Dear members of the Berkeley campus community:
I am writing to let you know that I have informed President Mark Yudof of my decision to step down as Chancellor of UC Berkeley on December 31, 2012. Serving as the Ninth Chancellor of one of the world's preeminent teaching and research universities has been an immense privilege and honor. I am deeply grateful to have been entrusted with the profound responsibility of leading this great institution and its outstanding faculty, staff and students through one of the most challenging periods in its 144-year history.
I arrived in September, 2004 with a deep appreciation of the essential role that Berkeley plays in setting the standard nationally and internationally for public higher education. It was my intention to serve as Chancellor for seven years to lead Berkeley in breaking new paths on the frontiers of knowledge and education, to support its noble public mission and to further its goals of access and excellence. Because of the extraordinary circumstances facing the University of California that emerged with the financial crisis and steep loss of state funding, I have stayed on as Chancellor longer than I had originally intended. With the support of an exceptionally talented senior leadership team, we have worked very hard to navigate successfully the most extreme disinvestment by the state in UC's history. We have greatly strengthened Berkeley's financial management leadership, stabilized our budget in the short to medium term, and are developing a sustainable financial model for the future to support access and excellence. Thanks to the efforts and contributions of everyone in our campus community - faculty, staff, students, retirees, alumni and friends - we have made great strides in maintaining and expanding Berkeley's excellence and preserving its unique public character. Although challenges still remain, I am confident that we have put into place a clear pathway for the years ahead and strategies that will support Berkeley's ongoing excellence and its impact on the world.
In spite of the financially challenging times, working together as a campus community we have made tremendous progress on many fronts and have many extraordinary accomplishments of which we can be justly proud. Berkeley faculty continue to garner awards and honors in all disciplines, including three Nobel Prizes since 2005, two in Physics and one in Economics; we and MIT lead all universities in the United States and Canada with 43 Sloan Fellowships each for our junior faculty since 2004, a strong marker for future success. For graduate students, Berkeley also continues to share the lead with MIT as one of the two top-choice schools for winners of National Science Foundation fellowships. In the 2010 National Research Council rankings, the first detailed survey since 1995 of the nation's research universities, Berkeley ranked second nationally behind Harvard and well ahead of all other schools in the number of graduate programs in the very top group. Our research funding has grown from some $500 million in 2004 to well over $700 million in recent years. We are consistently ranked in the top tier of research and teaching universities in the world, a reflection of our comprehensive excellence across the arts and humanities, social sciences, physical and life sciences, and the professions.
We have strengthened the university through a $3 billion fundraising Campaign, the largest in Berkeley's history. The Campaign to-date has raised $2.4 billion during one of the most difficult financial times since the Great Depression, thanks to the support of alumni and friends who believe in our future. At the heart of the Campaign is the Hewlett Endowed Chairs Matching Program. This enormously successful program has raised $220 million in just four years for support of 100 faculty chairs; this includes over $2.5 million annually in graduate fellowships across all schools and colleges. We have also generalized this model to the national level; specifically, we have proposed to the federal government that it invest $10 billion over the next ten years to create through a federal-state-private partnership program 10,000 endowed chairs in support of our country's leading public teaching and research universities.
We are breaking the boundaries between disciplines to solve some of the world's most pressing problems and have created unprecedented models for public universities to partner with government, industry and private philanthropy. The multi-disciplinary research efforts of the Berkeley Energy and Climate Initiative, the Energy Biosciences Institute, the Li Ka Shing Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences, the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), the Blum Center for Developing Economies, and the Haas Diversity Research Center hold the promise of transforming our lives and our world. In a very short time, we have become leaders in the study of alternative energy and climate change. We are advancing human health through biosciences, bioengineering, and biomedical and stem cell research. We are finding ways to alleviate global poverty through innovative programs, technologies, services and business practices and are bringing together world-class scholars to address disparities related to race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, and disabilities in California and nationwide.
