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New UI President Acts Fast, Launches Budget Plan

In the face of a $400 million budget shortfall, the President of the University of Illinois will implement a three part plan to address the school’s financial problems.   UI Interim President, Stanley Ikenberry, sent out a press release on Jan. 5, to address the grim financial situation at the 142 year-old institution. The school’s problems are rooted in the state’s budget crisis—the state of Illinois’s credit is ranked 49th in the country.   Several times in recent months, the University has issued statements warning that unless they receive promised funds from the state, they may not meet payroll. Right now, the University is meeting payroll with a $65 million buffer that was created by setting aside $20 million in November and reducing expenditures by six percent.   “Until we see signs of this financial crisis lifting we must implement the following short term measures,” said Ikenberry.   Ikenberry plans to reduce spending quickly with furlough days. President Ikenberry is taking 10 furlough days, and directing chancellors, deans and other UI administrators to do the same. The rest of staff is asked to take only four, and the president is exempting those with an annual base salary of $30,000 or less, graduate assistants, and retirees whose tenure is up before August 15, 2010.   The University is also implementing a freeze on hiring and wage increases. Research support and emergency compensation agreements will be unchanged. A working group has been charged with reorganizing and restructuring the administration for cost efficiency. The group will provide a preliminary report to the board of trustees and the UI community on Jan. 21. More from the University of Illinois Even more from the University of Illinois

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

UNC Students Organize Against Fee Increases

Student leaders in the UNC-system Association of Student Governments are working to get money garnered by student fee increases returned to the UNC System. Currently, those funds are in the state General Fund. The N.C. General Assembly passed a mandate last summer increasing 2010-11 tuition by 8 percent or $200, whichever is less. Across the campuses, the average increase would be $180 or 7.2 percent.   According to the mandate, the revenue generated by that increase would go to the state’s general fund to help close the budget shortfall.   Jasmin Jones, student body president of UNC-Chapel Hill, first proposed the petition idea in November.   ASG Prsident Greg Doucette aims to get students more engaged in the tuition process, and to have something solid to hand to legislators during meetings later in the semester.   “After awhile, legislators kind of get sick of me saying the same thing over and over again,” Doucette said. “When you’ve got something you can hand them…it carries more impact.”   Jones has already scheduled meetings with 20 legislators before the legislative session in May. More from the Daily Tar Heel at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

Controversial Group Sparks Campus Protest, Free Speech Questions

More than 30 protestors from the University of Oregon and surrounding community attended the Pacifica Forum’s Jan. 8 meeting to argue against the group’s views, which protestors see as inciting hate and creating an unsafe environment on campus. The group meets on campus but is not an official student organization.   Though the meeting carried the theme “Everything You Wanted to Know about Pacifica Forum but were Afraid to Ask,” many protesters’ questions were met with condescension.   The Pacifica Forum labels itself a free-speech organization, though some have expressed concern in the past over the alleged white-supremacist tilt of its speakers. The group has also hosted speakers that denied the Holocaust, The Southern Poverty Law Center categorizes the Forum as a “white nationalist hate group.” Some students reported that the group began its Dec. 11 meeting with Nazi salutes.   The tense meeting brought at least one student to tears and led another to say to the Pacifica supporters “I am a student at my campus and I fear you.”   The group’s recent actions have caused the University administration to take a second look at its policy on providing meeting space for groups. The Forum is able to meet on campus because founder Orval Etter is a former professor at the school.   “We are addressing our policies about how best to proceed with our mission and values while safeguarding the campus community and the values of free speech,” said University Vice President of Institutional Equity and Diversity Charles Martinez in a letter to The Eugene Weekly. More from the Oregon Daily Emerald at the University of Oregon Even more the Oregon Daily Emerald

Issue: Free Speech and Academic Rights

Budget Restraints Threaten Student Transportation, Students Rally

A plan to cut student MetroCards in New York City has prompted sharp criticism from students, community members, and local politicians who held a rally on Jan. 5. The plan to cut the free student MetroCards is part of the Metro Transit Authority’s cost-cutting measures aimed at alleviating a roughly $400 million budget gap. The part of the plan that will cancel free student cards has sparked the most criticism because nearly 500,000 students rely on the cards to get to school. After the plans sparked outrage throughout New York communities, Gov. David Patterson said that if the student cards are eliminated through MTA’s budget cuts, he would find another way to fund them. A council speaker at last Tuesday’s rally suggested using $100 million in federal stimulus money and little-known federal program to avoid cutting student cards. MTA blames the state for its budget woes because it cut millions in subsidies to the agency in order to keep the free cards. "If we're able to get the financial support to get free rides for students of New York City, we'd be happy to see it happen,” said MTA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jay Walder. Public hearings over the next couple months will provide a platform for New Yorkers to weigh in on the plans that could affect thousands of students.   More from NY1 News

