Education & Student Activism News

Students at UC Davis have been occupying Chancellor Linda Katehi's office for 5 days now. They have held tight since Friday, March 11, demanding that Katehi resign or be fired. Administrators have escalated their response with threats of suspension and even expulsion if occupiers do not vacate the building. Public Wi-Fi has now been turned off, making it more difficult for students to communicate with the outside world. The students camped out on the fifth floor of Mrak Hall, however, are holding strong, refusing to budge until Katehi is gone.

Demonstrators say they are, "occupying the fifth floor of Mrak Hall in order to demand that Chancellor Linda Katehi resigns or is fired, and that the hiring process is redesigned so that UC Davis students and workers are not only a part of this process, but a major deciding body in the selection and confirmation of a new Chancellor. "

In a statement of solidarity, the Portland State University Student Union writes, "Our struggles are inextricably linked. Our own university president Wim Wiewel has literally written the book on ‘The University as Urban Developer’. His own consulting business overlapping with university affairs has been hotly publicized in the news. So has his salary and luxury benefits package. Low wage workers and students of color have long spoken out against budgetary priorities and campus militarization." Prior to the occupation, California Assemblymember Kevin McCarty also called for Katehi’s resignation.

Fire Katehi: Students occupying UC Davis refuse to back down after 5 days | Students Occupying UC Davis Issue Press Release | California Assemblymember Jose Medina Meets with UC Davis Protestors | Assemblymember McCarty Calls for UC Davis Chancellor Katehi’s Resignation | FireKatehiblog.wordpress.com

The Gill Tract in Albany was sold to the University of California in 1928 under the condition it would be used for agricultural research and education. However, the university is privatizing a section of the tract for the construction of a high-end senior assisted living facility by the Belmont Village corporation along with construction of a Sprouts supermarket and a parking lot. Contractors began work on the southern portion of the Gill Tract in January. During the first week of February several truckloads of healthy topsoil began to be removed from the historical farm.

On February 9, for the second time this year, farm defenders halted construction on the tract. Five demonstrators sat in silent meditation in the path of heavy machinery that was removing topsoil. Contractors attempted to operate heavy machinery around them despite the risks to the safety of those on site. Three of the farm defenders were arrested at the tract; two were taken to jail and released later that day. All three were charged with trespassing.

Farm defenders halt construction at Gill Tract a second time | Three Arrested in Disruption of Construction at Gill Tract | Statement from Silent Meditators Halting Construction at Gill Tract farm

Previous Related Indybay Feature: Tactics Escalate in the Fight to Save Gill Tract

On January 11, contractors with the UC administration began construction work on the southern portion of the Gill Tract, a historical farm sold to the University of California in 1928 under the condition it would be used for agricultural research and education. The UC is privatizing this section of the Gill Tract for the construction of a high-end senior assisted living facility by the Belmont Village corporation, alongside construction of a Sprouts supermarket and a parking lot.

The next day after working hours, about fifteen individuals entered the Gill Tract to remove surveying stakes marking the paths for the heavy machinery brought to pave over the last large-scale plot of high-quality urban farmland still available on the East Bay. The mobilization by the group Occupy the Farm was led by senior citizens from the community.

On January 28, farm defenders chained themselves to an excavator that was removing valuable topsoil. This halted a day of construction over the contested farmland. “We have tried every formal and institutional route for a more democratic decision on the fate of this land,” explains Gustavo Oliveira, a PhD student of geography at UC Berkeley and member of Occupy the Farm.

Farm defenders halt construction over farmland in the East Bay | Farm defenders disrupt destruction of farmland and inauguration of supermarket in the East Bay

Previous Related Indybay Feature: Indigenous Land Access Committee Holds Ongoing Ceremony on Gill Tract to Reclaim Land

On November 12 students at UC Santa Cruz joined students at college campuses across the country for a "Million Student March," a day of local actions organized nationally around three principle demands: tuition-free public college, cancellation of all student debt, and a minimum wage for all campus workers. Million Student March actions were organized at over 100 schools, and the movement has been endorsed by political figures such as Noam Chomsky and Jill Stein, as well as by organizations such as Young Democratic Socialists and the labor union National Nurses United.

"The United States is the richest country in the world, yet students have to take on crippling debt in order to get a college education," a national announcement for the Million Student March read. "We need change, and change starts in the streets when the people demand it. With students, college graduates, and workers united we can build a movement capable of winning debt-free college for all and a minimum wage for all campus workers."

