Via CFA: ‘TAKE CLASS ACTION” UPDATE

Headline - Special Edition
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Special Headlines April 14, 2011

‘TAKE CLASS ACTION” UPDATE

Thousands take a stand for quality education, fair contracts on all 23 CSU campuses on April 13
 
BREAKING NEWS:
CSU Sacramento students continue sit-in at Sacramento Hall
 
On all 23 campuses of the California State University, people put down their pencils and notebooks and picked up bullhorns and picket signs yesterday to oppose continued budget cuts undermining public education and Wisconsin-style attacks on the rights of public university workers. 

Faculty, students and staff marched, waved signs and occupied buildings on the common theme to “Take Class Action” for quality public higher education. 

Campus communities took action in other states as well, including Michigan, New Jersey and Massachusetts; other action by public college and university supporters in other states is upcoming. 

While reports and photos of specific campus events continue to pour in, CFA estimates that between 12,000 and 14,000 people participated on CSU campuses. 

Yesterday’s events drew massive media coverage from across the country. The Los Angeles Times ran a front page story. 

For a sampling of this coverage view the results of a Google News search.
 
“What we saw yesterday was the first major salvo in our latest campaign to bring quality higher education to students and fair contracts for faculty and staff,” said CFA President Lillian Taiz. 

“But our work is not done. We must continue to keep the heat on Chancellor Reed and other decision makers who are threatening quality higher education.” 


 
This momentous day of action in the CSU laid out five important demands for the university management: 

• Spend money on classes— cut management bloat
• Stop layoffs and job losses for faculty and staff
• Bargain fair contracts for faculty and staff
• Keep the University public— No more fee hikes
• Support CSU transparency and oil extraction bills 

The day took a new turn at 1 pm when some of the student protestors – along with some faculty supporters – from at least 11 of the 23 campuses of the CSU campuses marched into administration buildings and sat down. Students at a twelfth campus, CSU Long Beach, attempted an occupation but were rebuffed when administrators barred the doors and closed the building for business for the remainder of the day. 

The students who held the occupations in protest of budget cuts also demanded the resignation of CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. 

“These occupations are representative of an entire generation of students who are seeing their California dreams slip away because of budget cuts and executive mismanagement,” said CFA Vice President Kim Geron, who joined the students at CSU East Bay during their occupation. 

Geron continued, “Who can blame students for being upset when year after year they continue to pay more and get less in return.” 


As of this writing, students at CSU Sacramento continue to occupy the campus administration building, Sacramento Hall. Their vigil is now in its second day and they say they will not leave until their demands are met. 

Faculty, including CSU Sacramento CFA Chapter President Kevin Wehr, and a growing crowd of other students have gone to Sacramento Hall to lend support. 

As classes "cycled through," reports Wehr, "one hundred-plus students are teaching each other about budget cuts, politics, the trustees. A great moment — a dance class performed "Ease on Down the Road" from The Wiz." Check it out on the CSUS web page. http://www.calfac.org/csu-sacramento
 
Lawmakers, including Assembly members Richard Pan and Anthony Portantino, who visited the sit-in site, as well as state Senator Leland Yee, have pledged support for the student occupiers. 

Use the link to Twitter above for real time news about the occupation at Sacramento Hall.
Watch for an updated report about April 13 and the Sacramento Sit-In in CFA Headlines next Tuesday. 

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