The Protests Continue
I don't mean to belabor the point, but I think it's worth noting that according to the BLG:
- 150 students are occupying Yudof's office in Oakland (1111 Franklin St. if you want to attend).
- This is in response to fee hikes, lay offs and police brutality (in that order, I assume).
- I'll post on it if it's happening and involves this, so keep us updated.
- Unlike Dan, I am against police brutality and also have nothing to say about the relative size of anyone's balls.
- And, finally, as one of my classmates said, "Who the fuck is X? and why isn't she in class or otherwise doing law-school-type things? why does she have so much time to run around the east bay and occupy buildings? and why does she think we do too?"
posted by James at 3:41 PM
17 Comments:
thoughts on the chancellor's e-mail. I thought it was a pretty well-worded e-mail stating that he had no knowledge of any brutality, that the youtube videos were out of context, but that UCPD was investigating.
simultaneously (he was more generous then I would have been) he affirmed the right of protest and stated that the police should act in a restrained fashion. He proceeded to apologize for physical or mental harm.
Let's keep the personal attacks against fellow Boalties out of future posts. Regardless of what you think about these different issues, check that personal stuff at the door.
Wasn't meant as a personal attack and has been changed. :)
By "Yadoff," do you mean Yudof? Or perhaps you mean Oleg Yadoff, http://www.hoover.org/hila/collections/10049061.html. Yes, THE Oleg Yadoff.
BTW I can't find this story anywhere else (Oakland Tribune, Daily Cal). Is this really happening?
http://www.dailycal.org/article/107635/protesters_meet_with_uc_representatives_at_office_
Looks like the occupation of Yudof's office is over, and not without some success. I've had my various grievances with the protest(ers), but I applaud those involved for their spirit, and their victories, however incremental they may be.
Yeah, that is definitely a win. Taking the fight to the people who make the decisions.
Also - my bad on the rampant misnaming in this post.
1. Are "the people who make decisions" supposed to be the UC administration or the California legislature?
2. Hasn't the UC Provost ALWAYS been advocating for increased higher education funding? Was there ever a doubt that he would join in any well-organized student march in Sacramento on this issue? If not, then what exactly was the success?
3. Which leads me to: Berkeley protesters ALWAYS claim victory, particularly when they've accomplished nothing.
4. There's like this forced ignorance in these protests. Blue and Gold Opportunity Program? "Students don't know enough about it." (Why not educate them?) Change Sacramento by convincing your legislator? "Letter writing and marching doesn't work." (Really?)
5. Can anyone guess at the many reasons why this is my favorite sentence? "Letter writing and marching doesn't work, what works is striking and showing the system it cannot function without you," said Jamal Jones, a student at San Francisco State University.
Wait. You know that my post supported the protest and, by extension, opposes police brutality, right? Sorry, I get lost if there's more than one layer of irony in prose.
I do, however, have a lot of thoughts about the relative size of everyone's balls.
Hahaha yes. That was me fucking with you, Dan.
Thanks for the change, James.
-6:06
Carbolic,
In response to number 4, that seems to be the biggest problem here. Students that are interested in knowing everything about the budget and everything that goes into the budget decision-making want the administration to inform them of every little thing it does.
They accuse the administration of a lack of transparency when they are too lazy to research and ask questions.
If students don't know enough about things, it isn't the fault of the administration, which makes information available. It is the fault of the students for not asking.
To the poster above:
Do you sense any irony in your post, when for the last week, there has been a ton of posts here to the general effect of: "I don't understand what these protestors want," or "What are they proposing," or "I'm crossing picket lines because no one has explained 'X' to me"?
Seems like a double-standard to me...
The difference is that the N&B posters are talking online, whereas the protesters are striking, pulling fire alarms, and seizing university buildings.
If you're going through the effort of disrupting other people's lives in the name of protesting, you kinda have a duty to inform yourself about the subject of those protests, don't you think? Whereas I don't really have a need to educate myself about what someone else is thinking or doing.
Students in Germany are protesting right now, too. They have occupied university buildings for days with no incidents so far.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4888239,00.html
Note that tuition in Germany is around $750 a semester.
I was already leery about Germans occupying anything, but then this sub-heading sealed the deal: "Inspiration from Austria."
And back during the GDR days, they were free. Man, I wish those days were back.
It's also worth pointing out that, with a some notable exceptions (the real Humboldt comes to mind), German universities are NOT considered to be particularly competitive at education/research. The problem is that they are massively understaffed and underfunded. Which may have something to do with that $750 tuition.
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