About 250 protesters gathered in Sproul Plaza at noon on Wednesday to protest budget cuts and potential tuition raises, among other things.
A smaller group of demonstrators, numbering approximately 100, then moved to UC Berkeley’s Tolman Hall, where they entered classrooms and opened discussions on issues ranging from the budget cuts and tuition increases to access to the UC for undocumented students.
The noontime rally heard nine speakers on a range of topics.
Jason Schultz, a campus librarian and member of the UC-American Federation of Teachers, said that budget cuts have prevented staff from adequately supporting students.
“The libraries have had all these cuts and we’re not equipped to do our jobs,” he said.
UC Berkeley professor of geography and Berkeley Faculty Association member Richard Walker gave alternatives to fee increases in order to increase funding for the university.
“The first solution is to raise taxes,” he said. “The second is to stop playing the market game. It is not the market that sets our priorities. If administrators and faculty don’t believe in serving the public and being at the greatest university in the world, we should let them go. We don’t need them.”
After about an hour of speeches, protesters marched past Sather Gate and eventually to Tolman Hall, chanting slogans including “No cuts, no fees, education must be free,” and “The people united will never be divided.”
The march reached Tolman Hall around 1:20 p.m. After an altercation with UCPD officers, approximately 70 protesters entered the building.
The protesters chanted protest slogans in the lobby and then spread to a few classrooms in the building where they held discussions.
“I think the budget cuts are the worst thing ever,” said freshman Sam Heinz. “It’s terrible to think politicians would undercut students before taking other measures.”
UCPD Lt. Marc DeCoulode described the demonstrators’ actions in the building as a “classroom meeting” rather than an “occupation.”
“(UCPD) is just monitoring (the situation) right now,” he said.
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“If administrators and faculty don’t believe in serving the public and
being at the greatest university in the world, we should let them go”
This statement would be more properly applied to legislators. Administrators and faculty are highly concerned about preservation of quality. But California’s legislature couldn’t care less.
Californians subsiodize Foreign students tuition as amortization of buildings NOT included in Foreign tuition. If amortization of fixed assest included Foreign tuition would double: and so it shpuld.
Cal Chancellor Birgeneau displaces qualified Californians for $50,600 and a foreign passport.
University
of California Berkeley Chancellor Robert J Birgeneau
($500,000 salary), displaces qualified for public university education at Cal.
Californians with $50,600 FOREIGN students.
Ranked # 70 by Forbes, the University of California
Berkeley is not increasing enrollment. $50,600 FOREIGN students are accepted by
Birgeneau at the expense of qualified instate students.
Your opinions make a difference; email UC Board of
Regents [email protected]
The value of degrees are falling. The price of degrees are rising. This is not about free education, it is about fair education.
$50,600 and a Foreign passport gets you into Cal while displacing a qualified Californian.
Chancellor Robert J Birgeneau ($500,000 salary) of University of California Berkeley, displaces qualified
for public university education at Cal. Californians with $50,600 FOREIGN
students
University
of California Berkeley,
ranked # 70 Forbes, is not increasing enrollment. $50,600 FOREIGN students are accepted by Cal. at the expense of
qualified instate students.
Your opinions make a difference, email UC Board of
Regents [email protected]
“Free Education” = “Someone else should pay for me.”
Gimmie…gimmie….gimmie….waaaa….waaaa