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

Midwest Community Colleges See Historic Enrollment

Community colleges in Michigan and the Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana are noticing an unprecedented growth in student enrollment from last year.  The number of students enrolling in Michigan community colleges is unmatched by anything in history. Mike Hansen, the president of the Michigan Community College Association, said 275,000 students are enrolled in community colleges throughout the state—a 10 percent increase from fall enrollment. Hansen noted that while the increase is a good thing, he is concerned about growing class sizes. "In other words there really isn't the classroom space," Hansen said. "There's classrooms being taught on weekends and midnight, Henry Ford Community College for example is parking at the mall and they bus the students in. There's no parking anymore at Washtenaw." Community colleges in other parts of the Midwest are seeing the same trend, including the Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana. Ivy Tech’s Richmond campus has 4,225 enrolled for the spring semester, which is up from last year's 2,910—a 45.2 percent increase. Diana Pappin, executive director of resource development and media relations, said the school has increased class sizes to both accommodate rising demand and address a cut this month to the remainder of the two-year budget cycle.   Statewide, Ivy Tech has seen a historic spike in enrollment since last spring—a nearly 40 percent increase from 90,135 students to roughly 120,000—making it the college's largest semester enrollment in its history.  More from Michigan Radio More from the Palladium Item

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

Miami Students March to the Capitol

Four Miami college students began what they're calling "The Trail of Dreams"—a 1,500-mile trek to Washington, D.C. starting New Years Day to advocate for immigration reform. The group of students, some legal residents and others undocumented, hope to mount support for the DREAM Act, legislation that would allow eligible undocumented students to gain U.S. citizenship.  The marchers are raising awareness for the plight of children brought to the United States by their parents illegally who then often face deportation after growing up in the United States. All of the students said they are willing to take the risks involved in calling attention to students, like some of the marchers, who are here illegally. One of the students, Juan Rodriguez who is president of the student government at Miami-Dade College's InterAmerican Campus, came to the United States from Colombia with his parents as a young child. "I'm tired of coming back to school each semester and hearing about another friend who was picked up and deported," Rodriguez said to a group of supporters. The students said they were inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, and the migrant farm workers who walked the length of California in the 1970s. The Florida Immigrant Coalition is assisting the students with logistics, and following them with an RV to provide shelter at night and a bathroom. More from CBS

Issue: Social Justice | 1 Comments

Dropping Classes Could be Costly for Florida Scholarship Students

Many Florida college students will now have an extra incentive to stay enrolled in classes after the add and drop period ends, even if it means receiving a bad grade.   A new state law will force students with Bright Futures scholarships to repay their award money if they withdraw from a class after the add-drop period ends. "It's like you're being forced to fail,'' said Sophomore Boris Bastidas at Florida Atlantic University. "If you withdraw after drop/add, you've got to pay the money back. If you stay in the class, you may get a bad grade that will hurt your GPA.'' The amount of the charge will depend on the value of the scholarship and the number of credit hours dropped. A typical charge for a three-credit class is predicted to be around $378. Students without scholarships have always had to pay money for withdrawing from a class mid-semester. The new law is the most recent, but not the first cut to the Bright Futures scholarship program, which is funded by the Florida Lottery. Bright Futures used to pay the total cost of public university tuition and fees for high school students graduating with an A average, but now the scholarship pays a fixed amount. The state estimates that the measure will collect $32 million from students, and also improve the state's woeful graduation rates. At the University of Florida, only 56 percent of students graduate within four years; at Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University, fewer than half the students graduate within six years. The state did not make statistics available on how many of the A-students receiving Bright Futures scholarships are part of the poor graduation rate. More from the Miami Herald

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

ASUCD President Vetoes a Vote of No Confidence in Yudof

Following months of heated criticisms of University of California President Mark Yudof, the President of the Associated Students of the University of California-Davis Joe Chatham vetoed a resolution that would have proclaimed a stance no confidence in Yudof. The resolution was passed by the ASUCD Senate two weeks ago.   The Senate passed the resolution on the steps of Mrak Hall, the site where 52 students were arrested while protesting budget cuts and a 32 percent tuition hike this past November. Mo Torres, former ASUCD senator and author of the resolution, voiced his disappointment in the rejection of the resolution. Torres touted the symbolic location of the vote, on the steps of Mrak Hall rather than where ASUCD meetings are traditionally held. "It is disappointing that this resolution has been vetoed," said Torres. “This resolution was passed in a beautiful environment. Had it been passed in this room, it wouldn't have been on AGTV and the news. It would not have had the same meaning if it was passed here."   Though the decision ignited protest, Chatham stood by his decision, explaining that a vote of no confidence is a useless symbol. "Making a vote of no confidence is not productive," Chatham said. "It essentially calls for people to resign, and that's not what we are asking for. I've written an alternative resolution that highlights some specific demands, including a fee reduction schedule, greater transparency and greater cooperation with the students." Chatham sees lobbying as a path with more potential, touching on a strategy that some students and parents have already begun. "I think that students, staff and faculty need to partner with the regents to voice our opinions in Sacramento." More from the Aggie at UC Davis More from CNN