Our undergraduate student body continues to be among the very best in California and each year we have attracted more applicants, with over 60,000 freshman applications this year. We have stabilized our enrollment at 21,000 places for Californians with a further 4,000 places for non-residents. When I first arrived at Berkeley, I was struck by the very small number of international and out-of state students in the undergraduate student body. I am very pleased that we have been able to increase this number substantially, with plans to grow to 20% by 2014, to benefit the student experience as well as bring additional revenue to the campus. We are educating Berkeley students to gain multi-cultural experience that will serve them well in our increasingly globalized society. We also have continuously invested in improving the undergraduate academic experience by updating classroom facilities with technology and adding Reading and Composition classes, gateway courses in the physical sciences, and foreign language courses. We are currently building two new undergraduate biology laboratories that will mitigate the situation in the impacted gateway life sciences courses. Our graduation rates have risen to over 90%. We have raised seven endowed Chairs dedicated to teaching and are in the process of establishing an Undergraduate Teaching Collegium led by Letters & Science. We have supported our students' ambitions to give back and change the world for the better and are very proud that Berkeley still holds the record for the most volunteers in the history of the Peace Corps. Our students have also worked diligently to make us a leading campus for sustainability.
Although a necessary response to the loss of state funding was an increase in tuition and fees, we nevertheless have been able to sustain access and affordability for our students from low-income families through our financial aid policies. Some 40% of our undergraduate students now pay no tuition at all, and the cost for Pell Grant recipients, whose families usually have incomes under $45,000, has dropped over the past five years. At the same time, the number of students with Pell Grants now constitutes 35% of our student body, meaning that we are educating about the same number of low-income undergraduate students as all the eight Ivy League universities combined. We recently set a landmark by becoming the first public university to provide substantial financial aid to middle-income families through our Middle Class Access Plan (MCAP). This program limits the parental contribution to 15% of family income for families earning between $80,000 and $140,000 annually. Overall, Berkeley students graduate with the lowest student debt among all public teaching and research universities across the country. I am also personally very gratified by the support we have been able to provide to our most disadvantaged students. We have worked hard to secure a major endowment for our California Independent Scholars Program that supports former foster children. After several years of advocacy by our students and myself, and thanks to the dedicated efforts of State Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, Assembly bills 130 and 131, which allow for university and state aid for undocumented students, were signed into law by Governor Brown; we are now actively raising funds to support these students. We can all be very proud of our success in ensuring that Berkeley remains an important engine of social mobility.
As a result of our financial challenges, our staff have experienced some very difficult changes through staff reductions and organizational change. They have responded with great resilience, and their engagement with Operational Excellence, our comprehensive effort to reduce $75 million in permanent annual costs through improved administration, has been extraordinary. We have already achieved over $20 million in annual savings. We are investing in our workforce and technology and significantly improving our administrative processes and our financial management capacity. I am confident that with the dedication and commitment of our staff, we will continue to build administrative excellence to help secure our future with a highly skilled workforce.
One area that required special attention was Intercollegiate Athletics. We have greatly strengthened the financial management capacity of Intercollegiate Athletics and put in place a plan that will reduce the university's annual support from over $12 million to $5 million by 2014. Initially, we had proposed the elimination of four sports teams and the loss of Intercollegiate Athletics status for one, but, with the support of donors who raised over $20 million, we were able to maintain these teams and establish viable plans for their sustainability. Our talented student-athletes and coaching staff have advanced Cal's overall standing in the Director's Cup to third place in the nation, our first time ever in the top five.
Inclusion - equal opportunity for all - is Berkeley's ideal, and I am especially proud of the progress that we have made in this arena, although there is still much work to be done. We were among the first universities in the country to create an Equity and Inclusion portfolio at the Vice-Chancellor level. We are near the mid-point of a ten-year strategic plan for Equity and Inclusion that engages our entire campus community. We have raised an astonishing $32 million to support our efforts and, as I have already mentioned, have established the Haas Diversity Research Center. It now has twelve faculty positions dedicated to the Center with the involvement of dozens more faculty from across the campus in its six research thrusts. In collaboration with Aspire Schools, we opened Cal Prep, our charter school for students from K-6 to K-12, which last year graduated its first cohort of students, all of whom have gone on to four-year colleges and universities. Although underrepresented minority representation in the Cal student body has risen to about 15%, we are still suffering from the effects of Proposition 209; I strongly support our students' efforts to ensure its repeal.
