Big March 4th strike excpected at UC Santa Cruz

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

University of California, Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz students promise to deliver one of Californias biggest protests on March 4 against public education cuts 

Thousands of students at the University of California, Santa Cruz--a center of student activism since the genesis of the growing state-wide movement to defend public education have signed the strike pledge for March 4. Students will block all access to campus in a day of action and solidarity throughout California when people demand an end to 'business as usual' as state leaders and UC administrators force damaging cuts and privatization on public education. We will take this action to demonstrate our power, with the support of workers and faculty, to re-store California commitment to accessible and high-quality public education for all people.

Why will we strike on March 4?

• The California budget has slashed education funding at all levels while keeping tax breaks for wealthy Californians and corporations
• Cuts to student support programs and resource centers, Cal Grants, and pre-K through higher ed are racist cuts that make access to a high-quality education at all stages of learning less equal--we want to stop the re-segregation of higher ed
• UC brought in record amounts of revenue last year (more than enough to off-set the state budget cuts). The 32% fee increase on November 18 and cuts to services, classes, employment hours, financial support for grad students, and jobs are completely unnecessary
• We're told the economic recession is to blame for the cuts. But students, faculty, and staff should not be made to pay for a crisis caused by Wall Street greed
• Why are we also fighting against our UC administrators, not just Sacramento? At the UC, an unprecedented growth in recent years in high-pay, low-value non-teaching administrative positions is just one example of the misguided spending priorities within the UC system. From 1996 - 2006, administrative jobs increased a whopping 118% compared to increases of 34% for faculty and 33% for student enrollment. Over 3,600 admin jobs pay over $200,000 at the UC, yet we are being told that our foreign language instructors must be laid-off and our lowest-paid workers must take furloughs. This is just plain wrong, and UC admins are to blame.
• We have the power to stop these cuts if we stand together--teachers, staff, and students from pre-K through higher ed will be taking action on March 4th.

What we will do on March 4:

Students at UCSC are organizing a student strike. This is in solidarity with protests across the state of California. We will hold picket lines at all campus entrances and the following events at the main entrance:

9 AM: Rally

Noon: Rally

5 PM: General Assembly

On March 4, the entire nation will witness throughout California some of the biggest demonstrations of collective power in years when people of all ages and walks of life, from pre-K thru higher ed, fight for access to high-quality public education for ALL people. The economic recession and the states budget woes cannot be used as excuses by state leaders to turn the clock back several decades for Californians by gutting public education funding. UC administrators cannot hide behind the state's failed leadership by undemocratically enacting misguided spending priorities that result in paying more money for less education. Students at UC, Santa Cruz, demand state leaders and UC administrators reverse their short-sighted social policies and the privatization of public education.