At UC Santa Cruz, the march was organized by the UCSC Student Labor Action Project, as well as students involved with "Fund the UC," a campaign organized by the UC Student Association to fight for the "affordability, quality and accessibility" of the University of California system.

Read More with Photos

Students, teachers, supporters, plus many others marched from CCSF’s Mission campus to the Civic Center campus over the pending downsizing of City College on November 12. Faculty union AFT 2121, which represents 1500 faculty at CCSF announced they authorized a one-day strike in response to unfair labor practices at City College. A picket to support CCSF faculty in contract negotiations has been called for November 18.

In 2006, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges visited the college, giving the college a few recommendations. No sanctions, just recommendations. But in an extreme twist that same commission returned in 2012 and concluded the college did not address their recommendations. So in 2012 the ACCJC put the college in a “show cause sanction.” Which means they had to correct the deficiencies in an unreasonable amount of time. The resulting “negative publicity” caused enrollment to drop. The CCSF administration has now chosen to downsize the college by 26%, which means more class cutting and loss of relevant courses that are needed by members from the San Francisco community and beyond. Representatives from AFT 2121 said, "the district is not bargaining in good faith, and the union says that the campus police have intimidated them at picket lines.”

Video and Photos | March and Rally Announcement (Nov 12) | Picket to Support CCSF Faculty in Contract Negotiations (Nov 18) | AFT2121.org

See Also: Picket CCSF Faculty Contract Negotiations (Oct 28) | Save CCSF Coalition General Assembly (Sept 29) | Protest new CCSF "Special Trustee With Extraordinary Powers" (Feb 23) | Occupy Forum : Fight for City College of SF (Jan 12) | Save CCSF! Interview With Dr. Tarik Farrar On Setting The Standard (2013)

Previous Related Indybay Feature: Thousands March and Rally to Save City College of San Francisco (2013)

The six UCSC students charged in association with the March 3 blockade of Highway 17, where it meets Highway 1 in Santa Cruz, will be back in court on Monday, June 29 and Tuesday, June 30. On June 29 at 10:00am, there will be a hearing in Santa Cruz County Superior Court to finalize their sentence, and on June 30 at 1:30pm there will be a restitution hearing. The students are calling for court support.

All six have pleaded "no contest" to two misdemeanor counts each at their last court appearance on May 7, which was followed by a press conference where three members of the group discussed for the first time publicly what motivated them on March 3.

They have issued a call for court support: "We need to fill the court room with supporters to let the judge know that the community stands with us. That our action was FOR the community, NOT against it. We need to hold the cops, the judge, the university, and the state accountable. This means the community needs to physically show up and be seen. So please come, stand with us against the powers that be. Bodies make a difference!!!"

Stand with the UCSC HWY 6. Fill the Court Room | See Also: UCSC Highway Six Back in Court June 29 & 30

Previous Related Indybay Feature: Community Members Troubled by Suspension of UCSC Students Following Highway Blockade

On June 1 the Lecturer's labor contract at UC Santa Cruz expired, and union members with American Federation of Teachers Local 2199 and their supporters marked the day by picketing — and picnicking — at the base of campus. Messages in support of adjunct-faculty members and a more democratized University of California system were displayed as individuals held several large, colorful puppets. Food was served, and the day-long event was dubbed "St. Precaria's Picnic."

Lecturers are non-tenure track adjunct-faculty members. They say that they are not treated like professionals, even though they teach classes, engage in writing and research, and hold advanced degrees from top universities. The majority of Lecturers are hired year-by-year or quarter-by-quarter as "temp" workers, which leaves them with no job security. Additionally, a full-time Lecturer's workload is typically twice that of a tenure track professor, yet they are paid significantly less.

Many of the picket signs displayed at the picnic communicated around the theme of precarity. One such message, "A Precarious Faculty = A Precarious University," was emblazoned on a gold flag along with the stencil of a fist holding a pencil. Precarity has been defined as a condition of instability in the workforce created in postindustrial societies when management seeks to increase its own strength by limiting job opportunities to temporary and or part-time work. In February, organizers of the National Adjunct Day of Action adopted "Saint Precaria" as their "icon saint" and individuals at UC Santa Cruz continue to develop themes surrounding precarity.