The face of our campus has continued to be transformed with new and renovated facilities to support our research, teaching, and athletic endeavors for the 21st century. These include the splendid C.V. Starr East Asian Library, the superbly renovated Bancroft Library, and the magnificent Stanley Hall, which were begun by my predecessor and whose funding was completed at the start of my term. We have added the impressive Sutdarja Dai Hall, which is home to CITRIS. The old Naval Architecture Building was beautifully transformed, and a new three-story wing was attached to it, to house our new Blum Center for Developing Economies. On the west side of campus, the modern Li Ka Shing Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences was recently opened, and the Energy Biosciences building will be completed this summer. In the southeast quadrant, the School of Law has expanded and elegantly renovated its library and other facilities. The state-of-the-art Simpson Student Athlete High Performance Center has opened, and the much needed Memorial Stadium seismic upgrade and refurbishment is scheduled to be completed in time for the first game of the 2012 football season, preserving this beloved facility for future generations of Cal students and alumni. Two other important Berkeley landmarks, Sather Gate and the Campanile, have been strengthened and restored to their original state. We have accomplished this ambitious capital renewal program primarily through donor funding and careful management of debt servicing.
Looking ahead, with the move of the College of Letters and Science administration to a renovated Durant Hall, we have secured funding for the reconstruction of Campbell Hall for expanded academic facilities for Physics and Astronomy. A site has been chosen, plans developed, and a campaign is underway for a new Berkeley Art Museum. A student referendum has secured funding for the revitalization of Lower Sproul Plaza, and the project is set to begin this fall. The Richmond Field Station has been chosen as the site for a second Lawrence Berkeley National Lab campus. UC Berkeley and LBNL have long enjoyed a strong partnership. This will be a tremendous step forward, adding new synergies to an already impressive combination of scientific forces and world class research infrastructure.
I look forward to our university's future with great optimism. Berkeley is a place of incredible energy and creativity, and there are many other initiatives that I have not been able to mention that cumulatively make us the most exciting teaching and research university in the world. It has truly been a wonderful privilege to work with such an accomplished and dedicated community of faculty, staff, students, retirees, alumni and friends. I want to thank you all for what you do to support Berkeley's mission.
Thank you for welcoming Mary Catherine and me so warmly to the Berkeley community and for your encouragement and support of my leadership.
After stepping down as Chancellor, I am planning to return to the Departments of Physics and Materials Science and Engineering as a regular faculty member and hope that I have at least one more truly significant physics/materials science experiment still to come in my academic career. I intend to continue working at the state and national levels to ameliorate the deplorable funding situation of our nation's great public teaching and research universities. Finally, I will continue my efforts on behalf of our most disadvantaged students including, especially, advocacy for passage of the federal DREAM act.
President Yudof will be appointing a search committee as set out by university policy on the appointment of Chancellors. I will continue to devote my full energies to leading Berkeley until my successor is appointed by the UC Regents and will work with her or him to effect a smooth transition.
Robert J. Birgeneau
Chancellor
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
State-Wide Day of Mobilization: January 19
1/19 California Statewide Mobilization for UC Regents Meeting At UC Riverside
California Statewide Mobilization for UC Regents Meeting
by Back2Kali
Friday Jan 13th, 2012 4:12 AM
We are writing to have our voices heard and to propose an action against the perpetually inflicted austerity measures and fee hikes rendering ourselves a lost generation. As the disaster capitalists liquidate our means of public education and healthcare, we face the repercussions - rampant unemployment, swollen student debt, prison expansion and a gutted public sector. The harsh reality of the austerity state. Our futures are being mortgaged in order to maintain bloated administrative salaries and the privatization of critical social services across the state, country, and around the world.
In the past decade alone the UC has seen a 342.2% increase in tuition and fees. This trend directly corresponds with a period of exorbitant administrative growth and devastating cuts to instruction, support services and staff, and other critical UC programs. On December 13, 2011 Governor Jerry Brown announced another $100 million in cuts to the UC system, which brings the total to $750 million this fiscal year alone.
The annual fees for attending a UC were $3,859 in 2001-2002; now they are $13,218, and estimated to increase substantially within the next four years. This trend runs completely contradictory to the 1960 CA Master Plan, which calls for tuition-free public higher education in this state. Quality, accessible public higher education is a cornerstone for establishing social and economic equality on local to global levels and as such demands our active support and protection.
