As part of the March 1st National Day of Action for Education, three area college campuses are planning student and faculty walk-outs tomorrow, the first day of March.
Students at City College, San Diego State University, and University of California at San Diego have all joined in this national day of demonstrations, and each campus has plans for walk-outs, rallies and other protests of budget cuts and the on-going stampede towards the privatization of public schools and colleges.
Here in more detail are the plans for each campus:
City College
At City College, the Walkout is set to start at 11:00 am at Curran Plaza. A rally will be held from 11:00am until 3:00pm.
SDSU
There will be a student walk-out at 12:oo noon, followed by a rally at Scripps Cottage Patio, where speakers will discuss a education from a variety of perspectives. Potential solutions and opportunities for students to stay involved will be offered.
UCSD
At 11:30 am, students will stage the walk-out. At 12 noon, instructors will hold a rally / teach-out at the Silent Tree in front of Geisel Library. There will also be performance art at the Silent Tree. Then at 1:30 pm, there will be a march!
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From City College students, we hear this:
While the 1% makes record breaking profits, while the 99% continues to suffer from austerity measures and budget cuts in social services, like Medicare, Public Sector Jobs, and, of course, Public Education. Budget cuts at a Community College level has sent the Price per Unit to record levels, up to $46 dollar a Unit by Fall 2012, an increase of $20 in just two years!
We refuse to pay for the crisis created by the 1%. We refuse to accept the dismantling of our schools and universities, while the banks and corporations make record profits. We refuse to accept educational re-segregation, massive tuition increases, outrageous student debt, and increasing privatization and corporatization.
*They got bailed out and we got sold out.
*But through nationally coordinated mass action we can and will turn back the tide of austerity.
We call on all students, teachers, workers, and parents from all levels of education —pre-K-12 through higher education in public and private institutions— and all Occupy assemblies, labor unions, and organizations of oppressed communities, to mobilize on March 1st, 2012 across the country to tell those in power: The resources exist for high-quality education for all. If we make the rich and the corporations pay we can reverse the budget cuts, tuition hikes, and attacks on job security, and fully fund public education and social services.
This is a call to work together, but it is up to each school and organization to determine what local and regional actions—such as strikes, walkouts, occupations, marches, etc.—they will take to say *no to business as usual*.
This day student, faculty and teachers across the Country will protest against the further slashing Public Education, San Diego City College is no different. While there no is no plan yet toward what this day will look like in San Diego, this is a call for all of those who oppose the further gutting of our Education to help build for this day!
From San Diego State U, we hear this:
SDSU Students, Faculty Join National Rally Against Education Cuts
WHO: The M1 Coalition has backing from students and professors and the rally is on behalf of students, both of SDSU and of universities around the country.
WHAT: Students and faculty at SDSU will join in a National Day of Action for Education on March 1. There will be a student walk-out, followed by a rally where speakers will discuss a education from a variety of perspectives. Potential solutions and opportunities for students to stay involved will be offered.
WHY: Over the last decade, students in the California State University system have seen their tuition and fees escalate by more than double. In the same time, budget cuts have reduced course availability, increased class sizes, negatively impacted students’ ability to access academic resources (including, but not limited to library collections, tutoring services, and teacher’s assistants), and more. Student loan indebtedness has skyrocketed and students are overwhelmingly finding out after graduation that jobs that can be leveraged in to careers are increasingly scarce.
The net effect will be a severe drain on the nation’s economic and public sectors, because debt discourages taking career or business risks that sustain innovation, making large purchases, or participating in public service.
From UCSD, we hear this:
Students, instructors and staff you have a stake in the future of the UC. The public nature of the UC is under threat, but on March 1st we are coming together to defend it. (For the remainder of this statement, go here.)
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If any student who attends one of these walk-outs would like to write up a report of the event for the OB Rag, simply contact us at our email address: obragblog@gmail.com
Meow! High school students need to do the same thing. We did in the late 60’s/early 70’s. Boy, did that get their attention. Like rednecks say “Freedom ain’t free”.
I’ve always looked at a big chunk of the 0.1-0.4% vs. 99.6-99.9% issues through the eyes of our sixth graders: http://www.ediguys.net/SDC_Education_question.html
Good point about the eyes of a sixth grader. A lot of people get stuck at a sixth grade reality. They want the government to take care of them just like their parents did.