October 13, 2009

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October 13, 2009

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Second Edition

Roots of the Problem: Effects & Solutions In a preliminary poll of 120 students, 27% had known someone who had dropped out due to the cuts and 36% had considered dropping out themselves. When asked to identify the root cause of the cuts, 50% chose “corporations paying very small taxes because they contribute to all the campaigns and pay all the lobbyists.” When asked what we should do, 17% chose big rallies, 39% chose write letters to legislators,  and 44% chose a strike.  Miguel Gonzales, an engineering student who works at the Korean Student Association, said, “Right now I’m only taking five units.... I can’t really advance with my major... I’ve been thinking about changing my major, but I don’t have any interest in any other majors” According to the SF Chronicle, the furloughing of tax collec-

Resistance

In a collective and boisterous roar, students, faculty, and workers across -Salvador Allende California campuses are refusing to cough up inflated fees, withstand crippling layoffs, and swallow annoying furloughs. On September 24th, that collaborative voice resounded the loudest.  Thousands of UC faculty, students, and workers rallied on campuses across the state.  CSU campuses and City College of San Francisco joined the movement. For a day, California picketed, protested, and yelled in solidarity.    

tors will cost the state over a billion dollars in uncollected taxes. Yvette Rojo responded, “My mom is having furlough days as well. We might lose our house.” Jon, a cook at SFSU, stated, “The hardest hit are those who work outdoors.” Gardeners had a 10% pay cut and are being threatened with layoffs. Corey Wong, from the Asian Student Union, thinks lobbyists for corporations have gotten smarter, stating, “They slowly cut away [funding], and when people realize that their priorities are wrong and somebody is profiting off of it, there is no resistance… It seems like a fact of life, or a force of nature.” Tia Tyra suggested, “An increased business tax for the really large corporations that make billions of dollars.” Akim Little thinks, “What would work is if everyone in the school, or in multiple schools,

UC Berkeley shouted the most thunderous with 5,000 strikers.  Sproul Plaza, the heart of the campus, erupted with sonorous chants, raised fists and a fervent indignation toward the contractions of public education.  Crowds then ushered into a general assembly, where future tactics were discussed and more unity manifested. Altogether, ten UC campuses struck on September 24th.  At UC Davis, hundreds united.  They rallied, marched, and stormed the administration building, shouting “Whose UNIVERSTY!?  OUR UNIVERSITY!” They then proceeded to camp outside UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi’s house. The budget situation has become

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would go on strike.” Corey Wong said, “If everybody on this campus decided, ‘let’s not go to school,’ then you wouldn’t have to write a letter.” Miguel stated, “If the professors join in as well, you’ll see that they will be much more effective [then just students].”

“untenable,” according to students at UC Santa Cruz, where a rally evolved into a weeklong occupation.  Universities and organizations throughout the nation and around the globe sent them letters of support and admiration for their efforts.        At San Francisco State, we too enunciated our grievances. Circling Malcolm X Plaza, we chanted, “EDUCATION IS UNDER ATTACK! WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO!? STAND UP! FIGHT BACK!”  Students took up the bullhorn and voiced their arduous registration  experiences, and related their uncertainty of financial aid to the crowd of about 50.   Students for Quality

Education at San Jose State University organized a “WTF?!: Come Voice Your Outrage” rally on September 22nd from 11am-1pm. It was a “major success,” with “almost 500 people attending… the largest rally at SJSU since the 1970s.” They are now busy planning for October 12th, in support of AB 656, a bill proposed by Assemblyman Alberto Torrico, called the ‘California Higher Education Endowment

i n f o @ s t u d e n t u n i t y p o w e r. o r g

Student Unity and Power

What are we fighting for? The attacks on education are part of a larger systemic problem, and the current economic crisis has its roots in a predatory capitalist system that exploits and oppresses the people in favor of a rich minority who profits. Seven trillion dollars have been given to banks and corporations in an attempt to “recue” the capitalist economy, while politicians and the media would have us believe that cuts to social services like education and healthcare are necessary sacrifices. We are already suffering, forced to pay for their crisis as a handful of people have been profiting.

How To Join?