Our public institutions of higher education are being actively privatized and glutted by regents, trustees and administrators who are deeply invested in large private business interests. These people and the interests they represent want to continue profiting from a drive to remake our public institutions in the image of private-for-profit models.
We are asking that all of us continue to take a stand and fight back to defend our public institutions against the betrayal of many of those charged with their protection. As the students, faculty, and staff who run California's public colleges and universities, it is our responsibility to assert every day that these are OUR SCHOOLS and that we are not powerless to further the mission of maintaining affordable, accessible and quality public higher education not only in this state, but around the world. An accessible educational experience is important for people everywhere to be able to obtain if they so choose that we might construct a more equitable, just and peaceful world for everyone.
The UC regents are invested with the responsibility of "managing" the UC system. They have insistently refused to engage in constructive dialogue with students, faculty and staff on critical issues that have been repeatedly brought to their attention. Some of them are personal friends and/or business partners of former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger or other influential politicians and that is precisely how they obtained their initial appointment as regents. A vast majority of the current regents have no professional background in public education and a corresponding majority of them maintain direct ties to business interests that seek to develop financially profitable relationships with the UC and other public institutions.
Banks and other corporations get bailed out and we get sold out, time and again. The regents' silence in Sacramento fits the destructive model of privatization that they have in mind for the UC. As part of this agenda, it also fits their interests to raise the salaries of administrators even as they tell the rest of us that we need to "continue making sacrifices."
Enough is enough. We will continue to demand that the UC regents and administrators be held accountable for their actions. Please join us in protest at the regents' next meeting, scheduled to take place at UC Riverside on January 18-19, 2012.
A statewide mobilization against austerity and fee hikes is being called for Thursday, January 19. Students, educators and workers from across the state will be busing in as we continue defend quality and accessible public education. See you on the battlefield.
Sincerely,
Concerned Students, Faculty, Staff and Community Members of UC Riverside
California Statewide Mobilization for UC Regents Meeting
by Back2Kali
Friday Jan 13th, 2012 4:12 AM
We are writing to have our voices heard and to propose an action against the perpetually inflicted austerity measures and fee hikes rendering ourselves a lost generation. As the disaster capitalists liquidate our means of public education and healthcare, we face the repercussions - rampant unemployment, swollen student debt, prison expansion and a gutted public sector. The harsh reality of the austerity state. Our futures are being mortgaged in order to maintain bloated administrative salaries and the privatization of critical social services across the state, country, and around the world.
In the past decade alone the UC has seen a 342.2% increase in tuition and fees. This trend directly corresponds with a period of exorbitant administrative growth and devastating cuts to instruction, support services and staff, and other critical UC programs. On December 13, 2011 Governor Jerry Brown announced another $100 million in cuts to the UC system, which brings the total to $750 million this fiscal year alone.
The annual fees for attending a UC were $3,859 in 2001-2002; now they are $13,218, and estimated to increase substantially within the next four years. This trend runs completely contradictory to the 1960 CA Master Plan, which calls for tuition-free public higher education in this state. Quality, accessible public higher education is a cornerstone for establishing social and economic equality on local to global levels and as such demands our active support and protection.
Our public institutions of higher education are being actively privatized and glutted by regents, trustees and administrators who are deeply invested in large private business interests. These people and the interests they represent want to continue profiting from a drive to remake our public institutions in the image of private-for-profit models.
We are asking that all of us continue to take a stand and fight back to defend our public institutions against the betrayal of many of those charged with their protection. As the students, faculty, and staff who run California's public colleges and universities, it is our responsibility to assert every day that these are OUR SCHOOLS and that we are not powerless to further the mission of maintaining affordable, accessible and quality public higher education not only in this state, but around the world. An accessible educational experience is important for people everywhere to be able to obtain if they so choose that we might construct a more equitable, just and peaceful world for everyone.
