Berkeley students unite against budget cuts

By Don Clyde and Robert Romano
The Guardsman

A coalition of students, activist groups, union members, faculty and curious onlookers peacefully protested tuition hikes and mandatory furloughs at UC Berkeley for the March 4 Strike and Day of Action, followed by a march to Oakland City Hall.

At noon, various protest groups from around the campus rallied at the intersection of Bancroft and Telegraph avenues, blocking traffic. UC Berkeley public information officer Andrew Frankel said the number of protesters swelled to about 1,000 during the rally.

Frankel said there were no altercations, arrests or incidents of violence on campus.

But over 150 activists were arrested after the rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza when a splinter group walked onto Interstate 880, snarling traffic, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

There were no other altercations during the march or rallies.

“Today we are sending a clear message to the UC administration and the state of California that we are going to fight all attacks on education,” graduate student and French instructor Blanca Misse said.

The protest was a stark contrast to the riots which erupted on Feb. 26 when about 200 students toppled trash cans and broke storefront windows on the south side of campus.

Approximately 100 protesters began blocking Sather Gate as early as 8 a.m., denying students a primary access point to classes from the south side of campus.

Protesters chanted various slogans, including “they say cut backs, we say fight back,” “chop from the top,” and “layoff Yudof,” referring to UC President Mark Yudof.

Tuition at UCs was increased 32 percent by the 2010-2011 school term, to over $10,000 per year due to state budget funding cuts to public education.

“You are seeing a whitening of the campus, and this has of course been in process since they canceled affirmative action,” protest organizer and first-year PhD anthropology student Callie Maidhof said. “These tuition hikes disproportionately affect students of color.”

Maidhof said many students would not be able to return to UC Berkeley due to rate increases.

“I get through Berkeley with a lot of loans,” Undeclared freshman Kevin Becerril said. “These hikes are going to increase my debt significantly.”

Eugene Pascual, a senior in political economy and media studies, who performed in a group Filipino folklore dance during the rally near campus, came with members of the Pilipino American Alliance, to show solidarity with all groups.

Pascual said it was especially necessary given the significant number of racially motivated incidents at UC campuses, including a noose found hanging in a library at UC San Diego and a swastika carved into a Jewish student’s dorm room door at UC Davis.

Berkeley environmental science and policy management research associate Michele Hammond said the liberal arts were being hit hardest because they do not have access to as many grants from private donors, as in the sciences. She said funding priorities are skewed.

“Any state that needs an amendment to the constitution that states we must fund public education as much as prisons is sick,” Hammond said.

Some students wanted to attend the protest but may have faced possible retribution from their instructors.

“I support the rally but still need to go to my classes,” environmental economics major Alisa Rudnick said. “I will join in after my schedule allows, but I can’t compromise my education for it.”

Rudnick said missing class for the rally would affect her grade negatively.

A group of around 20 students ran through several buildings trying to get students in classes to join the protest, but couldn’t convince many to join.

About 1,000 protesters began their four-mile march to Frank Ogawa Plaza at 12:45 p.m. Shop owners and residents along Telegraph ave. came out to show support for the march.

The march joined several hundred K-12 teachers, their students and Peralta Community College students already assembled at the plaza. A small delegation from Hosei University in Tokyo, Japan came to demonstrate their solidarity with the protesters.

After a number of speeches, spoken word and hip hop performances, the rally ended at 4 p.m. Many of the Berkeley protesters continued on to a massive demonstration at the San Francisco Civic Center Plaza.