Nov 18 2009
UC Students, Faculty Strike Back Against Proposed Fee Hikes
Today, staff union members and students from the University of California system will descend upon UCLA in protest of proposed fee hikes. The UC governing Board of Regents is meeting this week on campus and is expected to issue a panel vote today on a proposal to raise student fees thirty-two percent over the next year. The student-led strike effort comes nearly two months after many faculty members in the UC system organized a walkout and is the latest focal point in a continuing struggle over the future of public higher education in California. UC President Mark Yudof defended his budget proposal while a spokesperson for his office suggested students direct their activism towards the state legislature that made deep cuts in the system’s funding. Student organizers contend that regents have other options at their disposal and criticize the increase in administrative bureaucracy and construction projects as two areas that aren’t being properly considered for budgetary reductions. In addition to the student-led strikes, UC union staffers will also be walking out today and tomorrow on several campuses to protest as they feel they have been subjected to unfair labor practices.
GUESTS: Carolina Beltran and Elise Youn, Graduate Students at UCLA and Student Representatives of Crisis Fest, Robert Samuels, President, UC-AFT
For more information, visit crisisfestucla.blogspot.com.
One Response to “UC Students, Faculty Strike Back Against Proposed Fee Hikes”
It is simply ridiculous that the UC President Mark Yudof is shifting the blame and feels that there is no other way to solve this budget cut problem, other than to raise tuition fees. That just shows how smart he is.