The UC regents are invested with the responsibility of "managing" the UC system. They have insistently refused to engage in constructive dialogue with students, faculty and staff on critical issues that have been repeatedly brought to their attention. Some of them are personal friends and/or business partners of former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger or other influential politicians and that is precisely how they obtained their initial appointment as regents. A vast majority of the current regents have no professional background in public education and a corresponding majority of them maintain direct ties to business interests that seek to develop financially profitable relationships with the UC and other public institutions.
Banks and other corporations get bailed out and we get sold out, time and again. The regents' silence in Sacramento fits the destructive model of privatization that they have in mind for the UC. As part of this agenda, it also fits their interests to raise the salaries of administrators even as they tell the rest of us that we need to "continue making sacrifices."
Enough is enough. We will continue to demand that the UC regents and administrators be held accountable for their actions. Please join us in protest at the regents' next meeting, scheduled to take place at UC Riverside on January 18-19, 2012.
A statewide mobilization against austerity and fee hikes is being called for Thursday, January 19. Students, educators and workers from across the state will be busing in as we continue defend quality and accessible public education. See you on the battlefield.
Sincerely,
Concerned Students, Faculty, Staff and Community Members of UC Riverside
Thursday, December 22, 2011
December 14th--Joint Legislative Hearing Agenda
Joint Informational Hearing
Senate Committee on Education and Assembly Committee on Higher Education UC and CSU Policies, Procedures, and Responses: Campus Police and On-Campus Demonstrations
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. John L. Burton Hearing Room 4203
AGENDA
1. Welcome and Hearing Purpose
Are there tools/policies that the Legislature should support or implement to facilitate the effective management of non-violent campus demonstrations, while ensuring freedom of speech, assembly and public safety?
2. “Use of Force” Policies, Procedures, and Responses
• What are the standards/policies/training that govern the “use of force” by law enforcement entities?
• What are the bounds of legal free speech? What is an appropriate police response to nonviolent but illegal activity?
• Are there “best practices” for addressing non-violent campus demonstrations?
Michael Risher, Attorney American Civil Liberties Union
Barbara Attard, Police Practices Consultant, Accountability Associates
Formerly - San Jose Independent Police Auditor Chief Investigator, Berkeley Police Review Commission President, National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE)
Calvin Handy, Chief of Police, Emeritus University of California, Davis
POST Crowd Management & Civil Disobedience Guidelines
http://lib.post.ca.gov/Publications/CrowdMgtGuidelines.pdf
Headwaters Forest Defense v. County of Humboldt
http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1178646.html (long) http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1332957.html (short)
Copley Press, Inc. v. Superior Court of San Diego County
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/californiastatecases/S128603.PDF (long) http://caselaw.findlaw.com/summary/opinion/ca-supreme-court/2006/08/31/143113.html (short)
3. UC and CSU Systemwide Policies and Procedures
• What systemwide and/or statewide programs/policies/tools are in place to address campus demonstrations?
• Are there systemwide “best practices” for addressing non-violent campus demonstrations?
• In what instances is “use of force” authorized and who makes that determination?
• What systemwide activity is being undertaken in response to recent campus incidents?
University of California
Mark G. Yudof, President
University of California
Charles Robinson, Counsel
University of California
California State University
Dr. Ben Quillian, Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Business Officer Chancellors’ Office, California State University
Dr. Nate Johnson, Chief Law Enforcement Officer
California State University Systemwide
Universitywide Police Policies and Administrative Procedures
4. Campus Policies and Procedures
• What campus-based programs/policies/tools are in place to address campus demonstrations?
• Are there policies/standards/training in place for campus police to prevent non¬violent demonstrations from becoming violent?
• In what instances is “use of force” authorized and who makes that determination?
• What steps are being taken locally to respond to recent incidents on the UC Davis campus?
Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, University of California, Davis
Dr. John Welty, President, California State University, Fresno
UC Davis Use of Force Policy
5. Student/Campus Organized Demonstration
• What policies/procedures are followed by student organizations when there is a decision to demonstrate?
• How is the protection of students assured?
• What are the controls for protesters who do not abide by your policies?
UC Student Association (UCSA)
Claudia Magaña, Student, University of California, Santa Cruz President, UCSA
California State Student Association (CSSA)
Aissa Canchola, Student, CSU Fullerton and Chair, CSSA Sean Richards, Student, Sonoma State Vice-President, CSSA.
