Illustration by Rachel Edelstein.

The UC Santa Cruz Academic Senate held an emergency meeting on Wednesday to determine when UCSC faculty can take furlough days. The meeting was called to discuss many of the concerns that prompted the UC-wide walkout of Sept. 24, such as furloughs, budgetary transparency and the ultimate direction of the University of California.

Progress was made in discussing both sides of the issue, but a vote will not take place until the next Academic Senate meeting on Oct. 28.

The most recent meeting came in the wake of controversy about whether faculty’s furlough days, or unpaid days off, should be taken on instructional days. If furlough days were to be taken on instructional days, the education of students may be jeopardized while the prices of tuition and fees continue to increase.

Some faculty argued that taking instructional days off is important to make budget cuts visible, and thereby prompt solutions.

Ten Senate faculty members called the emergency meeting as a place to discuss the urgent issues facing UCSC, and the UCs in general.

Sociology Professor Craig Reinarman, who serves on the Graduate Council — one of multiple faculty committees included in the Academic Senate — initiated the emergency meeting.

“Our request was prompted by the crisis, but also many of us had mixed feelings about the walkout on the first day,” Reinarman said. “We weren’t so sure that the best results would be achieved without any discussion or planning.”

Reinarman hoped that the meeting would be a place for faculty to share their thoughts and organize their positions on the changes at UC.

Environmental Studies Professor Brent Haddad serves as chair of the Planning and Budget Committee. He had yet to solidify his opinions about when furloughs should be taken at the beginning of the meeting.

“I still want to hear the arguments,” Haddad said.

The UCSC Academic Council is a legislative body of faculty that shares governance with the administration and usually meets once a month. Following the regents’ announcement in July of a furlough program, the Council unanimously voted that furloughs should affect instructional days, to show that budget cuts do have a negative impact on the University.

In August, Interim Provost and Executive Vice-President of Academic Affairs Lawrence H. Pitts countered in an open letter to faculty that furlough days should not fall on instructional days.

The walkout of Sept. 24 was in response to this issue, among others. Reinarman felt that because the walkout took place on a day that was already chaotic, many faculty had not yet had a chance to discuss the issues at hand.

Many who spoke at the Senate meeting felt that Pitts’ edict from the Office of the President violated the principle of shared governance. Under this principle, the Academic Senate usually oversees academic matters, and the administration governs finances and organization. Faculty members felt that since furloughs affect teaching and research, they should fall under the purview of the Senate.

In a student media interview on Oct. 19, UC President Mark Yudof said his biggest mistake during his term was not participating with faculty in discussions about when to take furlough days. He supported the Office of the President’s final decision, however, saying that taking days off instruction would hurt students.

After much debate and several amendments, the Senate passed the resolution on Wednesday, saying that they will determine when UCSC faculty can take furloughs. They also passed a resolution stating that UCSC faculty cannot be required to police or record when their colleagues take their furlough days, and cannot be required to use that information for any merit review.

Other issues brought up at the meeting included whether new and underpaid faculty and staff should be protected from cuts, whether the Senate should formally rebuke UC President Yudof, and whether certain furlough days should be designated as “reading days” for students.

Two additional resolutions were on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting but had to be put on hold. The first was a resolution asking for more fiscal transparency from the Office of the President. The second was a resolution that the UCSC administration should continue to bargain in good faith with the faculty union. They will be addressed at the next regular Senate meeting this coming Wednesday.

Alex De Arana-Lemich, who sits on the Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid of the UCSC Student Academic Senate, had mixed views of when faculty should take days off.

“From an educational point of view, as a student, I disagree with [taking instructional days off], but from the staff’s point of view it’s understandable,” he said.

As far as the outcome of the resolutions, De Arana-Lemich was pensive.

“The meeting accomplished something,” he said. “But the effect of it remains to be seen.”

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Academic Senate Addresses Furloughs and the Future of UC

Students linger in the back of the Graduate Student Commons just moments after Occupy California, a UC student political activist group, takes over on the building on the evening of Sept. 24. Photo by Alex Zamora.

A fluctuating number of students affiliated with Occupy California, a UC student political activist group, remain barricaded in the Graduate Student Commons (GSC) located above Joe’s Café in Quarry Plaza, as this goes to print. Occupy California aims to resist the budget crisis by using occupation as a strategy tactic.

The UC Santa Cruz occupation of the GSC building comes in response specifically to furloughs, lay-offs, rising tuition costs and other actions taken by the University of California administration.

“The goal…is [to use] this space as a place for organizing towards more actions in the future to address the budget cuts that have taken place,” said an anonymous source affiliated with the Occupy California movement.

Those close to the matter are calling the occupation a “demandless protest” with the overarching purpose of bringing students together to critique how the UC administration runs itself.

