A day of protest at CSU

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--Faculty and students at 10 campuses throughout the California State University (CSU) system took part in a day of collective protest April 13, with activists at many of the campuses taking part in acts of civil disobedience and occupations.

The events were organized by the faculty union, the California Faculty Association, and the student group, Students for a Quality Education.

With drastic cuts aimed at defunding social services and the public sector, educators, workers and students have been among the first to feel the state's budget crisis.

In California, it's easy to see how the government's budget cuts are affecting the lives of public workers and students alike. Educators with doctoral degrees are teaching introductory courses to capacity-breeching classrooms. In the CSU system alone, over 55 percent of students are expected to graduate with exponential debt.

But with momentum seeping from Madison, Wis., and Cairo, Egypt, the faculty union of the CSU system is embracing its grassroots power.

At CSU Sacramento, more than 1,200 faculty members, workers and students rallied in front of the library before marching across campus to the administration building. Junior Ohna Grove attended the protest because she wants her voice to be heard, saying, "The protest was a great way for students to unite and show support for making education more affordable."

The protesters marched through and around the administration building until the organizers were able to propose a plan of action. Organizers passed around flyers outlining points of unity for the action as well as information to help minimize any clashes with the police.

Initially, more than 100 faculty members, workers and students flooded the foyer of the administration building demanding to speak with university President Alexander Gonzalez. Upon learning that Gonzalez had joined other members of the CSU Board of Trustees in Long Beach, student organizers suggested to occupy the space until he returned. One by one, students passed the torch and described how the cuts have affected them personally.

The only university official present to speak to the protesters was Vice Provost Mike Lee. He defended Gonzalez's recent implementation of campuswide cuts and refused to answer any questions posed by the demonstrators.

With leadership of the university completely disassociated from the student body, many people wonder how bureaucrats have been able to hijack a public institution that focuses on providing affordable, quality education as an opportunity for social advancement.

Grove believes the only way to allow for a more democratic education system would be to compose the CSU board of trustees with students, faculty and workers. By voting for the chancellor of the CSU system directly, faculty, workers and students can collectively decide how to apply budget cuts dictated by the government. In turn, this creates a direct path to negotiations with government to avoid all cuts to the public sector.

CSU Sacramento was the only campus to maintain its open occupation through the night. Student protesters occupied the administration building overnight and were promised a negotiation with President Gonzalez directly.

During the meeting with Gonzalez, students presented demands that were constructed during the sleep-in the previous night. Along with demanding a freeze on managerial salary raises, students requested transparency in higher education through Senate Bill 8.

This bill would require community colleges, the CSU and the University of California to comply with the California Public Records Act, which mandates public access to information in possession of public agencies. Faculty, workers and students want to see the funding directly channeled into instruction and student services and away from the blank checkbooks handed to university chancellors.

While Gonzalez didn't directly address these demands, avoiding any responsibility, the workers, faculty and students of CSUS were successful in initiating a dialogue with the administration.

When student, faculty and staff engage in acts of protest, we find our strength in unity. These actions--rallies and civil disobedience--have a catalyzing affect. Once the fire is lit, it will soon roar and capture everything in its path.