UC Policies Applying to Campus Activities, Organizations and Students
UC Davis Campuswide Administrative Policies and Regulations
CSULB Regulations for Campus Activities, Student Organizations & the University Community
1. Public Comment
2. Closing Statements
Senate Committee on Education and Assembly Committee on Higher Education UC and CSU Policies, Procedures, and Responses: Campus Police and On-Campus Demonstrations
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. John L. Burton Hearing Room 4203
AGENDA
1. Welcome and Hearing Purpose
Are there tools/policies that the Legislature should support or implement to facilitate the effective management of non-violent campus demonstrations, while ensuring freedom of speech, assembly and public safety?
2. “Use of Force” Policies, Procedures, and Responses
• What are the standards/policies/training that govern the “use of force” by law enforcement entities?
• What are the bounds of legal free speech? What is an appropriate police response to nonviolent but illegal activity?
• Are there “best practices” for addressing non-violent campus demonstrations?
Michael Risher, Attorney American Civil Liberties Union
Barbara Attard, Police Practices Consultant, Accountability Associates
Formerly - San Jose Independent Police Auditor Chief Investigator, Berkeley Police Review Commission President, National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE)
Calvin Handy, Chief of Police, Emeritus University of California, Davis
POST Crowd Management & Civil Disobedience Guidelines
http://lib.post.ca.gov/Publications/CrowdMgtGuidelines.pdf
Headwaters Forest Defense v. County of Humboldt
http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1178646.html (long) http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1332957.html (short)
Copley Press, Inc. v. Superior Court of San Diego County
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/californiastatecases/S128603.PDF (long) http://caselaw.findlaw.com/summary/opinion/ca-supreme-court/2006/08/31/143113.html (short)
3. UC and CSU Systemwide Policies and Procedures
• What systemwide and/or statewide programs/policies/tools are in place to address campus demonstrations?
• Are there systemwide “best practices” for addressing non-violent campus demonstrations?
• In what instances is “use of force” authorized and who makes that determination?
• What systemwide activity is being undertaken in response to recent campus incidents?
University of California
Mark G. Yudof, President
University of California
Charles Robinson, Counsel
University of California
California State University
Dr. Ben Quillian, Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Business Officer Chancellors’ Office, California State University
Dr. Nate Johnson, Chief Law Enforcement Officer
California State University Systemwide
Universitywide Police Policies and Administrative Procedures
4. Campus Policies and Procedures
• What campus-based programs/policies/tools are in place to address campus demonstrations?
• Are there policies/standards/training in place for campus police to prevent non¬violent demonstrations from becoming violent?
• In what instances is “use of force” authorized and who makes that determination?
• What steps are being taken locally to respond to recent incidents on the UC Davis campus?
Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, University of California, Davis
Dr. John Welty, President, California State University, Fresno
UC Davis Use of Force Policy
5. Student/Campus Organized Demonstration
• What policies/procedures are followed by student organizations when there is a decision to demonstrate?
• How is the protection of students assured?
• What are the controls for protesters who do not abide by your policies?
UC Student Association (UCSA)
Claudia Magaña, Student, University of California, Santa Cruz President, UCSA
California State Student Association (CSSA)
Aissa Canchola, Student, CSU Fullerton and Chair, CSSA Sean Richards, Student, Sonoma State Vice-President, CSSA.
UC Policies Applying to Campus Activities, Organizations and Students
UC Davis Campuswide Administrative Policies and Regulations
CSULB Regulations for Campus Activities, Student Organizations & the University Community
1. Public Comment
2. Closing Statements
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
UAW President: Statement to the Regents (11/28/11)
Public Comments to the Regents – 11/28/11
My name is Cheryl Deutsch. I’m a graduate student at UCLA and statewide President of UAW Local 2865, the union that represents student employees throughout the UC system.
Students have gathered on these and other campuses across the state today to demand that you make a choice. Will you continue to speak empty words while serving the interests of your class? Or will you act as the education leaders that the title of Regent would have us believe you are? Let’s be clear: you, as bankers and financiers, real estate developers and members of the corporate elite, are not representative of the people of California. You are not representative of the students of the UC. You are the 1%.
