Category Archives: Protests

UCSC police force demonstrators out of Kerr Hall

Santa Cruz Sentinel: UCSC police force demonstrators out of Kerr Hall

UC regents approve 32 percent student fee increase; protests heat up

SANTA CRUZ — Demonstrators say police officers in riot gear began forcibly removing dozens of barricaded students from UC Santa Cruz’s Clark Kerr Hall at dawn, and after an hour-long standoff, students vacated the administration building.

Protesters have been occupying offices in the building for three days in opposition to a 32 percent fee hike, employee furloughs and other budget cuts. Campus officials had warned of possible arrests on Friday but continued to negotiate with students and faculty advocates until Saturday night, when both sides say talks broke down.

Labor Fight Ends in Win for Students

The New York Times: Labor Fight Ends in Win for Students

The anti-sweatshop movement at dozens of American universities, from Georgetown to U.C.L.A., has had plenty of idealism and energy, but not many victories.

In August, members of United Students Against Sweatshops picketed a Target store in Washington, to pressure the retailer to stop selling products made by Russell Athletic.
Until now.

The often raucous student movement announced on Tuesday that it had achieved its biggest victory by far. Its pressure tactics persuaded one of the nation’s leading sportswear companies, Russell Athletic, to agree to rehire 1,200 workers in Honduras who lost their jobs when Russell closed their factory soon after the workers had unionized.

Library sit-in at UCSC

Contra Costa Time: More than 100 students stage protest in UCSC library

SANTA CRUZ – More than 100 students occupied the UC Santa Cruz Science and Engineering Library Friday night in protest of budget cuts and the decision to close the library at 5 p.m. on Fridays and all day Saturdays.
According to student protester Brian Glasscock, the protesters had permission from library administration to do the overnight sit-in. As students flo

San Diego: SWC Professors Won’t Face Charges Over Campus Rally

10news.com: SWC Professors Won’t Face Charges Over Campus Rally

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Criminal charges will not be filed against three Southwestern College professors involved in a recent on-campus rally, 10News reported

On Friday, about 300 students and faculty members rallied in protest of the school’s free speech rules.

“I think we’re all here because we love this college,” said Rep. Bob Filner, who joined the rally against Southwestern College’s rules regarding when and where students can gather to protest.

Norwegian University’s Board Rejects Academic Boycott of Israel

The Chronicle: Norwegian University’s Board Rejects Academic Boycott of Israel

The governing board of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology voted unanimously today to reject a proposed academic boycott of Israel. The proposal, which had drawn significant coverage in Israel, would have made the university the first Western higher-education institution to adopt an academic boycott of the Jewish state, but similar motions have repeatedly been offered at national faculty-union meetings in Britain. In a statement after today’s vote, the Norwegian board said that the university’s mission was “to stimulate the study of the causes of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and how it can be resolved. This means that the university is also dependent on being able to cooperate with Israeli academics, and hear their views on the conflict.”

Violence erupts at Athens university

World University News: GREECE: Violence erupts at Athens university

Several students were taken to hospital, fortunately with minor injuries, following a weekend of violence by warring factions at the Athens Economic University. The violence occurred for no apparent reason other than settling of accounts and defence of what teaching staff and students called their “client interests”.

Student unions at Greek universities are patronised and often dominated by the main political parties which use them as nurseries for the cultivation of potential politicians and, even more important, potential voters.

Police and basiji crack down hard on opposition demonstrators

Asia News: Police and basiji crack down hard on opposition demonstrators

Reports indicate some deaths and dozens of arrests. Protests take place in Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan and Mashhad. Pasdarn go on red alert to suppress unrest. Today is the 30th anniversary of the takeover of US Embassy and the seizure of 52 hostages.

Tehran (AsiaNews) – Iran’s infamous basiji attacked opposition demonstrators today. Tear gas was used, shots fired, as the regime’s vigilantes used stick and knives to subdue and arrest protesters. Sympathisers of ex presidential election candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi and security forces clashed in the capital, scene this summer of a bloody crackdown against the green wave that swelled against President Ahmadinejad after his contested re-election. Today is the 30th anniversary of the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran, one of the most dramatic and significant episodes that marked Iran’s Islamic Revolution.