Issue: Student Governance and Campus Administration

Dorm Fees Increase Across the Country

Amidst collapsing academic departments and huge tuition hikes, many colleges across the nation are also responding to budget cuts by increasing student resident fees. The trend began last year, when the Michigan Board of Regents implemented a 3.9 percent increase in the residence hall rates at the University of Michigan, bringing the cost of dorm living to $8,924 in 2009-2010, an increase of $334 from the previous year. The Arizona Board of Regents followed suit earlier this year when they handed down an almost 11 percent increase in residence hall fees for the fall 2009 semester. In Alabama this April, the State Board of Education authorized Faulkner State Community College and Wallace State Community College-Hanceville to increase their dorm fees as well--FSCC increasing by $200, and WSCC increasing by $50. The Texas Christian University announced in early December that it might raise housing rates up to 2.5 percent for all of its dormitories. Meal plans are also getting more expensive. Residents at FSCC and WSCC now have to pay $1,120 for their meal plans, compared to $945 last year. More from the TCU Daily Skiff More from the Daily 49er More from the Alabama State Board of Education More from Michigan Live in Ann Arbor More from the Daily Wildcat at the University of Arizona

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

Housing Motion Could Impact University of Kentucky Students

After some students took legal action against Lexington landlord Mike Haley for refusing to return a security deposit, the City of Lexington and state officials are now looking into Haley’s management of his rental properties. The City filed a motion for an injunction against Haley, arguing that his rental homes violated the city's zoning ordinances because they meet criteria to be considered boarding houses.   On December 17, Judge Thomas Clark denied the motion for an injunction, which would have forced students to move out of Haley’s properties.  The case against Haley will continue throughout the spring with future court dates scheduled in April. Student Government President Ryan Smith said that even if the motion passes, students will not stop living in privately-rented housing in Lexington. "There are more and more apartment complexes being built, however, houses will continue to be a major source of residence for students," said student government member Ryan Smith, who attended the hearing. "I think it's important we stay on top of this issue and let the mayor know what the students are thinking." More from the Kentucky Kernel More from the National Student News Service

Issue: Civic Participation

UC Law School To Cover Huge Portion of Tuition

While budget cuts have the University of California community in upheaval, the UC Irvine School of Law arranged for privately financed scholarships to cover at least half of tuition for 80 students for three years. The decision comes after Irvine’s inaugural class of 60 students received full scholarships for all three years in August. The scholarships made Irvine so alluring that it could only accept 4 percent of applicants this year—making Irvine the most selective law school in the country in its first year. Most of the scholarship money comes from lawyers in southern California, according to Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. Last week alone, Orange County trial lawyer Mark Robinson donated $400,000 on top of the $1 million donation he made to the inaugural class in August. Though the UC Irvine School of Law is not yet accredited, the tuition for 2010-2011 is expected to be nearly $40,000 for California residents and $50,000 for out-of-state residents, a 10 percent increase from last year. Dean Chemerinsky, who previously taught at the Duke University law school, said he was expecting a surge in new applications before the Feb. 15 deadline in light of this week’s scholarship announcement.  “Obviously we can’t keep these scholarships going forever,” said Chemerinsky, “But I think we need to keep it going till we’re established as a school, so that we keep getting these high-quality applicants.” More from The Ledger

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

After Outcry, USA Today Backpedals on Phrase “illegal students”

USA Today changed the phrase “illegal students” in the title of an article from last week after over 500 concerned readers wrote letters condemning the language. Change.org and DreamActivist.org organized the letter writers, and the article now refers to “illegal immigrant students.” The article, “Groups try to delay deportations of illegal immigrant students,” was about several recent incidents in which undocumented students were threatened with deportation. Letter-writers argued that no people should be considered “illegal,” and that the use of the phrase promotes a hostile and dehumanizing attitude towards immigrants. They also argue that in the particular circumstances of undocumented or unauthorized college students, the term is inaccurate.  “Even if Bazar is talking about higher education, universities and colleges are not legally barred from teaching to undocumented immigrants so long as they pay their own tuition bills,” said Erin Rosa at Campus Progress. Petition-organizer Prerna Lal wrote about the campaign against USA Today’s use of the term on Change.org. “This subtle change tells us that a few hundred emails and calls have the power to drive change,” wrote Lal enthusiastically. “There should be some solace in knowing that any media source that refers to immigrant students as ‘illegal students’ will have to bear the brunt of young immigrants who simply want the right to define themselves.” DreamActivist.org is an organization that works towards passage of the DREAM Act, legislation that would allow undocumented college students to gain a legal path to citizenship. More from USA Today More from Change.org More from America’s Voice Online More from the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Issue: Social Justice | 2 Comments

Parents and Families Join Tuition Protests in CA

California students have been up in arms all semester, but now parents and families are knocking on the doors of Sacramento over impending budget cuts and fee hikes at California public universities. The Parent Advisory Council at California State University-Chico is organizing a campaign to get parents to call their representatives and tell them that education is becoming unaffordable. Bob Combs, president of the Advisory Council, is heading the campaign. "We elect these officials, we donate money and we are the voice of our children," said Combs. "If one of us is calling an Assembly member or Congress person, we're certainly much stronger if 10 of us are calling." The L.A. Times interviewed two parents, Berenice Vite and Rafael Curiel, who missed three house payments to meet their son’s tuition at CSU-Long Beach. "I was raised learning about the importance of education, and I want my children to be educated,” said Vite. “But we don't know if we're going to have a house or not.” Students in both the CSU and the University of California systems have been getting huge amounts of media attention as thousands attended protests and occupied university-owned buildings over the course of the semester. Over 200 students have been arrested since September. The UC system is raising tuition by 32 percent over the next year, and CSU is accepting 40,000 fewer students. Both moves are reactions to a total of $516 million in budget cuts. Ken Stone, the president of the CSU Alumni Council and father of three current CSU students, also sees community organizing as the path forward. "There are things we can do at a grass-roots level, like talking with friends and neighbors about the threat to higher education, and we want to make sure we can talk from a knowledgeable base." More from the L.A. Times More from the Parent Advisory Council at CSU

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

AG Says UW Student Governments Must Obey Open Meeting Laws

When student journalists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee had a hard time getting information about their student government’s budget and election practices, they asked Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen if student governments should be subject to open meeting laws. On Dec. 17, Van Hollen said that student government organizations that play a role in determining how student fees are spent or what university policies will be would be subject to open meeting laws like other governments.  Student organizations that do not play that type of roll are not subject to open meeting laws under the opinion.  In Wisconsin, state statue gives students “primary responsibility for the formulation and review of policies concerning student life, services, and interests” and “the disposition of those student fees which constitute substantial support for campus student activities.”  The Student Press Law Center reported the story, and spoke with Jonathan Anderson, the special projects editor for the UWM Post. "It gives us an argument when we make a records request to a University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee student government. We hope that it makes the process easier when requesting records," Anderson told SPLC. The student journalists explained that their mission is to ensure public oversight of the student government’s expenditure of public funds. More from the Student Press Law Center More from the Wisconsin Attorney General

Issue: Student Governance and Campus Administration

220 Colleges May Not Get Federal Aid because of Default Rates

More than 220 colleges have long-term student loan default rates so high that students at those colleges would be ineligible for federal student loans under a new law. The law would measure default rates over a three-year period starting 2014, according to new Department of Education figures. Federal student aid supplies low-interest loans to students to help pay tuition based on  what many students know as the FAFSA form. In the final quarter of the 2008-2009 academic year, the federal government distributed over $4.6 billion in aid to nearly 2.5 million students in unsubsidized loans alone. If too many of a school’s past students fail to pay back their federal loans on time, the school may become ineligible to get future money for their students. Student-loan defaults are more common at for-profit colleges, and the proposed bill has caused those institutions to warn of imminent harm to students. "The only thing that explains default rate is the socioeconomic background" of the student, said Harris N. Miller, president of the Career College Association, which represents for-profit institutions. "By using that as the metric of quality, you will always be discriminating against low-income students." But some groups offer other explanations for the high default rates of for-profit college students: predatory lending. A report released Dec.1 by U.S. PIRG, the United States Students Association, and Demos explains that for-profit colleges aggressively market high-interest loans that they know their students cannot pay back. The report calls on Congress to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency to regulate, among other things, lending by for-profit colleges. More from the Chronicle of Higher Education More from the Federal Aid Student Gateway More from the National Student News Service

Issue: Higher Education Affordability | 2 Comments

UW Students Organize to Stave Off Financial Aid Cuts

University of Washington President Mark Emmert made it clear to students that their input could be the key to saving their financial aid. Knowing their future funding is at stake, UW students did just that, addressing legislators, faculty, and staff at the annual pre-session legislative reception Dec. 9 put on by the Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW). Previously, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire proposed a 50-percent cut to state need-based aid in the 2010 supplemental budget. "Statistics are nice, but stories of everyday students are very compelling," Emmert said. "We need to tell the stories of what it means to not have that financial aid, in very clear and very direct fashions." Cruz Credle, president of ASUW Tacoma, shared his story about the Husky-Promise grant. “I’m actually a Husky-Promise student,” he said, “This has allowed me to be the first of my siblings to go to college. I’m a role model for my little nieces and nephews.” The ASUW started a Political Action Network in November, and since its creation more than 500 students have joined. PAN has already had success in using grassroots email campaigns to ensure the continuation of the U-PASS, a low-cost transportation card for students and faculty. PAN’s leaders hope it will spark students to further voice their support for higher education. After listening to students tell stories about how important financial aid is to their education at the legislative reception, Washington State Senator Paull Shinn said their strategy showed exactly the stories he was looking for. "As the chair of [the] higher education [committee] for four years and vice chair for eight years, every time students come talk to me, it affects me—my thinking, more than anything," he said. "There are lobbyists, professional lobbyists; they come and that's their job...but students are sincere, they're speaking from the heart." More from the Daily at the University of Washington More from PAN

Issue: Higher Education Affordability | 1 Comments

Boise State Campus Mobilizes Against Intolerance

Over 200 people took to the Boise State campus on Dec. 11 in response to what protesters saw as racist and homophobic fliers that were illegally inserted in copies of school's student newspaper, the Arbiter. A coalition of faculty, staff and students participated in the Hands Across Campus Rally (HACR) following the distribution of the fliers. Participants stated that they wanted to combat hate, oppression, and intolerance. They also wanted to show acceptance and support to those targeted by the fliers. The rally was organized in just 24 hours, and within 30 minutes HACR was able to collect 305 signatures on the Hands Across Campus Solidarity Statement. Shannon Morgan, reporter for the Arbiter Online, wrote about her personal experience at the rally. “It was a chance to publicly show that our support for diversity and tolerance is not just something we say, but something we are willing to take action to protect.” Morgan continued, explaining that “what this flier [said] is not OK. It does not represent our university, this state or the values of this country.” More from the Arbiter Online Even more from the Arbiter Online

Issue: Social Justice | 3 Comments

Students Rally Against Pittsburgh Student Tax

By Louis Sallerson The student tax proposed by Pittsburgh’s mayor, Luke Ravenstahl, has ignited both student opposition and political controversy. The “Fair Share Tax,” announced by the Mayor as a central priority immediately following his re-election, would help fill a $15 million city budget deficit by exacting a 1 percent tax on the tuition of every student who attends a college or university in Pittsburgh. According to the mayor, the bill would tax students who benefit from the municipal services of the city but have not paid their fare share for these services. The vote on the tax was delayed for a second time on Dec. 16 when Mayor Ravenstahl said that his conversations with the city’s non-profits have been “progressing.” He said he would settle for a voluntary $5 million payment from the city’s non-profits in lieu of the tax. Still, the tax has met with widespread opposition from both students and politicians, who question its legality. According to City Council Member Bill Peduto, who publicly opposes the tax, there is “a basic premise [in] the Penn constitution that only the state legislature has the ability to create taxes. Local governments are not given that right, local governments can enact a tax once it has asked the state legislature.” “The tax itself is not based on the fees or the costs associated with any student,” Peduto said. “but instead is directly tied to their tuition, which is not a good indication on deciding how someone is using city services.” Lawmakers from the state legislature, among them Representative Paul Costa (D-Allegheny) have already stated that they will block the tax with new legislation. Students are also arguing that they are major contributors to the city’s economy. “Students are residents of Pittsburgh too,” said Aaron Gross, chair of the Undergraduate Student Senate at Carnegie Mellon University. “Many own homes, pay real estate taxes and pay wage taxes on the income they earn in the city.” Like Peduto, CMU Undergraduate Student Senator Amy Ayedemi argues that the dollar amount of a student’s tuition is not tied to their role in the city. CMU students, “notorious for their hard work and contributions to society” according to Ayedemi, would pay an additional $409 on top of their tuition as opposed to the $27 that would be charged to students at the Community College of Allegheny County. Others argue that the tax counters basic principles of good governance. Gross argues that because most students in the city receive financial aid to finance their educations, the tax inherently affects those who are least able to pay. Councilman Peduto added that the bill would be taxing something that the government should be encouraging. “We have sin taxes on things like alcohol tobacco and gambling,” Peduto said, “but, I can’t think of anywhere where people are being taxed on educating themselves and bettering themselves. It would be like taxing people who are giving up smoking, taxing people who are going on diets, or taxing people who are joining gyms.” According to Peduto, students from Pittsburgh have sent him 4,000 emails expressing their concern, a figure that doubles the highest amount he has ever seen. The students have used a website to spread awareness about the tax, which offers talking points, gives updates on the latest developments, and provides information on how to contact members of the student council. The Mayor, who has attempted to put this tax to a vote in the city council, still retains the support of five council members necessary to hold a majority. However, the vote on the tax has been delayed and many wonder if the Mayor will still hold onto his majority support when the year ends and two of his supporting council members step down. In the meantime, students are continuing their opposition. “If Pittsburgh becomes the first city in the nation to tax students for learning,” Gross said, “it will not only be a serious detriment to Pittsburgh students, but to students across the nation. These politicians are simply lacking a long-term vision. Taxing students is a politically easy way to fill a budget gap.” Even if the tax, which many doubt will pass, is enacted, the students leading this opposition have vowed to continue fighting. “This tax is not going to fly,” Ayedemi said. “If the mayor actually goes through with this proposed student tax, my only concern would be for him, because this is going to the courts. And you can guarantee that I will be one of the people fighting against him if and when that day comes.”

Issue: Choose One

Protests Spur Heightened Tensions at Berkeley

Students protesting fee hikes and budget cuts inside Wheeler Hall at the University of California-Berkeley were shocked when their protest was shortened due to a police raid in the early hours of Dec. 11. The protesters—who had occupied the building since Dec. 7—were planning on holding a free hip hop concert Friday evening to end the protest, then cleaning and leaving Wheeler Hall Saturday morning. Protesters claim they had University permission to be in the building peacefully. At around 4:40 a.m. Dec. 11, with the support of the UC Berkeley administration, police entered Wheeler Hall to wake up sleeping occupants, order them to vacate the premises, and transport some to jail. The UC Berkeley News reported 66 students and other protesters were arrested; some were held until they could post bail. "People were not given a final warning—police burst in while people were sleeping and immediately started locking doors and arresting people," said Political Science major Elias Martinez. "Many students have papers due today, and finals to take starting tomorrow." School spokesman Dan Mogulof said the concert was a primary reason the administration sent police. "Once the group refused to reconsider plans to hold an unauthorized all-night concert in an academic building, we had to take steps to ensure that finals could go forward," he said. But an unofficial letter from the Student Advocate’s Office, leaked on Dec. 15, said that the University had planned the arrests even before the students announced the concert. Some review sessions and tests scheduled for Wheeler Hall were moved because campus police and security personnel restricted access to the building. The tension on campus heightened that evening, as a group of between 40 to 70 protesters attacked UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau's house, smashing planters, windows, and lights. UC Police said that some of the protesters had torches. Eight people were arrested for the vandalism. One of them was a local photojournalist. None of them are being charged with any crimes. Birgeneau said he felt his life was in danger. "I urge the community and protesters to find more productive ways to express their points of view," he said. "The resort to life-endangering violence is never acceptable on our campus. I call upon the majority of the group who have been expressing their point of view in nonviolent ways to condemn the actions of these few individuals." More from the San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center More from the San Jose Mercury News More from the Student Activism blog More from the Live Week website

Issue: Student Governance and Campus Administration

University of Kentucky Students Stand Up Against Lexington Landlord

Several students at the University of Kentucky are filing a lawsuit against a Lexington landlord who failed to return a $1,500 security deposit. The landlord, Mike Haley, is withholding at least part of the security deposit because of broken blinds.  The renters, including UK Senior Keegan Bakus, argue that Haley failed to do a walk through at the end of the lease as required by Kentucky law.  This is not the first problem the students have had in the two years they’ve lived in the house.  Two days before Bakus and his roommates moved into the house to plan future furniture arrangements, the students found a hole punched in the wall, a chunk of a door missing, and a gay slur painted on one of the walls. The damage forced them to move in late.  Bakus’s father, Ron Bakus, an attorney practicing out of Louisville, will represent the students in the lawsuit. Bakus is concerned that such instances are under-reported problems in college towns. Haley didn’t respond to phone calls and a certified letter from Bakus’s father demanding a refund. Bakus believes many Lexington students are being taken advantage of because they don’t know their renting rights or can’t afford to take legal action.  “A lot of landlords know it’s expensive to hire a lawyer and students can’t afford it,” Keegan Bakus said. “So these guys can take your security deposit and you can’t do anything about it. I feel like it happens to a lot of people.” “I think there are a lot of good landlords out there, but human nature would tell you that anybody who is aware that students can’t afford a lawyer … it makes sense [they] would keep the deposit,” Ron Bakus said. More from the Kentucky Kernel at the University of Kentucky

Issue: Social Justice

Hundreds of New York Students Feign Death in Protest

Hundreds of NYC students assembled their bodies to spell out D-O-W on Dec. 3 in protest of the chemical company's refusal to face trial.   Roughly 25 years ago, 27 tons of lethal gases leaked from Union Carbide's pesticide factory in Bhopal, India, killing 8,000 people and poisoning thousands of others. Dow Chemical bought Union Carbide in 1999, and officials claim the company isn't responsible for Union Carbide’s spill.   Students from Parsons the New School formed the die-in protest, while other participants held up signs spelling out "Clean Up Bhopal."   "It's no surprise that hundreds of New School students volunteered to die today to call out the continued death and devastation in Bhopal that Dow Chemical refuses to take responsibility for," said faculty member Andy Bichlbaum. "It's great to see students continuing the feisty legacy of the New School."   The effects of the Dec. 2, 1984 leak are still apparent in Bhopal. Some toxins in the groundwater there are 2,400 times higher than World Health Organization and U.S. EPA Guidelines, according to a recent Bhopal Medical Appeal study.   "We're here to remind people in New York and elsewhere that Bhopalis continue to die from the after-effects of that disaster," Adriane Corwin, an organizer with the Bhopal campaign said.  More from Common Dreams

Issue: Social Justice | 3 Comments

Student Fees Opened Up For Discussion in Arizona

Students at the University of Arizona met this week to reevaluate the way they allocate student fee money to organizations and student projects. The Student Services Fee Advisory Board will review student surveys and applications for fees to make sure that the money provided by students will most directly benefit students. The board will also strive to keep its decisions transparent to the campus community to maintain its integrity and will strive for excellence by carefully making its decisions. Matthew Totlis, a Mathematics major and senior who serves as the advisory board chair, outlined his goals for the allocation as providing for impact, integrity and excellence.    Another attendee, graduate student Lon Huber, made specific suggestions for how the funds will be allocated. “I’d like to see more into energy efficiency and renewable energy that can actually save the campus money down the road,” he said. Huber also highlighted one of the common concerns in recent student fee conversations: “I think it’s important to…make sure that student money is spent wisely,” he said. While the students at the University of Arizona are conducting their business with transparency and civility, the allocation of student fees is a highly-disputed process elsewhere in the country. This week, the Supreme Court accepted a case on the allocation of student fees at Hastings Law School at the University of California. Earlier this semester, students at North Carolina State University protested the Student Senate’s choice to use fees to renovate their student center, claiming that the student body was not adequately informed of the decision beforehand. Students further down south at the University of Georgia also gained partial control over student fees that had previously been allocated by university staff. More from the Arizona Daily Wildcat at the University of Arizona More from the National Student News Service Even more from the National Student News Service

