California Campus Boils Over
Nearly half a century ago, major protests would have occurred at the campus several miles north up the road - UC Berkeley. Berkeley has become even more elite than it already was, however, and the less desirable campuses of the California State University system have seen an influx of enrollments as the UC system has become impenetrable. The people who are hurting most from the country’s economic problems are the ones attending schools like California State University - East Bay in Hayward, California, where major protests erupted:
Hayward, CA - Students and faculty at California State University, East Bay, marched to the administration building on the campus and then occupied the building in protest. Organized by Students for a Quality Education and the California Faculty Association, the civil disobedience protested budget cuts and fee increases for students, and cutbacks on staff and benefits, while administrators’ salaries are increased.
The building occupation demanded the resignation of CSU Chancellor Chuck Reed, and a list of other demands discussed and adopted during the occupation. Similar building occupations took place on other campuses. Some students wore face paint with scars symbolizing the painful slashing impact of budget cuts.