“There are no concrete demands that speak to the administration. But there is a message — a communiqué — with students, workers and faculty at this campus that the time is now to escalate, because demands have not been met in the past … the administration has outright ignored us.”

The occupation began the night of Sept. 24 following the statewide rally against budget cuts. The rally was carried out in various ways at all UC campuses and attended by faculty, students and union members.

At UC Santa Cruz, a day-long strike resulted in a march that started after the general assembly. The march went from the base of campus to Quarry Plaza where Occupy California took over the GSC and have remained since. Although occupants of the building said their act is separate from the strike, those leading the march at the general assembly were seen inside the GSC building on Sept. 28, the fourth day of the occupation.

“Santa Cruz has allowed [the occupation] to happen,” said a man inside the building who wished to remain anonymous. “We have now broken a record for longest student occupation of a building to take place in America post-1960s.”

In the past year students across the nation have taken similar action in response to budgetary issues facing higher education. At New York University, a student activist group called Taking Back NYU (TBNYU) organized similar actions in February.

TBNYU and collectives of radical students have been in support of the Occupy California movement. A group of radical students at Columbia University released a statement addressing the UCSC occupation, saying: “As you are showing, students refuse to be controlled. We refuse to be complacent consumers and victims of a ‘market’ pitted perpetually against us. We refuse to have a line drawn before us — of gender, class, race, sexuality, or any other form of privilege, of unpayable tuition hikes, of asphyxiating budget cuts.”

UCSC’s Graduate Student Association (GSA), the group in charge of the student building, has the ability to evict occupants. The GSA did not return City on a Hill Press requests for comment but an anonymous source involved with the occupation said that, “GSA is very angry at us for taking over their space, quote-unquote. They never directly asked us if they were welcome into this space — which they would have been, had they asked.”

Other occupants said that GSA members were seen at Occupy California meetings in support of the movement.

Occupants have placed a notice on the doorway that lists the risks of illegal action of entering the building. The notice includes a lawyer’s number to call if thrown into jail. The same number can be found scrawled on the forearms of many occupants.

Occupants said their action has been successful largely due to their affiliates on the outside.

“We’ve had many people associated with this. There is no central group,” one occupier said.

Inside, blankets and pillows line the building’s biggest room. For the past week the organization has held several meetings of up to 60 people to decide on their next plan of action.

A hallway attached to the common room leads to a smaller room where students sleep and study. Near the hallway’s exit sits a yellow legal pad that reads: “Emergency Text List (in the event of police action).”

While some students who pass by the occupation appear indifferent, others eye the balcony curiously. Lauren Abbott, a UCSC second-year, has spent many hours this week tabling just below the occupation for on-campus sorority Alpha Psi.

Abbott thought the signs posted around the occupation by those involved were “ambiguous.” “I don’t think [the occupation] is really making a difference right now because a lot of people see them but they really don’t know what they’re trying to do,” Abbott said.

Nathan Kimmel, a fourth-year engineering student, views the occupation in a positive light.

“I think it’s very important students are taking back their education and standing up for people that are hurt by this crisis,” Kimmel said.

An employee at Joe’s Café, who says he was advised to stay away from the occupation by unnamed local authorities, explained that business at Joe’s was negatively affected by the occupation in its first few days.

“We were hurting Friday and Saturday. But today we are doing fine,” the employee said.

He also noted that the Café needed to pull down the large window dividers between the interior of the restaurant and the outdoor patio in an effort to block out loud music being played by the occupiers.

The occupants love their music. When they’re not hosting dance parties, they’re passing the time listening to songs like Pat Kelly’s “Tracks of my Tears” and “How Long.”

Outside the occupation, in front of Joe’s patio, a UCSC alumnus participating in the occupation stepped outside of the GSC to dance freely while his friend passed out fliers about the occupation.

“[Dancing is] a way to pass the time while I smoke my cigarette — and before I go back inside.”

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Budget Cuts Met with Radical Action

by Alex Zamora

Twenty masked individuals blockaded themselves within the Graduate Student Commons earlier today, following a rally at the base of campus.

Over-turned dumpsters, potted plants and students secured entry ways as a sizable crowd gathered in front of Joe’s Subs and at the building’s rear entrance. Individuals could be seen hauling chain-linked fencing to further block off access to the building.

Those standing in solidarity with the protesters, who themselves could not be reached for comment, said the protest was directed towards the recent budget allocations of the University of California Board of Regents, which resulted in thousands of lay-offs, mandatory furloughs and cuts to courses at the UC’s ten campuses.

“It’s not just about budget allocations,” third-year Emily Andersen said. “This is an entire critique of the way the university has been run.”

She and second-year Jackie Reinagel were among the dozen or so students at the rear entrance who committed to “defending the people inside” by positioning themselves in front of access points and, should the need arise, linking arms to prevent police from entering the building.

