About 150 UC Berkeley students and community members marched into the UC Office of the President in Oakland Monday afternoon, demanding to speak to UC President Mark Yudof.

The group entered the lobby of the building at 2:30 p.m. and began a sit-in, asking to speak to UC officials to discuss their concerns about the way the university was handling its budget cuts.

"They say our protests are misguided," said UC Berkeley student Cristina Urista, as protesters demanded to see the UC budget. "Why doesn't the administration show us the budget?"

The protesters had initially gathered at Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland to protest the filing of charges against protesters who had been arrested during Friday's occupation of Wheeler Hall, during which at least 45 people were arrested.

The district attorney on Monday dropped felony charges against the three occupiers who were arrested Friday morning, and the group decided to continue the four blocks to the Office of the President to speak to Yudof.

However, Yudof was out of the office, as yesterday was one of his furlough days.

"I think it's symbolic of the position the administration is taking-no accountability, no presence, no sense of open communication," said senior Marika Goodrich.

Instead, the protesters agreed to meet with other UC officials. About half an hour after arriving, Nathan Brostrom, interim executive vice president for business operations, and Larry Pitts, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, met with the protesters.

While refusing requests from protesters to have a formal meeting scheduled with Yudof for a later date, Pitts agreed to e-mail Yudof and let him know about the students' request.

The protesters then participated in a question-and-answer session with Brostrom and Pitts for almost three hours concerning the UC budget, financial aid programs for students, police actions during the Wheeler Hall occupation and the role both student activism and administrative action should play in lobbying Sacramento for more funding for higher education.

"A lot of important topics were covered here today, and this is the kind of thing that should happen on a regular basis," Goodrich said. "It should not come from desperation."

Ultimately, the demonstrators gave the representatives red armbands to represent their solidarity, even though some jeered and said the administrators "don't deserve the armbands."

Pitts said he thought better communication between administrators and students could result in a unified effort to lobby Sacramento.

"We very much appreciate this peaceful interchange," he said.

Students then filed out of the building as they chanted, "Whose university? Our university!"

Tags: NOVEMBER STRIKE, UC OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT