Maroon Weekly

March 4 Was the Day Students Fought Back

by Ryan Stone
On March 4, one protestor’s sign at the UC Santa Cruz campus read, “If You’re Not Angry, You’re Not Informed.” Students, faculty, activists, public school educators, and many others had picked that day, months in advance, to protest lackluster education budgets nationwide–budgets so small that they have driven what was once affordable and quality, public education toward exclusivity and privatization.
The Santa Cruz campus has cut $50 million from its budget over the past two years, digging into staff wages and scholarships to keep afloat while leaving their Chancellor and other administrators sitting pretty with six-figure salaries. Their part of the UC system has become a symbol for what is happening, not just nationwide but in other parts of the world as well.

Here’s what happened on March 4:
Santa Cruz, California: Complete shutdown at UCSC. Hundreds of protestors began arriving around 5 a.m. and continued to pour in throughout the day. They blocked off both main entrances to the campus.

Johannesburg, South Africa: Solidarity protests broke out when the Congress of South African students called for boycotts at nine campuses. Those protests were subsequently attacked by police. Their goal was free education for the poor.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Eighteen arrests were made at the UWM campus after police attacked 250 demonstrators that had come together as members of the greater UWM Education Rights Campaign to protest tuition hikes and pay cuts. Students for a Democratic Society issued a statement condemning the arrests and called for immediate meetings with the Chancellor to help resolve important issues. He never responded.

Boston, Massachusetts: Protestors came out against fee increases and budget cuts at Umass Boston and also against President Jack Wilson who received a $73,000 raise despite aforementioned fee increases and cuts to faculty and staff wages.

Baltimore, Maryland: The Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center received attention when demonstrators arrived demanding “$100 million be converted from youth jails to youth jobs and education.” Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley recently cut $30 million from the state’s education budget but plans to spend $300 million to build three juvenile detention centers in Baltimore alone. The Baltimore education system is commonly referred to by locals as “the school-to-prison pipeline.”

Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota: Two hundred protestors came out against 250 university administrators that make over $200,000 per year. Also in the spotlight was the university’s basketball coach, Tubby Smith, who makes almost $2 million per year.

Portland, Oregon: Three hundred protestors marched around the Portland State campus while chanting and singing in protests against budget cuts, many specifically aimed at minority studies programs. Said one demonstrator, “Economic democracy is a key piece of real democracy. And we don’t have it.”

Austin, Texas: Student activists marched on the UT Tower, reportedly chanting, “Take the power out of the tower.”

Oakland, California: Oakland’s high school students and educators took to the streets, blocking traffic and chanting in protest against state budget cuts as well as holding a walkout disguised as a mock fire drill. Similar mock drills were performed at public schools across the state.

San Francisco, California: Over 20,000 demonstrators marched on the San Francisco Civic Center.

Chicago, Illinois: Fifty members of the Graduate Student Union at the University of Chicago marched on campus administration offices to protest longer teaching hours and increased fees. The demonstrators dressed as mice.

Portland, Maine: Almost 200 students and teachers packed the Woodbury Center Campus Amphitheatre and held a teach-in where discussions were held on various topics, including what philosophy professor Jason Read refers to as “the bachelor’s degree becoming the new high school diploma.”

Winston-Salem, North Carolina: Students and teachers held a teach-in at Salem College, discussing the apparent re-segregation of state schools through socioeconomic programs and budget cuts.

Westminster, United Kingdom: University of Westminster students continued protests and sit-ins that had been occurring since February. As of the printing of this article, they are still ongoing.

Vienna, Austria: Participants from multiple countries formed a protest of over 10,000 people in response to the Bologna Ministerial Conference. An alternative summit held at the University of Vienna campus garnered an attendance of 2,000.

Rochester, New York: One hundred protestors came out against Mayor Bob Duffy and “his bid to take full control over the city school district in Rochester,” wrote Ralph Bean. His singular mayoral control of the district would mean the end of the city’s school board, denying Rochester’s predominantly black population a say in their children’s education by eliminating their vote.

Olympia, Washington: Students filled the rear balcony of the Washington state senate and shut down proceedings by singing an improvised variation of “Amazing Grace.” A video of this performance is available on YouTube.