Read More with Photos | American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 2199

Students at UC Santa Cruz occupied the Stevenson Coffee House for a short period of time on April 27 to expose a person they say is a known rapist who is presently employed at the business. The small cafe, which is privately owned and operated under a lease with the university, is located within Stevenson College on the east side of the UCSC campus. The person who they say raped at least two students was not in the coffee house at the time the group marched inside. They had first assembled in Quarry Plaza for an "Activists IN! Rapists OUT!" rally. Students announced the intention of the rally as follows:

"The University of California is targeting and repressing student activists as “threats to the health and safety” of the community, while protecting students who repeatedly rape and sexually assault our fellow slugs. 6 students are facing unprecedented sanctions (suspension until September 1, 2016, 100-120 hours of community service, and a stayed suspension once they return to campus) for nonviolent, civil disobedience off-campus in protest of the tuition hikes and police brutality. In addition, a number of students have faced university repression for taking nonviolent action to call for the removal a well-known rapist from an off-campus benefit for the 6.

"Simultaneously, UCSC has come under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for their mishandling of rape and other sexual violence cases. The University has created a climate where students cannot take any kind of action -- against sexual violence, against tuition hikes, against state violence -- without facing University repression and indifference to their calls. WE ARE CALLING for a community-based response, one that directly fights back against university repression and sexual assault, while building a broader understanding and awareness of the university's role in perpetuating sexual violence and other systems of oppression."

Read More with Photos and Video | See Also: Office for Civil Rights to Visit UCSC to Investigate Handling of Sexual Violence Reports || Why LGB Queer & Trans Students Shouldn't Feel Safe

Related Indybay Features: Supporting the HWY 6 at Their Second Court Appearance Together || The Unmanageable University || Supporters Pack the Courtroom for the Highway 17 Six || Students Shut Down Santa Cruz Highways and UCSC Campus During 96 Hours of Action

On April 15, urban farmers from the UC Gill Tract Community Farm, Occupy the Farm, other food and climate justice communities, and fast food workers took action together at an Oakland McDonalds, in conjunction with Fight for Fifteen actions happening all across the country. Free burritos made with vegetables from the UC Gill Tract Community Farm were distributed at the McDonalds. By noon, fast food workers and Gill Tract farmers joined forces again for a Boycott Sprouts action at the grand opening of a Sprouts “Farmers Market” in San Rafael to protest the greenwashing, union-busting corporate supermarket’s plans to pave the historic Gill Tract Farm in Albany. Sprouts is known for their low pay, labor violations and union-busting. Protesters arrived by bus with signs, speakers and music to demand that Sprouts not only cancel its plans to develop the Gill Tract farm but that workers be paid at least /hour and be allowed union representation. Activists and community members have been fighting UC Berkeley for decades trying to save this farm land from being lost, but UC and Sprouts have agreed to turn a significant portion of the Gill Tract into a shopping center.

Photos | Week of Success! Fight for Fifteen, Boycott Sprouts, and EIR Lawsuit! | Occupy the Farm | Boycott Sprouts

Previous Related Indybay Features: Protesters Shut Down Sprouts Farmers Market to Stop Planned Development of Historic Gill Tract | UC's Capital Projects Races to Remove Trees to Make Way for Development

The six UCSC students arrested and charged in association with the March 3 blockade of Highway 1 where it meets Highway 17 in Santa Cruz returned to court on April 8. As the six defendants and their attorneys made their second appearance as a group before Judge Denine Guy, a prosecutor indicated the District Attorney's office will not offer them a plea deal to reduce misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and creating a public nuisance. The Santa Cruz DA also desires a restitution amount of ,000 be paid. Additionally, UCSC has suspended the students until the Spring of 2016.

Buttons were printed up and distributed that had the following messages on them: "Stop Political Repression At UCSC - Free The HWY 6!" "Slugs Against First Amendment Suppression - Drop the HWY 6 Charges," "Sit Down Fight Back - Support the HWY 6," and, "Repeal the Suspensions - Reject the Regents!" Food Not Bombs arrived an hour before the students' scheduled appearance and served hot oatmeal as family members and supporters mingled near the entrance of the court house.

While the six students appeared upbeat and energetic before, after, and during their court appearance, they still face quite a few challenges. The University has suspended them until Spring of 2016, and if they return to school they will be forbidden from participating in any "political activity" on campus.

Read More with Photos | See Also: Santa Cruz ACLU Addresses Letter of Concern to UCSC Chancellor | Highway 6 Statement of Concern and Support

Previous Coverage: The Unmanageable University || Supporters Pack the Courtroom for the Highway 17 Six || Students Shut Down Santa Cruz Highways and UCSC Campus During 96 Hours of Action