(continued from front page) Corporation:

Oil and Gas Severance Tax.’ The bill would create a California Higher Education Endowment Corporation (CHEEC), which would oversee the money distribution made by the proposed tax to the UC system, CSUs, and community colleges. “This bill would impose an oil and gas severance tax, on and after January 1st, 2010, upon any producer for the privilege of severing oil or gas from the earth or water in this state for sale, transport, consumption, storage, profit, or use, as provided, at a specified rate of 9.9% of the gross product.” Because this bill would increase state revenue, it is subject to Proposition 13, which requires a 2/3-majority vote from each house of legislature to pass. The soils for solidarity are harvesting a conjoined movement across California.  Schools are meeting to discuss more unified actions, and the momentum for victory is growing.

ANALYSIS

SFSU today is buzzing with discontent & seething with rebellion. Although the issues that fuel student discontent in 2009 are, on the surface, much different from those of the 1968 SF State student strike, which offers valuable lessons & inspires students today. The movement that reached its pinnacle in 1968 was centered on questions of racism & national oppression. When Black, Chicano, Native American, & Asian students won the first College of Ethnic Studies in the US, they consciously set out to design the college in a way that would serve their communities off campus. They won by seeing clearly the antagonism between the interests of the school administration California, & the US government (embroiled in war

against the Vietnamese people) on the one hand, & students (primarily those of color) & oppressed peoples within & outside the US on the other hand. From this perspective flowed the strategy of militant struggle, including occupying buildings, denouncing the political status quo, & launching the longest student strike in US history. We have to be clear that this present class war  being waged by billionaires against all of us has a fundamentally racist character, & hurts all students (even white and/or ‘middle class’ students). The people running universities are the same people sitting on corporate Boards of Directors. The triumph of the student struggle is only possible with the destruction of the capitalist system, which is inherently imperialistic, racist and exploitative of the working class.

1968 SFSU Student Strike History

After months of ten- nized with the Third World for those who cannot. S.I. Hayakawa, an ausion and build-up, the San Liberation Front and the The strike began in No- thoritative character who Francisco State College Black Student Union set vember of 1968, with the would become famous campus erupted into one demands that in essence suspension of Professor for calling in the cops to of the most important called for complete and George Murray for fiery smash down the strikers battles of 1968, the year equal access to relevant statements as a catalyst on campus whenever he that changed the world. education for Third World for confrontation. Then- felt like it. To the class-conscious and working-class people. President Smith was After months of pickstudents at State, the no- In 1960, the number of pushed between con- ets, occupations, walktion that change could Black students at SF State servative Trustees on the outs, rallies, sit-ins, and come about peacefully totaled 12%, but by 1968, right and militant students militant actions, the adSend us your quetions, was a myth, something that number has dropped on the left. The strike was ministration was forced comments, concerns, and they had been taught to to 3%. How did this hap- called on November 6th, to meet the demands of suggestions to: disarm them. For years, pen? The 1960 Master but still many students the striking students and students had petitioned Plan for Higher Education were attending classes. faculty. The strike ended [email protected] the school administration, in California had created When tension intensified on March 20, 1969, after they had brought propos- a three-tiered system and confrontation be- 5 months, the longest stuals to Deans and Presi- of UC’s, CSU’s, and com- came more common, the dent strike in the United dents, they wrote letters, munity colleges that es- students shut down the States. It ended with the ulletin made and still they were patient. sentially cut down on the school. The administra- creation of the School of And nothing came. number of working-class tion and Smith vocalized Ethnic Studies (now Colpossible by In May 1968, the ad- students who attend col- the “we can’t do anything lege) as its biggest victoBoris Araya ministration made one lege and reduced spend- about it,” and “our hands ry, as well as programs to Jacob Bernhardt concession, under the ing on those who do get are tied,” answers to the help increase the number Blake Gary pressure of a sit-in, but to attend. This trend is demands of the students. of Third World and workGreg Jacobs later retracted. The stu- continuing to this day, Anything seem familiar ing-class students in the Jamal Jones dents realized that they as less and less is being to here and now? Smith university. Tanya Kinigstein weren’t getting anywhere spent on education and was forced to resign later Adriana Lopez Next Bulletin by going through “chan- public services as a whole, that month as the TrustErnesto Martinez will be released nels, ” and that they never making access easy for ees felt he was too weak. Hobie Owen would. those who can afford it Governor Ronald Reagan, Aaron Salazar October 27, 2009 Students that orga- and as impossible as ever a former actor, appointed w w w. s t u d e n t u n i t y p o w e r. o r g S p re a d A w a re n e s s

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