Now you’ve said today that you are going to ask the state for more funding. But you have no concrete proposals for where that money will come from or how it will get to the UC. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.
The ReFund California Pledge offers these concrete alternatives. We are asking you today to make a choice: students have already paid more than our fair share for the economic crisis that your class created. It’s time that you – as the 1% - pay your share.
My name is Cheryl Deutsch. I’m a graduate student at UCLA and statewide President of UAW Local 2865, the union that represents student employees throughout the UC system.
Students have gathered on these and other campuses across the state today to demand that you make a choice. Will you continue to speak empty words while serving the interests of your class? Or will you act as the education leaders that the title of Regent would have us believe you are? Let’s be clear: you, as bankers and financiers, real estate developers and members of the corporate elite, are not representative of the people of California. You are not representative of the students of the UC. You are the 1%.
Now you’ve said today that you are going to ask the state for more funding. But you have no concrete proposals for where that money will come from or how it will get to the UC. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.
The ReFund California Pledge offers these concrete alternatives. We are asking you today to make a choice: students have already paid more than our fair share for the economic crisis that your class created. It’s time that you – as the 1% - pay your share.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
UC San Diego Statement on Police Responses to Protests
University of California
San Diego
CAMPUS NOTICE
OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR
OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE VICE CHANCELLOR
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
ACADEMIC SENATE: SAN DIEGO DIVISION
November 23, 2011
ALL ACADEMICS AND STAFF
ALL STUDENTS
SUBJECT: Commitment to Free Speech and Peaceful Assembly
Dear Members of our UC San Diego Community:
We share the widely expressed outrage at the violent responses to peaceful
demonstrations on our sister University of California campuses. The alarming
images are a stark reminder of our need for vigilance in protecting the rights
of free speech and the freedom to conduct peaceful protests. Our University
must guard those rights.
We fully endorse the UC Academic Council’s statements relayed to President
Mark Yudof and we strongly support the President’s actions to thoroughly
review policing policies and protocols. UC Academic Council's statements
may be accessed at the following website address:
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/senate/reports/
A healthy intellectual climate at UC San Diego relies on civil discourse
and respectful behavior by all community members. Our campus is steadfast
in our resolve to protect the fundamental rights of free speech and peaceful
assembly.
Marye Anne Fox
Chancellor
Suresh Subramani
Executive Vice Chancellor
Joel Sobel
Academic Senate: San Diego Division
Chair
San Diego
CAMPUS NOTICE
OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR
OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE VICE CHANCELLOR
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
ACADEMIC SENATE: SAN DIEGO DIVISION
November 23, 2011
ALL ACADEMICS AND STAFF
ALL STUDENTS
SUBJECT: Commitment to Free Speech and Peaceful Assembly
Dear Members of our UC San Diego Community:
We share the widely expressed outrage at the violent responses to peaceful
demonstrations on our sister University of California campuses. The alarming
images are a stark reminder of our need for vigilance in protecting the rights
of free speech and the freedom to conduct peaceful protests. Our University
must guard those rights.
We fully endorse the UC Academic Council’s statements relayed to President
Mark Yudof and we strongly support the President’s actions to thoroughly
review policing policies and protocols. UC Academic Council's statements
may be accessed at the following website address:
A healthy intellectual climate at UC San Diego relies on civil discourse
and respectful behavior by all community members. Our campus is steadfast
in our resolve to protect the fundamental rights of free speech and peaceful
assembly.
Marye Anne Fox
Chancellor
Suresh Subramani
Executive Vice Chancellor
Joel Sobel
Academic Senate: San Diego Division
Chair
Friday, November 25, 2011
UCLA Chancellor and EVC Response to UC Davis Pepper Spray
Office of the Chancellor
Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
To the Campus Community:
The images from events at UCB and UCD have shocked and troubled all of us on campus and across the system. Our hearts go out to the students, parents, faculty and staff at Berkeley and Davis during this trying time.
At UCLA, a small number of protesters identifying themselves as the Occupy UCLA movement established a camp last Thursday and were asked to disperse early Friday morning. They refused to disperse and preferred to be arrested. All the protesters that morning were peaceful and cooperative. The police worked with Student Affairs and the students to ensure that the process went forward smoothly and the encampment was removed without confrontation or injury. On Monday, after the actions at Davis, the protesters held a series of teach-ins, and decided to set up tents on the lawn in front of the Morgan Center. Under the circumstances and at the urging of faculty and the Senate leadership, we decided not to intervene. Today they have dismantled their tents on their own accord.