Issue: Student Governance and Campus Administration | 1 Comments

Berkeley Students Challenge Free Speech Event

Students at the University of California-Berkeley protested an event marking the anniversary of the Free Speech Movement seeking further security for First Amendment rights. Protesters sought to raise awareness for current problems with the repression of speech in the University system. The event was put on by the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC). The 45th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement, which drew a crowd of about 350 people, attracted a group of protesters looking to commemorate the anniversary in a different way, not through what protesters called, "museum-ification." "Free speech is not a fossil—it is a constant struggle, and that struggle continues right now on UC campuses through this movement," said Praba Pilar, a graduate student of performance studies at UC Davis. Event coordinators eventually compromised with the protesters, who had refused to allow ASUC President Will Smelko to speak. The compromise allowed representatives of both groups to speak at the event. ”There are serious issues with the [University] administration repressing free speech," said Zak Solomon, a senior majoring in interdisciplinary studies. "They didn't support it years ago, and they're not supporting it now—that hypocrisy, we don't accept." The event was not correlated with recent large-scale protests and demonstrations at UC-Berkeley around budget cuts and no arrests were made. More info from The Daily Californian at the University of California Berkeley

Issue: Free Speech and Academic Rights

Kansas Students Elucidate Healthcare

The Concerned Active and Aware Students at Kansas University held a Health Policy Awareness Campaign Monday and Tuesday to help other students navigate the new health care bill.   Cara Smith, one of the coordinators of the organization, said “We were just thinking about how there’s all this news about health care and reform in the media now, but neither of us really knew what any of it meant. And I got the impression from other people I talked to that they didn’t really know either.”   Smith and co-coordinator Stephanie Atwood hoped to present the information about the bill in an unbiased and nonpartisan manner. Atwood said, “We want students to be well-informed, to have opinions about the issue and then do something about their opinions to shape how Kansas senators vote on the bill.   Smith said the group would write facts on campus and hand out fliers with clearly laid-out information about the health care debate. She said their only goal was to promote awareness.   “We’re also giving out information on how to contact senators, so if students do feel they’re opposed or for the bill they can contact their senator and let them know what their opinions are, and hopefully they can decide what they want to do about it,” she said. More from the Daily Kansan at Kansas University

Issue: Civic Participation

Tufts Students Hold Bazaar for Impoverished Women

Over 30 student groups and 12 nonprofit organizations held a crafts bazaar in the Tufts University campus center on Dec. 4 to raise awareness for impoverished women around the globe. The proceeds from the bazaar will be donated to Aadhar, a microfinance program under the non-governmental organization Women for Human Rights, which strives to empower Nepalese women.   OneWorld, the student group which hosted the event, offered everything from free local and foreign food to performances from a Ghanaian drumming group and Colombian musicians. According to OneWorld founder Moises Cohen, by selling fair trade crafts from around the globe, the group sought to promote student involvement in fighting global poverty and to raise awareness about development solutions. The Tufts’ Institute for Global Leadership pledged to match all of the bazaars earnings, which will double the amount donated to Aadhar. OneWorld was founded earlier this year following the deadly Mumbai terrorist attacks last November, and is committed to global peace and collaboration. “We are really excited to provide a good opportunity for students to get involved in internships or volunteering aimed at tackling poverty and helping disadvantaged women,” said OneWorld member Christine Kim. More from the Tufts Daily at Tufts University

Issue: Social Justice

Supreme Court to Decide Rules for Student Groups

Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to hear a case questioning whether student organizations can be required to meet a school’s anti-discrimination policy to be recognized or funded. As many public schools have similar requirements, the case could have a big impact on the rules for student organizations nationally. The University of California Hastings College of Law declared that student group Christian Legal Society (CLS) could not be recognized or receive student activity fee funds unless it followed the University’s anti-discrimination policy, which forbids exclusion from any University operation on the basis of "race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, sex or sexual orientation."  The organization requires that members sign a statement of faith and that they not engage in sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage.  CLS argues that their right to expressive association would be violated if they had to accept members that disagree with their views.  “In view of the clear dictates of Scripture, unrepentant participation in and advocacy of a sexually immoral lifestyle is inconsistent with an affirmation of the Statement of Faith." Hastings recognized the group for nearly 10 years until 2004, when CLS introduced the membership restrictions. When Hastings denied the group $250, CLS brought a federal court case. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White ruled in the law school’s favor in 2006, a decision that was upheld by an appellate court earlier this year. Hastings’ lawyer, Ethan P. Schulman, contends says that this case could open the floodgates for discriminatory student groups. "The real question is whether a law school is obliged to subsidize a group with student fees that is committed to discriminating against some students,” said Schulman. The case is likely to be heard in March, and the ruling is due by June 2010. More from the San Francisco Chronicle More from the L.A. Times More from Inside Higher Ed