Police deployed at Zululand U

The Mercury: Police deployed at Zululand U

A student mob burned and trashed parts of the University of Zululand yesterday, resulting in tens of millions of rands in damage.

Security on the campus has been beefed up after the rampage, with more police officers deployed there.

CALL: March 4 Strike and Day of Action To Defend Public Education

On October 24 more than 800 students, teachers, and other workers met to plan how to advance the struggle to defend and transform public education in California and beyond.

The 10/24 conference endorsed the U of California and California State U strike and mobilization on Nov. 17th– 20th and decided to call for statewide solidarity actions on these days.

In addition, Conference participants also called for a “Strike and Day of Action that is inclusive of all different tactics, including: walkouts, rallies, march to Sacramento, teach ins, occupations, and all other forms of protests chosen by schools and organizations.”

CALL: March 4 Strike and Day of Action To Defend Public Education

On October 24, 2009 more than 800 students, workers, and teachers converged at UC Berkeley at the Mobilizing Conference to Save Public Education. This massive meeting brought together representatives from over 100 different schools, unions, and organizations from all across California and from all sectors of public education – Pre K-12, Adult Education, CC, CSU and UC – to “decide on a statewide action plan capable of winning this struggle, which will define the future of public education in this state, particularly for the working class and communities of color.”

After hours of open collective discussion, the conference democratically voted, as its principal decision, to call for a statewide Strike and Day of Action on March 4, 2010. The conference decided that all schools, unions and organizations are free to choose their specific demands and tactics – such as strikes, walkouts, march to Sacramento, rallies, occupations, sit-ins, teach-ins, etc. – for March 4, as well as the duration of such actions.
We refuse to let those in power continue to pit us against each other. If we unite, we have the power to shut down business-as-usual and to force those in power to grant our demands. Building a powerful movement to defend public education will, in turn, advance the struggle in defense of all public-sector workers and services.

We call on all students, workers, teachers, parents, and their organizations across the state to endorse this call and massively mobilize and organize for the Strike and Day of Action on March 4.

Let’s make this an historic turning point in the struggle against the cuts, layoffs, fee hikes, and educational segregation in California.

To endorse this call and to receive more information, please contact march4strikeanddayofaction@gmail.com and consult www.savecapubliceducation.org

India: University teachers plan hunger strike on Tuesday

TImes of India: University teachers plan hunger strike on Tuesday
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MUMBAI: A section of teachers from the Mumbai University and its affiliated colleges are planning to go on a day-long hunger strike on Tuesday.

“We are protesting the fact that around 25 teachers with MPhil degrees appointed between 2006 and 2008 on contract are yet to be regularised. This despite a UGC letter to the state government clarifying that such candidates should be approved,” said University senate member Madhu Paranjape

California: University Students Continue To Rise Up Against Budget Cuts

KPBS: University Students Continue To Rise Up Against Budget Cuts

SAN DIEGO — Several hundred San Diego State University students rallied today against deep budget cuts to the California State University system. One part of the rally included a student walkout.

SDSU students took their message to the steps of university president Stephen Weber’s office. They want smaller classes for all students, no new fees or fee increases, and an end to employee furloughs and layoffs.

When Is a Suspension Not a Suspension?

Inside Higher Ed: When Is a Suspension Not a Suspension?

Officials at Southwestern College, a community college outside San Diego, moved Friday to explain why three faculty members have been barred from teaching or stepping foot on the campus for more than a week, but the answers aren’t quelling faculty anger.

The college has been facing scrutiny over its action against four professors (one of whom was soon permitted to resume teaching) the day after a student-organized campus protest against budget cuts, and about how the administration has responded to them. While the college didn’t explain why it barred the professors — including the president of the faculty union — from the campus, officials denied that the move had anything to do with the protest.

