The UMass Boston Occupation was successfully launched this morning in the Student Center. Because we are challenging the plan of the trustees to undermine the faculty and student body, we expect a repressive response at any time and are hosting a support rally at 9:00:
http://www.occupyumassboston.org/post/16356553267/solidarity-rally-to-defend-occupy-umass-boston
We have demands. You can find the document online, but I attached the statement of Occupy.
The Board of Trustees of this public institution is privatizing everything, raising fees 8% per year, and making college unaffordable for a majority of the students who are currently enrolled.
As part of the administration's master plan, the university will abandon the mission of the college to serve the working class of Boston and will make the only public 4-year university in Boston unaffordable to the people of Boston in order to build larger, more profitable facilities. Simultaneously, they're lowering the living standard of the average employee of UMB through privatization and cuts to real services like decent healthcare.
Who made this plan? The 1% Board of Trustees, who made the decision top-down without any real input from students or teachers.
We, Occupy UMB, demand an end to the privatization of our facilities, an end to fee hikes, and a reorganization of administrative powers to reflect the desires and needs of the 99% of Massachusetts.
Cuts to public education, with the T cuts are a broad assault on the working class by the 1%. If there were no money, how do you explain the 1 trillion dollars in lost revenue to the Bush tax cuts? Or the over 4 trillion dollars (and 1 million human lives!) wasted in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? How to explain trillions in bailouts and loans from Congress and the Federal Reserve to institutions that directly victimized American and foreign people? There is money in abundance; it's just controlled by a greedy class who actively uses it to fight against social justice and the very principles they so often espouse such as equal opportunity and freedom of choice.
There's a reason that I, unlike most college students, won't be graduating with 10s of thousands in student debt. That's because both of my working-class parents found an affordable education at UMB.
All of us know graduates of University of Massachusetts campuses. Please pass the message on to students and alumni and tell them about what they're doing to the jewel of our city.
Owning the state as private property isn't a right, no-no. Controlling the process of government to enforce the institutional oppression of black people isn't a right, no-no. Telling the poor when they must die overseas to steal oil isn't a right, oh not even close!
Education for all people, now THAT's a right!
End the wars & tax the rich: free education for all!
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:-Daniel
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