“[Budget issues] affect us all and I’m glad people here are getting involved in protest,” Reinagel said.

“I’m getting classes taught by T.A.’s instead of professors,” Andersen interjected. “I’m having sections cut. I hope people walk away from this and get more involved in politics instead of sitting around and complaining and take action themselves.”

Jim Burns, public relations officer for UC Santa Cruz, was about 100 yards from the protest, watching the scene amongst a group of university officials. He could not comment on the acts of the Commons’ occupants as he didn’t know enough details about who they were or what they were doing.

He did address some of the primary concerns the protesters and spectators had regarding the actions of the regents, emphasizing the need to recognize where the source of financial strain stemmed.

“This campus has sustained more than $50 million in budget reductions from the state of California,” he said. “That’s the reason why fees are increasing, that’s the reason there are lay-offs, that’s the reason there are furloughs, and that’s why access is being denied to a great public university.”

A student standing close to Joe’s Subs, who wished to remain anonymous, didn’t know too much about the issues at hand but said she wasn’t bothered by the occupation and protest.

“I think [the protest] is ridiculously important,” she said. “Even if the issue is small, people need to take action if they’re passionate about something. Organizing and protesting is important no matter what the issue.”

Protesters Andersen and Reinagel said the twenty occupants had been planning the take-over for weeks and are prepared to remain in the building indefinitely.

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Protesters’ Take Over at UCSC

A protester outside the meeting speaks to the media about impending furloughs and pay cuts. Photo by Jenny Cain.

As hundreds of people rallied outside a meeting of the Board of Regents of the University of California, held July 14-16 at the UCSF Mission Bay Community Center, a university worker inside, opposing the pay-cuts proposed at the meeting, publicly condemned the salary of UC President Mark Yudof.

“You’re making twice as much as the President of the United States,” the man said as he raised his voice and eyed Yudof, who simply shook his head from left to right. “Show me the books,” he began to chant in reference to the regents’ transparency in accounting.

Despite opposition from various groups and individuals, including regent and Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, the board approved a plan that will require each member of the 180,000 UC workforce to take between 11-24 unpaid days, off depending on salary level.

If the plan is also approved by labor unions in contract with the university, top earners making over $240,000 could expect to see the largest salary reduction, while those making under $40,000 could expect to see the smallest. Overall, employees could see a 4-10 percent pay reduction for twelve months, starting Sept. 1 2009.

Senior management-level employees, however, would be limited to ten furlough days regardless of salary. And all positions funded by research grants would be excluded from furloughs.

“I disagree with the ‘open the books’ statement. You have our audited statements online,” Yudof replied to those hinting at a lack of precision and openness in the budget process.

The furlough plan came as Gov. Schwarzenegger attempts to close the $24 billion dollar deficit by reducing future expenses, including the expense of higher education. The University of California budget currently faces $813 million in cuts for the upcoming fiscal year. One quarter of that is meant to be absorbed by increased student fees. The furlough plan is supposed to offset another quarter of the $813 million. Administrative cost controls and cuts spread across all 10 UC campuses is supposed to offset the rest.

Yudof said that “the plan is fair,” but many opposed to the resulting pay-cuts induced by the impending furlough plan say that senior administration wages are too high and disproportional to other salaries.

But in a separate press conference, Yudof defended UC administrators’ salaries, saying that some senior executives are underpaid.

“The truth is, our faculty’s underpaid by 15 to 20 percent,” Yudof said. “Many of our staff are at market; some are as much as 10 percent below market. But the chancellors are 33 percent below market.”

At the meeting several chancellors, including UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal, expressed concern that the cuts might affect their ability to retain and recruit high-end professors.

“While I reluctantly support the need for pay reductions, these actions make our campus, our university and our state vulnerable to a rapid brain drain,” Blumenthal said.

Blumenthal also spoke about UCSC’s elimination of 55 faculty positions and 160 administrative positions. He explained that fewer teachers mean fewer courses available.

“For some students this means a longer time till graduation,” Blumenthal explained. “We understand at Santa Cruz that everyone must share in the pain and contribute to the solution but we will not compromise on UCSC’s mission to be a leading public research university.”

When Yudof introduced the furlough plan he dubbed it “flexible” as university employees will get to choose what days they take off. He also said that furloughs will have less impact than lay-offs.

Lt. Gov. Garamendi, the only regent who voted against implementing the plan, encouraged fellow regents and chancellors to look for new ways to generate revenue. He specifically pressed them to support AB 656, a proposed bill that would tax oil companies and generate an estimated $1 billion, all of which would be directed toward universities and colleges in California.

Regent Bonnie Reiss agreed with Garamendi that a tax on oil or gas was a possible solution.

“This is a revenue problem,” Reiss said. “We need to keep reminding elected leaders to support the public.”

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Regents Implement Furlough Plan