More Anger After College Statement on Suspension of 4 Profs

Inside Higher Ed: More Anger After College Statement on Suspension of 4 Profs

Southwestern College, a community college outside San Diego, has been under fire since last week’s suspension of four faculty members, following a protest that criticized the administration. With professors saying that they are being punished for expressing their views, the college late Monday issued a new statement — but that statement (while noting that one suspension has been lifted) only further angered the professors. The statement says: “Four faculty members were placed on paid administrative leave on Thursday, October 22, 2009, and three faculty members remain on paid administrative leave at this time, pending the outcome of the investigation. Please understand that no formal charges or allegations have been made against any College faculty member or employee at this time. The student rally held between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. on October 22, 2009, is not the focus of the investigation. The college is investigating safety and security issues that arose after the approved organized student rally. The college respects, values and is committed to lawful free expression and the student rally provided an opportunity for our students to voice their concerns and to underscore the challenges that all community college students, and community colleges, are experiencing. The college is committed to maintaining a safe environment for our students and staff, which is the focus of the investigation.”

College officials did not respond to requests for clarifications on the statement. But Philip Lopez, an English professor who is president of the faculty union, said that the statement only added to the questions about the incident. If the college is now on record as saying that there are no charges or allegations, why is it appropriate to remove faculty members from their classes and ban them from campus, he asked. Lopez said this action violates basic due process rights. “If there are no charges, why were we placed on leave?,” he asked. “Rumor? Reputation? Union-busting? Poor personal hygiene?”

In Solidarity with the occupations in Vienna [Austria] for Free Education

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In Solidarity with the occupations in Vienna [Austria] for Free Education

Details at Emancipating-Education-for-All.org

Facebook group: In Solidarity with the occupations in Vienna [Austria] for Free Education

India’s Ivy League Protests Lack of Public Funding

Wall Street Journal: India’s Ivy League Protests Lack of Public Funding

Faculty of the Indian Institutes of Technology Stages a Hunger Strike to Demand Higher Pay as Schools Face Staffing Shortage

NEW DELHI — The Indian Institutes of Technology, the subcontinent’s Ivy League, are in danger of losing their prestige, professors and alumni contend, because of faculty salaries starting as low as $6,000 a year.

“OCCUPY AND ESCALATE”: INSIDE THE BARRICADES AT UC SANTA CRUZ

howtheuniveristyworks.com: “OCCUPY AND ESCALATE”: INSIDE THE BARRICADES AT UC SANTA CRUZ

During last week’s massive 10-campus walkout, several dozen students and workers occupied the Graduate Student Commons at the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC), issuing statements frankly acknowledging their intention to escalate the conflict: “Occupation is a tactic for escalating struggles,” they note at their website, “We must face the fact that the time for pointless negotiations is over.”

UC Walkout: Social networking website for materials on the U of California walkout

UC Walkout: This social network website is a place for gathering materials about the UC Walkout on Set.24th, and beyond. You are invited to join and post your own photos, videos, blog posts, etc. Please note: I will moderate posts generously and for appropriateness only, and welcome all political positions on this crisis; my goal is to make information available in support of informed discussion

Students protest campus cuts

Press-Enterprise: Students protest campus cuts

Rallies, teach-ins and class walkouts were held Thursday at University of California campuses, including UC Riverside, to draw attention to state cuts to higher education.

Hundreds of UC Riverside students, faculty, staff, union leaders and alumni gathered to voice anger over decisions earlier this year to increase student fees, decrease enrollment, cut class offerings and lower employee pay.

India: IIT teachers go on hunger strike, but Sibal unfazed

Economic Times: IIT teachers go on hunger strike, but Sibal unfazed

KOLKATA: Faculty members at the seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) observed a token hunger strike on Thursday to highlight their disagreement with the MHRD’s revised pay notification, even as the ministry took a tough stand on their demands for pa

Union calls for boycott of Rutgers president speech

AP: Union calls for boycott of Rutgers president speech

Rutgers President Richard McCormick speaks during Rutgers 243rd Anniversary Commencement in New Brunswick.
NEW BRUNSWICK — Union officials called for a boycott of Rutgers University President Richard McCormick’s annual address today.

The Union of Rutgers Administrators is at an impasse about its contract. The URA and two American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees locals represent 2,300 clerical, lab and maintenance workers.