Occupying Our Education One Step at a Time

According to the Occupy Education Organization, this day of action is a coalition of more than 80 local, labor and community groups across the country fighting to guarantee the right to education for everyone.

Occupy Education is based on the constant educational crisis that we have been facing as a country due to the current economic recession. This day of action coerces with the Occupy movements that took place last year in October with Occupy Wall Street being the foundation of it all. 

http://occupywallst.org/about/

The Occupy Wall Street Organization said that the movement was for the 99 percent; students, teachers,parents, unions, first responders, families, the unemployed and underemployed to finally be heard and no longer silences. Occupy Wall Street's purpose was to strengthen democracy and to end the domination of big money interest (also known as the one percent). Occupy's purpose was to bring an awakening to the people and it did just that. 

Over 1500 cities across 82 countries took part in protests for the Global Day of Action, including Monterey. An assembly at Colton Hall was “occupied” by Occupy Monterey with over 300 attendants of supporters and protesters ranging from California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) students and faculty to local residents. Everyone who took part shared the same mutual feeling of national frustration with the economy.

The same frustrations are reoccurring again with more of a focus on education. Students, including both K-12 and higher education participants are fed up and irritated with the way things are being ran.

CSU’s are fixated that the Chancellor and Board of Trustees are the main problem towards increased tuition, cut courses, and unemployed faculty.  Chancellor Reed better known as “Chancellor Greed” to Occupy Protestors is the root of concern for CSU’s.  According to CSUMB’s Students for Quality Education believe that the problem originates within the governing. Trustees of CSU’s are not elected by the people but appointed by the Governor. The problem is that those appointed have a tendency to be wealthy lawyers, CEO’s, and others who represent the corporate interests of the 1%.

If the Board of Trustees were to be elected by the people, including the students and faculty who are being affected, would there be a difference in the way higher education is being ran? Would the Trustees exemplify and demonstrate a more well governed education system that is beneficial to the 99%? Only time will tell, but in order for things to change people need to take action and Occupy Education motives are just that. 

I myself attended the day of action, it was exciting, moving, and a great environment to be in overall. At first I was a little overwhelmed with the signs held by protesters walking around in a circle chanting,"Hey hey ho ho, these budget cuts have got to go!" I wasn't sure if I was brave enough to make a statement in front of a bunch of people. However one of the protesters handed me a sign and waved me to join in, and I did just that. I went from being scared to feeling infatuated with a compelling need for change. 

I joined in with the chants and marched with the other students, professors, staff, and everyone else who joined in. I later on attended the discussion in the Student Center. We discussed tuition increases and how it has affected us. We talked about the debt concerns that come with college, the prolonging years added due to courses being cut, and the fear of not receiving a job that coerces with our major due to the economic struggles resulting in less jobs for we the people. 

We ended the conversation with 'whats next?' We all know about the annual marches and participate in them when the time for them has come, but what do we need to do next to make a change? 

SQE recently set up a sit in at the library on Wednesday, March 7th. Students were sent an email on Tuesday, March 6th advising them to come into the library's cafe at 11pm and to move into the computer lab around 11:30pm with their homework prepared to study even though the library normally closes at 12am enforcing a 24/7 hour library around midterms. On March 7th the Dean of students, Christine Erickson, sent out an email at 2:17 pm stating that the Library would stay open for Midterms from March 7th to the 16th in response to student requests. I believe we definitely made a change.

SQE members stated, "Collectively we are the University-and without students, there is no university."