The peace and safety of the campus is a high concern for us, as is the freedom of expression. Our aim is to achieve both in a time when feelings are running extremely high. We have worked closely with Student Affairs, Legal Affairs, and UCLA PD to ensure that the campus adheres to ourprinciples of community and that everyone acts with restraint, respect, and tolerance in all circumstances. The meeting of the Regents at UCLA this coming Monday may bring demonstrations, and we will work strenuously with all parties to ensure as far as we are able that they remain safe and peaceful. We have been in constant discussion with our students and campus leadership, and have stressed firmly that we all must act in a responsible manner that preserves the core values of the campus.
We are pleased that so far the UCLA community has managed to avoid the kinds of wrenching events that have torn our sister campuses. That we have done so is testimony to the civility and restraint shown by our students, faculty, police, and staff in difficult circumstances.
We will consult with the City Attorney next week concerning the charges against our students.
We wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
Gene D. Block
Chancellor
Scott L. Waugh
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
To the Campus Community:
The images from events at UCB and UCD have shocked and troubled all of us on campus and across the system. Our hearts go out to the students, parents, faculty and staff at Berkeley and Davis during this trying time.
At UCLA, a small number of protesters identifying themselves as the Occupy UCLA movement established a camp last Thursday and were asked to disperse early Friday morning. They refused to disperse and preferred to be arrested. All the protesters that morning were peaceful and cooperative. The police worked with Student Affairs and the students to ensure that the process went forward smoothly and the encampment was removed without confrontation or injury. On Monday, after the actions at Davis, the protesters held a series of teach-ins, and decided to set up tents on the lawn in front of the Morgan Center. Under the circumstances and at the urging of faculty and the Senate leadership, we decided not to intervene. Today they have dismantled their tents on their own accord.
The peace and safety of the campus is a high concern for us, as is the freedom of expression. Our aim is to achieve both in a time when feelings are running extremely high. We have worked closely with Student Affairs, Legal Affairs, and UCLA PD to ensure that the campus adheres to our
We are pleased that so far the UCLA community has managed to avoid the kinds of wrenching events that have torn our sister campuses. That we have done so is testimony to the civility and restraint shown by our students, faculty, police, and staff in difficult circumstances.
We will consult with the City Attorney next week concerning the charges against our students.
We wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
Gene D. Block
Chancellor
Scott L. Waugh
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Chancellor Yang "Responds" to Police Violence (11/21/11)
November 21, 2011
Dear Members of our Campus Community,
Over the weekend I have received many expressions of concern from faculty, staff, and students about the importance of preserving academic freedom. I have very much appreciated these sentiments. I also have met with our colleagues in Student Affairs, the Police Department, and the Academic Senate.
I am writing now to reaffirm, on behalf of UC Santa Barbara, our campus commitment to civil discourse, freedom of expression, and non-violence. These are core values of our academic community, and we share a common responsibility to protect and safeguard them. Our students, faculty, and staff must continue to work together to discuss important issues and concerns in an environment of mutual respect, safety, and tolerance, even in difficult times.
Thank you for helping to ensure the values of our community.
I send my best wishes for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Sincerely,
Henry T. Yang
Chancellor
Dear Members of our Campus Community,
Over the weekend I have received many expressions of concern from faculty, staff, and students about the importance of preserving academic freedom. I have very much appreciated these sentiments. I also have met with our colleagues in Student Affairs, the Police Department, and the Academic Senate.
I am writing now to reaffirm, on behalf of UC Santa Barbara, our campus commitment to civil discourse, freedom of expression, and non-violence. These are core values of our academic community, and we share a common responsibility to protect and safeguard them. Our students, faculty, and staff must continue to work together to discuss important issues and concerns in an environment of mutual respect, safety, and tolerance, even in difficult times.
Thank you for helping to ensure the values of our community.
I send my best wishes for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Sincerely,
Henry T. Yang
Chancellor
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
