author: Denise Wong category: berkeley madness tags: date: September 16th, 2009
Yes, budget cuts are getting worse and worse. Yes, they affect you (sorry to all our non-Berkeley fans, but I’m sure they affect you too)! Given the increasing severity of things, here’s a calendar of upcoming events for you all to keep informed about potential cuts, fee increases, and how we can rally to protect services and programs that students need.
Calendar of Upcoming Events, Talks, and Meetings
- Wednesday, September 16
- “Sowing vs. Eating Our Seed Corn: The Expansion of Public Education During the Great Depression Compared to the Schwarzenegger/Yudof Trajectory Today”: Wednesday, September 16, 4:00 PM, 575 McCone Hall. Gray Brechin, Visiting Scholar in Department of Geography; Project Scholar of Living New Deal Project
- “General Assembly of all UCB Students, Faculty, Staff and Community Members”: Wednesday, September 16, 4-6 PM, Multicultural Center in MLK Student Union. The purpose of this event is to have an open discussion about the budget crisis, fee increases, cutbacks, etc. in more detail before September 24th. It is designed to give everyone a democratic space to discuss the situation, to discuss what to do (not only for the 24th but also beyond). There will be another General Assembly called the evening of the 24th to debrief about the day’s events and to plan next steps.
- “Faculty Perspectives on the Current UC Budget Crisis”: Wednesday, September 16, 7:30-8:45 PM + discussion, ASUC Chambers, 1st floor of Eshleman Hall. Featuring Catherine M. Cole, George Lakoff, Chris Kutz, Alan Karras, Brian Barsky, Fiona Doyle, Ananya Roy.
- Student Worker Action Team (SWAT) Meetings: every Wednesday, 7-9 PM, 170 Barrows.
The Student Worker Action Team is a group comprised of students (grad, undergrad, visiting students), faculty (lecturers, ladder rank faculty, visiting professors), staff, and community members who have come together to fight the budget cuts and to fight for public education. They have organized townhalls about the budget cuts and are in the process of organizing and mobilizing for September 24th and beyond. Everyone and anyone is welcome to come.
- Wednesday, September 23
- “Ladder Rank Faculty Teach-In Panel About Budget Cuts”: Wednesday, September 23, 7-9 PM, location TBA (but likely in Pauley Ballroom).
- Thursday, September 24
- UPTE (University Professional and Technical Employees) Strike: Thursday, September 24, 7:15 AM – 5:00 PM, UCB and UC-wide. UPTE is asking that all members of the campus community support our Sept 24th strike by not crossing our picket line of the UCB campus. We welcome everyone to join us on the line in solidarity. The picket will last 7:15 to 5pm. From 12pm to 2pm we will move our picket to Sather Gate in support of a student, faculty, staff and community rally on Sproul Plaza which we encourage all to attend.
- UCB Faculty/Staff/Student Rally: Thursday, September 24, 12-2 PM, Sproul Plaza. Featured speakers and presentations.
- General Assembly for Students, Staff, Faculty and Community Members at UCB: Time and Location TBA. An opportunity to debrief about the day’s events and plan for the next steps.
- Saturday, September 26
- Defend Our Education: Saturday, September 26, 10-3 PM, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave, Jack Adams Hall, Upper Level of the Cesar Chavez Student Center (Pablo Rodriguez, pabrodriguez@yahoo.com
EDIT: I feel badly for not including this, which would be quite obvious to include, but APAC (Asian Pacific American Coalition) is hosting an open workshop about how budget cuts will specifically affect the API community on campus on Sunday, 9/20 in 247 Dwinelle at 8:00. Please come if interested!
author: ttsang category: berkeley madness, college tags: 1st meeting, decal, fun date: August 31st, 2009
What are you doing this Wednesday at 6?
If you are free, come to our first decal meeting in 20 Wheeler! A decal is a class you can take at Cal that’s run by students. There will be baked goods, discussion, and fun :) We will be giving an overview of hardboiled, both the publication and the decal, and providing a little taste of our purpose in the larger community.
So come on by and check us out! :)
author: elainechen category: berkeley madness tags: date: August 29th, 2009
Mine was highlighted by tabling/flyering for at least five hours, sweating through my shirt because it’s so blazing hot, and going into an Asian American Studies that ended up having no professor assigned! What an adventure. Comment here with stories of your own first three days into Fall 2009!
author: elainechen category: berkeley madness, calling 'em out tags: date: April 2nd, 2009
I got some updates about the fight against the new UC Admissions policy, which I wrote about for issue 12.4. You know, the one that wants to increase diversity by increasing the white population and decreasing the Asian American one. Ring any bells?
Here are some follow-up links to this article. It’s reassuring to know that Asian Americans aren’t going to take this sitting down. Hell yes!
