CSUN University News Clippings

University of California campuses protest cuts, fee hikes

(September 25, 2009)

By Laurel Rosenhall and Julie Johnson

From Davis to San Diego – and on eight campuses in between – the University of California erupted Thursday in protests, pickets, walkouts and teach-ins. About 7,000 people participated in rallies that were generally peaceful and resulted in no arrests.

Most of them were at UC Berkeley, where 5,000 protesters gathered on Sproul Plaza in what a campus spokesman described as “an unprecedented turnout for an unprecedented problem.” A few hundred rallied at UC Davis, then marched across campus singing, chanting and playing drums and guitars. The only reported acts of vandalism were at UC Santa Cruz, where a parking kiosk window was smashed and someone painted the words “class war” on a campus entrance sign.

A day of action that started as a demonstration by faculty against details of UC’s furlough program quickly swelled to an all-out venting of frustration by students, professors and laborers. Across the state, they marched together to draw attention to the way budget cuts are affecting California’s premier university system: an $813 million deficit this summer led to layoffs and furloughs for employees, fee hikes for students and cutbacks in classes and services.

Officials in UC’s Office of the President responded by acknowledging the university must be more aggressive in lobbying state government for funding.

“There’s been a sea change here in the last year,” said UC spokesman Peter King. “There’s an awareness that we need to roll up our sleeves and get in the game.”

Whether more lobbyists making the case can help remains to be seen. California is broke, and the economic recession will continue to take a toll on state programs, said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the state Department of Finance.

“No area in state government spending has been unaffected by this,” he said.

At best, Palmer said, next year “might be less worse.”

Protesters on the UC Davis campus Thursday said they know the budget crunch is likely to continue next year. Physics professor Markus Luty urged the crowds gathered at a rally on the quad to contact their legislators and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to ask for more money for UC in the next budget cycle.

“Tell them what the University of California means to you and the future of this state,” he said. “Demand that they break the legislative logjam and restore funding.”

The lunch-time rally drew 400 to 500 people, according to UC Davis police. About 200 of them marched across campus after the rally ended, storming into the administration building and then camping out in front of Chancellor Linda Katehi’s house.

“Whose university?” the group chanted. “Our university!”

Thursday was the first day of the school year at Davis and most other UC campuses. And despite the noisy protests, much of campus life continued undisturbed. Bike racks at Davis were full. Freshmen asked for help finding buildings. Popular classes, such as Liz Applegate’s nutrition class, were standing room only with more than 600 students taking notes.

“By every indication, the majority of our classes are meeting today,” said UC Davis Vice Chancellor Fred Wood.

But not all of them.

In professor David Webb’s classroom, a note on the blackboard said, “Physics 112 is cancelled today. 1st lecture is Tuesday.”

Webb said he e-mailed students in advance to tell them he was participating in the walkout. He posted their reading assignments online.

Other professors held class off campus or used class time to talk about UC’s budget situation. Some classes had substitutes. Drama professor Jon Rossini used the walkout as a lesson in political theater.

UC Davis officials could not say how many classes were interrupted by the walkout. Nearly 200 Davis professors signed an online pledge to participate, but some of them were not scheduled to teach on Thursday.

Many students attended class for fear they would be dropped if they skipped. But fourth-year student Cristal Munoz cut two classes Thursday to march alongside her roommate Adrienne Lazaro.

“As students we’re paying more and getting less,” said Lazaro, 21.

“You’re waitlisted for more classes.”

Lazaro and Munoz moved out of Davis this year to save money. They live in Woodland, where rents are cheaper. If university fees go up by 15 percent in the spring and 15 percent next fall – as proposed last week by UC President Mark Yudof – Lazaro said she’ll have to take out loans, which she so far has been able to avoid.

The problem goes beyond fee hikes, said Steve Boilard, director of higher education at the Legislative Analyst’s Office. What’s wreaking havoc for students at UC – and the California State University – are steep and unexpected jumps.

His office has urged the university systems and the Legislature to agree on a fee schedule that would set fee increases several years out.

“It needs to be a more thoughtful and deliberative process … having some rational, predictable basis so that students and families can plan,” he said.

The battle over education funding will undoubtedly continue in Capitol hearing rooms and – if student organizers have their way – on campuses across the state.

Victor Sanchez, president of the UC Students Association and a fourth-year student at UC Santa Cruz, said Thursday’s events were a way to start educating students about fee increases and next year’s state budget.

“The fight is really going to come next spring,” he said.

Publication: Sacramento Bee