Occupy Cal protesters plan to hold a “study-in” encampment in the UC Berkeley anthropology library Thursday to protest recent cuts to library hours and unfilled staff positions.
The protesters plan to use the George and Mary Foster Anthropology Library in Kroeber Hall as a study-in space for two hours in the afternoon before beginning an encampment at 5 p.m., when the library is scheduled to close for the day.
Protesters wrote in an announcement that they hope to “keep the library open as a shared public space,” despite prior clashes between campus administration and Occupy Cal protesters over encampments.
The planned action will follow a noon “Spring into Action” rally on Sproul Plaza. The rally stands in solidarity with protesters converging on UC Riverside for the second day of the UC Board of Regents meeting.
The demonstration also comes as a reaction against cuts to library hours, which have been reduced from nine hours per day during the week to five hours per day due to budget cuts.
Additionally, protesters have taken issue with the financial challenges that have prevented the library from hiring a staff member to fill an open position.
After the recent resignation of a library employee, the library has struggled to fill the position with someone of the same caliber, according to Terrence Deacon, anthropology department chair and professor of biological anthropology and neuroscience.
Although “the past employee resigned of his own accord, the library hasn’t had the funds to replace him with someone with the same knowledge and capability,” Deacon said.
The library does not have a full-time staff due to tight funds, he added.
Around 40 protesters voted unanimously in favor of the study-in and encampment proposal at a general assembly meeting Tuesday.
Although the demonstration will take place indoors, the protesters said they plan to set up tents after library hours as a symbolic gesture.
The group’s planned encampment, however, stands in violation of the campus policy against “camping or lodging on university property other than in authorized facilities,” according to the campus student code of conduct.
Afsana Afzal covers academics and administration.
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Felarca? Oh god, when is that liar going to finally leave Berk and go annoy other people?
I think that is professor Cohen, but it’s definitely not Paul Rabinow, in the first video.
I predicted something like this would happen when Cal faculty supported the Occupy movement. Now the protesters will occupy a library, and one day they will occupy a busy lecture hall which effectively censors the faculty members lecturing that day.
okay, I’m a recently graduated anthro major at Cal, and I got love for the department… but why do this peaceful protest there? You’re preaching to the choir a little bit, no? What about doing this in the law library, right across the way? Or the engineering library? Or the …. main library’s reading room?
Maybe it’s the fact that they won’t get a sympathetic audience from students in more academically rigorous majors, who have already figured out that studying and acquiring useful job skills will serve them a lot better than participating in a protest with a bunch of uber-left-wing idiots who still think that communism can somehow be made to work, if only they were put in charge…
I’m pretty sure they’re doing it because its the Anthropology library thats getting hours cut… not the law library or the engineering library…
Maybe those anthropology majors should start paying more taxes to support Cal, given that it’s the science and engineering majors who generally foot the bill in this department…
Do you have sources and cites for “it’s the science and engineering majors who generally foot the bill when
it comes to both taxpayer contributions and gifts to the university”?
Your message implies (i) all anthropology majors do not pay enough taxes, and (ii) science and engineering majors “foot the bill” with taxpayer contributions and gifts to the university.
Without any empirical data to support your assertions, it appears that your assertions are generalizations.
As parents & grandparents, we taught our young men & women to express their concerns in a civil nonviolent voice, and encourage campus authorities to respect this peaceful behavior.
They can have their “peaceful demonstration” outside on the sidewalks, not in a library where they only disrupt students engaged in more productive activities. Really now, what’s up with these idiots? They piss and moan about the cuts but have no productive solutions themselves – instead, they back many of the same stupid liberal ideas (Dream Act, Affirmative Action/Diversity, welfare-state social spending) that are bankrupting this state and cutting into the same funding needed for tuition in the first place. Proof positive that they are NOT the “best and brightest” by ANY stretch of the imagination, merely a bunch of attention-starved children…
god. you’re such a troll
Must be a bummer when you can’t come up with any type of intelligent argument to refute my position. However, this should be a good teachable moment for children like you who are used to having your mommy and daddy and public educators shelter you from all the politically incorrect ideas you can’t deal with. There’s no “mommy” or “moderator” or “net nanny” in the real world to protect you from being offended, so better get used to dealing with criticism and ideas you don’t like, or you’re not going to function very well as an adult…
On the veneeer, UC shouts, “Best and the Brightest”. Under that though is the truth that UC wants “The cheapest and the most cunning”,. Keep your eye on Bain which UC is paying millions of dollars to come up with deficits like this.