Occupy Opportunities

By Charles Schwartz

Here at UC Berkeley we are faced with the immediate announcement by the Chancellor, Robert Birgeneau, that he will resign at the end of this calendar year. (This announcement came out Tuesday, March 13; and I was on a picket line outside his office complaining about his behavior just the day before; but I doubt there is much of a connection.)

That announcement earned a flood of email commentary among activist faculty on this campus: wondering why it had happened, who the next Chancellor might be, how we might find some leverage to influence that outcome?

Is this an opportunity for something more creative?

What is the most salient new force in American political consciousness? Occupy.

Occupy what?

Occupy the process by which the next Chancellor will be chosen.

Links for March 14 2012

Jerry negotiates with Teachers about a compromise tax initiative.   You can find more here.
 
Cambridge University suspends student for 2 1/2 years for reading a poem in protest of David Willetts' visit. The arbitrariness of the charge didn't go unnoticed. 

Students in UK continue their protests.

Police Officers privacy vs. the public's right to know at stake in Reynoso report's release.

Santa Monica College is going to start offering two-tiers of courses. 

So much for CA's history of educational opportunity.

Two professors charge that Arizona State violated their intellectual property in using their course materials online without their permission.

In the world of rankings it doesn't look like Birgeneau and Breslauer are flying with the Cardinals.

More on the state of economics.

Goldman Sachs executive resigns because of change in corporate culture.  Darth Vader follows his example.

Links for March 13, 2012 (UPDATED BELOW)

Birgeneau announces he is stepping down in December.

Berkeley Faculty Association calls on Birgeneau to condemn Alameda DA's decision to charge November 9th protesters.

It turns out that the UCB Tang Center shared information with UCPD on those protesters who suffered injuries on November 9th.

California Scholars for Academic Freedom protest President Yudof's recent statement linking protest to hate speech.

Davis Faculty Association points to some problems in UCD's recent policies on protest.

Occupy challenges administrators in new ways.

Stafford Loan interest rates are about to double.

Increased scrutiny of big for-profit colleges is causing a decline in enrollment.

Colorado considers law that would make it easier to offer lecturers and adjuncts multi-year, enforceable contracts.

UPDATE: Linda Lye of the ACLU analyzes the implications of the prosecution of the November 19th Protesters.  And the ACLU has issued a new PRA request to see what role the University may have played in the decision to prosecute.

Petitions to Stop the Alameda DA Indictments of Nov 9 Protestors

On March 1, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley sent criminal complaint and summons to eight (update: nine) participants in the protests on UC Berkeley's campus on November 9th.  For at least one of the eight, English Professor Celeste Langan, the charges were filed under California Penal Code Sections 148, covering Resisting, Delaying, or Obstructing a Police Officer. Another of the indicted, Zachary Habash, is also accused of battery of a police officer.  Reclaim UC has more information.

Those who have read a lot of LA noir, have read Langan's account, and have seen video of the incident, including this clip of a police attack on the line of demonstrators, will appreciate the irony of the DA indicting Langan for being arrested by her hair.  Those yet unappreciative can also read two analyses of the November 9 protests and the police response: one by Langan, and a second by Profs Judith Butler and Jonathan Simon.  Graduate student Shane Boyle, who sustained a broken rib during the incident, has also been summoned.

This blog has posted a petition calling on UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau to follow UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi in asking his county's DA to withdraw these charges.   The Berkeley Faculty Association has a petition for signing by members of the UC Berkeley community.

There is a picket planned for Monday at noon at California Hall on the Berkeley campus.

March 5, 2012--REFUND CALIFORNIA

Today was the day of thousands marching:  You can find stories here, here, and here.

CHP officers have begun arresting protesters occupying the Capitol.

Here are some images from today's protests.  And here is some video of the Occupation.

Jerry Brown tries to turn the protests to his advantage.  Doesn't recognize how responsible he is.

Photos from A Long March

A number of defenders of public higher ed are talking the long way to Sacramento for the March 5th demonstrations. A participant writes, "More than a dozen UC Berkeley faculty met up with the marchers in Pinole at about 1 pm, where they stopped for lunch, and then joined the march to Hercules and a few on to Rodeo, then returning to Berkeley. Several of us wore regalia. The "Tax the Rich" pencil is also going all the way to Sacramento."

More photos below the fold.

In Case you missed it...

Students and Faculty were out throughout the state protesting the attack on public higher ed.

Students Occupied at UCSC and UCSD.    At Santa Cruz entrances were closed and some classes cancelled in response to protests.  Not that that stopped a car from trying to drive through the crowd.

Here is some info on southern California.

Of course, the protest wasn't limited to California.  Here is the Occupy Colleges Live Stream of yesterday's events.

Angus Johnston has a lot more on the protests across the nation.

UC Faculty Join “99 Mile March” to Sacramento

This is a Berkeley Faculty Association PRESS RELEASE.  UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau has also endorsed the March 5th rally in Sacramento

Approximately two dozen UC Berkeley faculty will join the “99 Mile March for Education and Social Justice” on Friday, March 2nd.   The march departs Oakland on Thursday, March 1st, and will arrive in Sacramento on Monday March 5th for a rally on behalf of public education at the State Capitol Building.

UC Berkeley faculty will join the march on Friday afternoon to walk the stretch from Richmond to Vallejo.    “We are marching to draw attention to the plight of public education in California and to implore Californians to re-invest in it,” said Berkeley Faculty Association Co-Chair and Professor of Political Science Wendy Brown.  “For all its resources, innovation and wealth, California has sunk to nearly the bottom of the nation in per student spending, and our public higher education system, once the envy of the world, is in real peril.”

Links for February 29th

More on the March Days of Action.   Also check out Refund California.

Community Colleges may get unexpected funding cut of nearly $150 million.

Brian Barksky has more on the absurd costs and debt of the Cal Student-Athlete High Performance Center.  Haas Business School is planning a $70 million expansion.  They say Berkeley won't have to pay for it.  Isn't that what they said about the SAHPC?

Head of SEIU wants everyone to step aside in favor of Brown's tax proposal.  He trots out tired "adult in the room" phrase even though Brown is more regressive than "Millionaires Tax" and might spend it more on corrections.  Oh, and the Millionaire's Tax polls better than Brown's at this point.  Bob Samuels offers some thoughts on the Millionaire's Tax.

Links for February 28th

Reclaim UC has a post on why to march and protest.

Even Birgenau realizes he should support it and endorses the March 5 scheduled rally.  We are not so sure about Edley.

UC continues to try to sell inequality as its product; average compensation for grads from various UC campuses differ.

Operational Excellence team lays out its vision for why they should destroy working conditions at UCB.