“New UC admissions policy gives white students a better chance, angers Asian-American community” By Lisa M. Krieger, Mercury News
“Asian-American education group seeks delay in UC admissions reform” By Matt Krupnick, Contra Costa Times
Some good quotes:
“How can we not be concerned?” said Patrick Hayashi, a retired UC Berkeley and systemwide leader. “The projections show our community will be decimated. We have to keep in mind that these numbers represent real people.”
“The changes over the last two years took place inside the ivory tower and closed the door, without the public’s knowledge,” he said.
Added Hayashi: “A public university should be more responsive. Private schools can do anything they want. But public schools have a different set of objectives. “It will have a devastating impact on our community. It is a fatal mistake to think it will blow over.”
“It’s affirmative action for whites,” said UC-Berkeley professor Ling-chi Wang. “I’m really outraged “… and profoundly disappointed with the institution.”
Now let me know. How pissed are YOU?
author: ctran1023 category: berkeley madness, calling 'em out tags: date: March 31st, 2009
Let’s be real. This past year has been full of some unpleasant realizations for me when it comes to the way the Berkeley campus is run. As Professor Ling Chi Wang said at the API Language and Education Now! conference, the reason that this campus is full of liberal, passionate, and active students is (and has been since the raging sixties) is because the administration is so incredibly conservative.
The need for us, as students, to defend our education against the administration has come yet again with the plan to restructure the International Area Studies (IAS) department at UC Berkeley. The IAS houses 6 undergrad majors such as Peace and Conflict Studies, Development Studies, and even the Global Poverty minor. The Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost (EVCP) George Breslauer recently announced that the position of dean in IAS would be replaced by a director and the IAS Teaching Program would be demoted to the Institute of IAS.
What’s the big deal about this name game? The title of dean represents a certain degree of importance and power and as such, they would have a larger role in the administrative happenings. This demotion not only takes away this power but makes the statement that Berkeley does not value international knowledge despite the fact that we live in a globalized community. In response to the student and professors’ badgering, Breslauer said that this move would save $250,000 annually. You know what, Breslauer? We’re calling your bluff because, as Prof. Ananya Roy has stated, you’re going to be hiring three individuals to replace the dean– how much money will that save? If you want to restructure a program on campus, can’t you please give us real and foolproof reasons as to why and how it will be beneficial? Breslauer has outright refused to talk to students in an open and public dialogue. This is a serious issue of transparency.
As a Development Studies major, this move impacts me in a very real way. I took on this major because I knew it was interdisciplinary and would not confine me to viewing the world’s issues from one field, one perspective. This major allows me to not only better understand the Third World but pick a geographic area of concentration. I have chosen to focus on Southeast Asia and, in doing so, I have had the opportunity to learn so much about Viet Nam, my heritage as a Vietnamese American woman, and better understand the present day conflicts of the region. This program represents the passion for cultural understanding on the Berkeley campus and we are all stakeholders in it. We cannot afford to let the administration tell us that our concerns are not valid. In true TWLF fashion, let’s tell them that this is our education and OUR university.
For more information, please go to: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=75491306920&ref=ts
To sign the petition to stop restructuring: http://www.calpetitions.com/petition/support-ias/
author: elainechen category: berkeley madness tags: date: March 11th, 2009
The 19th UC Berkeley Annual API Issues Conference is THIS SATURDAY 3/14 at Barrows Hall, Lipman room from 9am – 4pm.
Guest Starring… Activists Yuri Kochiyama and Helen Zia and Members of the original twLF / AAPA (Asian American Political Association).
W-W-Whaaaat??
That’s right. You did not hear wrong.
This will be a kick-ass, cuh-ray-zee, mind-blowing event. If you aren’t registered, and if you hadn’t prepared yourself for this weekend yet, what the heck are you doing?? CLICK HERE.
hardboiled will be making a strong showing there: you better too!
author: ctran1023 category: Uncategorized, berkeley madness tags: date: February 16th, 2009
Ahh yes, the impending doom that is budget cuts. Clearly, it’s going to be a lot worse than most people anticipated seeing how crappy the economy is. However, instead of just being a Debbie Downer and leaving it at that, hb really wants you all to do something about it.
The API Education and Languages NOW! (APIEL!) org is putting on open forum to talk about how to strengthen language education at Berkeley, recession or not. I know that it’s not necessarily easy for the administration because they do have the tough job of finding ways to make ends meet but we need to let them know that what we really can’t afford is losing language education. Come to the event to voice your opinions and learn something!
They’re going to have amazing speakers like Prof. Ling-Chi Wang (activist since the Third World Liberation Front), Prof. Elaine Kim, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, and Vice Chancellor of Equity and Inclusion Gibor Basri.
When: Thursday, February 19th, 2009 from 4:00-7:00 pm
Where: Heller Lounge, MLK Jr. Student Union
Got questions? Contact apielnow@gmail.com. Check out the fb event here.