Issue: Free Speech and Academic Rights

Ohio Students Argue Clean Energy Would Boost Economy

By Leah Pine As some American students crowd Copenhagen for the U.N. climate summit, Ohio students are still working at home to kick coal off of their campuses. Over 25 students from around Ohio continued work begun at a regional Power Shift conference in November, gathering at the Ohio State University campus in Columbus this past weekend. Students slept outside and hosted speakers to help plan for clean energy. Mattie Reitman, the founder of the Ohio Student Environmental Coalition, spoke about Ohio’s coal-centered history. “We need to obliterate the false assumption that dismantling our coal industry will wipe out jobs.” The Ohio Coal Association directly disagrees. A statement on their website reads that legislation restricting carbon emissions would “have a drastic impact on Ohio's economy by eliminating jobs in eastern and southern Ohio.” Other coal researchers at the Ohio Coal Research Center, a branch of Ohio University, are still looking for ways to make biofuel and coal less polluting. But OSEC students and their allies think that any kind of biofuel is the wrong kind. Nachy Kanfer, a represenatative of the Sierra Student Coalition’s Beyond Coal Campaign, touched on the recent cancellation of a proposed local coal plant. “We need to stop funding coal projects in Ohio,” said Kanfer. “As Ohioans, we are calling on decision-makers to invest in truly clean energy, like solar and wind.” The Sierra Club is running campaigns to get coal off of college campuses in 11 states around the country. Students from OSU, Hiram College, and Oberlin College are working together under the banner of OSEC to make strong demands of the Ohio state legislature. They are calling for legislators to end state subsidies to coal, reinvest that money into clean energy, and pass a stricter carbon emissions ceiling. The students have been communicating with the office of Ohio Governor Strickland, who said that the state of Ohio used $84 million of federal stimulus money to invest in non-coal advanced energy projects. OSEC is planning to continue their work in the spring, with organizer Tim Krueger applying for funding from Brighter Planet to have regular sleepouts at the state capitol. More from Brighter Planet More from the Ohio Coal Association More from the Ohio Coal Research Center More from the Sierra Student Coalition

Issue: Environment

UNM Affirms DREAM for Immigrant Students

The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico (ASUNM) passed a resolution in favor of the DREAM Act with near-unanimous support, following a long chain of nation-wide student activism around the issue. The legislation would allow illegal immigrant students a path to citizenship after graduating with a high school diploma and completing two years either in college or the U.S. military.   According to Senator Zoila Alvarez who had sponsored the resolution, the decision of the Senate to endorse the DREAM Act is not an umbrella immigration policy for all students who were attending the University without being legal U.S. citizens. The Daily Lobo, student newspaper of UNM, reported the vote. ASUNM Vice President Michael Westervelt told the Lobo that “the turnout in favor of the resolution supporting the Act was the largest he’d seen in his three years in the undergraduate student government.”   Alvarez made sure that the resolution was contextualized and fully explained. “This is very specific for students and for minors, particularly when these people were brought over without having a choice,” Alvarez said. The resolution continues a string of student activism in support of the DREAM Act. Most recently in the news, students at the University of California-Los Angeles rallied for two days in support of the bill in October. In November, the arrest of undocumented student Jesus Reyes in Miami inspired hundreds to sign a petition for his release, highlighting how widely the community supports the issue. More from the ASUNM More from the Daily Lobo at the University of New Mexico More from the National Student News Service Even more from the National Student News Service

Issue: Social Justice

U.S. Department of Education to Regulate For-Profit Schools

On Nov. 30, the U.S. Department of Education proposed revisions to the regulations on for-profit colleges. Revisions are being evaluated by a panel of officials and representatives from institutions. It is engaging in a process called “negotiated rule-making,” and will reexamine the 14 rules that dictate higher education regulations. The revisions surprised representatives from the schools, some of which called them “aggressive.” Some of the proposals include changing the way institutions can compensate student recruiters. Currently, student recruiters are exempt from rules restricting compensation.  These “safe harbors” have come under fire from admissions officers from traditional colleges who argue that the exemptions encourage recruiters to sign up unqualified students. However, admissions officers at for-profit colleges favor the safe harbors, saying they provide clarity on whether such compensation is legal. Other changes proposed by the agency deal with the definition of a high-school diploma, and determining how institutions enable their students to become gainfully employed after graduation. The negotiating panel met last month for the first of three sessions and will begin its next weeklong session on Nov. 7. A final decision on any revisions in the rules is not expected until 2010. More from the Chronicle of Higher Education

Issue: Higher Education Affordability

Illinois Begins Small Payments to Universities

After nearly an entire semester of bare bones bank accounts, Southern Illinois University received $15.5 million Nov. 24 from the state comptroller’s office in a belated appropriation payment to help make December payroll. Illinois still owes SIU alone about $113 million for this fiscal year, according to Carol Knowles, the spokeswoman for Comptroller Dan Hynes. The state of Illinois has announced plans to allocate $743 million to campuses of the Illinois University system. Many campuses in the system are now uncertain whether they can make payroll next month. “We are in frequent communication and are continuing to work with SIU and all of the other universities to address their funding issues,” Knowles said. Similar situations are occurring within other campuses of the UI system, with Western Illinois University owed roughly $32.3 million, Northern Illinois University owed $58 million, Illinois State expecting more than $46 million, and Eastern Illinois University is owed more than $22 million. SIU President Glenn Poshard said the University is facing a $16.5 million gap in funding to meet Jan. 1 payroll obligations. Without additional appropriation payments from the state within the next two to three weeks, Poshard said the university could face furloughs and layoffs. More from the Daily Egyptian at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

Issue: Higher Education Affordability