University of Minnesota - AGENDA
April 8, 2010
8:30 – 9:15 am Arrival and Registration
Location: Coffman Memorial Union
Go to the theater located on the 1st floor
• Schools/Groups Sign-In and Register
• Students pick up folder, get paired up with their group leader, go over
the agenda, and get their meeting assignments
• Music and Open-Mic time
9:15 – 10:15 am Opening Program
• Why are we here? In-State Tuition For All!
• Student Speakers & Trainers
• Spokenword and Performances
10:15 – 11:15 am Walk to Northrop & Rally
• Pick up your rally sign on your way out of Coffman
• Meet at Northrop Mall for Rally and Student Speakers

Democracy Insurgent participated in and helped organized the March 4th actions in Seattle, where 700 students, workers and community members turned out. It was a great success! We had very many powerful experiences and lessons we gathered from the action that we want to share and learn from for our next actions. We are now organizing for a campus strike on May 3rd, in solidarity with the teaching assistants at UW who are facing cut backs in their contract, as well as with all state workers who are facing cuts in their healthcare. Students, workers and community unity is vital for us to fight back against the cuts that hurt us all!

Money for Education and Healthcare, not for War and Occupation!

http://www.democracyinsurgent.org/?q=node/5

FULLERTON, California – As of 3AM, CSU Fullerton’s 8-story Humanities building has been barricaded from the inside by some fairly heavy materials. Their communique below. Why Occupy? And Why the Humanities Building? (Updates Follow)

First and foremost, it is important for us to express our unease with the term “occupation.”  The term’s historical indebtedness to militarization/colonial exploitation is difficult to disassociate.  We use the term merely as a means of putting ourselves in direct solidarity with the “occupations” that have been occurring the world over from universities to factories to foreclosed homes; from Asia to Europe to Africa to central and south America and, now, here in the United States.  They are happening and they are growing.  The term that is perhaps more appropriate, and which still expresses the spirit of these movements, is “reclamation.”

Now to the question: why reclaim?  Well, none other than CSUF’s own strategic planner Michael Parker, as well the university’s administration, has put out the call.  In a document that was released as “pre-event reading” for the President’s Planning Retreat held on January 20th, 2010 Parker wrote the following:

If degrees obviously lead to jobs in fields like healthcare, public administration and pre-legal training, science and engineering, research support, communications, business, pre-medical and dental training that can be seen as crucial to society, then we make our case. More esoteric offerings such as literature, philosophy, fine arts, and so forth will only be justified in the minds of the public as they are clearly related to practical concerns. The fact that these are traditional parts of comprehensive universities is no longer a strong enough argument to the public. (p. 5)

Students have barricaded themselves inside the management offices at Sussex University. They are protesting against the Vice Chancellor’s plans to make 115 staff redundant.
The job cuts would eradicate the environmental sciences degree programme, and significantly reduce the size of the English, history, and life science departments. The student advice service, the crèche, security services and catering staff also face savage cuts.

The students’ action is part of a national day of action against education cuts, which was called in response to the government’s announcement (on February 1^st) of £950m cuts to university funding over the next three years. Students at Westminster University occupied their vice-chancellor’s office on Monday to protest against cuts, and demonstrations are taking place today in Norwich, Leeds and London, to name only a few.

Higher education has been one of the first sectors to face severe spending cuts, and the actions of students and university staff will determine the confidence of the government to cut jobs and services in other areas.