.

He also pointed the blame to voters who want tax cuts, and UC alumni who attended the university when it was affordable but do not want to support it now.

Sarina Sanchez of the Student Workers Front and Conciencia Libre, a student group that seeks to link international issues with local problems, stressed that the university should be accessible to everyone and the fee increases have made that difficult for people of low-income.

Among the main issues discussed in the event was the need for more transparency of university funds.

Barker said the administration’s goal seems to be increasing enrollment and reputation, rather than catering to the needs of the students currently attending.

“We need to ask for more transparency and ask about why things are happening. More than just transparency, we need to ask for participation in these decisions,” Barker said.

Hampton said campus leadership and the entire community is well aware of the challenges they face and added that the students’ reaction was not unexpected.

“It comes as no surprise that students would voice their concerns. It’s not unusual on this or any other issue,” he said.

However, Hampton did not agree with the behavior of some of the protesters.

“I saw some of the ralliers enter various buildings on campus including Murphy Hall, the library, Student Activities Center, banging on drums … and chanting slogans,” Hampton said. “I think it’s unfortunate that students concerned about academic excellence would use a tactic that is maybe disruptive to other students who are trying to concentrate on their studies in the library.”

The rally is not the end of the fight, Ball said. The organizations who put it together plan to get more people informed and organized in order to come up with reasonable solutions to the budget cut.

“The Regents aren’t going to solve this themselves,” Ball said. “We need students, teachers and campus workers to come together and make a working plan.”