Privatization is a Killer: Zombie Takeover at the UC Regents’ Meeting

Come out with us to protest the Regents’ most recent plans to consider a 20.3% fee hike for the Fall if Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative (Prop 30) is not approved by voters. Let them know enough is enough! We refuse to have the budget balanced on the backs of students and workers, who have continually seen cuts to public services. Get on your zombie gear (or come as you are!) to collectively tell the Regents: NO FEE HIKES! EDUCATION CAN AND SHOULD BE FREE. More fee hikes are a debt sentence.

WHEN: Wednesday July 18th

WHERE: UCSF Mission Bay Campus Community Center
-Folks in Berkeley will be meeting at Downtown Berkeley BART at 7am
-We will give PUBLIC COMMENT starting at 8:30am

…because WE are the public and won’t let private interests sell out our futures.

OUTREACH VIDEO ***WATCH & SHARE ♥*** http://youtu.be/kvtxzGWxsF8

For more details about the fight, see below.

And finally, if people know that they want to FOR SURE make public comment, they can call (510) 987-9220, or otherwise sign up in the morning beforehand

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We are pleased to hear that President Yudof has publicly stated that the UC will accept the tuition buyout in the state budget and that no tuition hike will be considered at the July Regents meeting. At the same time, however, we are outraged that President Yudof, by his own account, convinced Governor Brown to eliminate by line-item veto important budget protections for UC students and workers. These protections include UC’s Master Plan enrollment targets; funding protections for recruitment and retention of students of color; outsourcing protections; and funding protections for retirement security for UC workers.

In light of this attack on students, workers, quality, affordability, and access at UC, we are concerned about President Yudof’s commitment to follow through with the tuition freeze. We therefore call on President Yudof and Chair Lansing to commit that no proposals will be brought before the Regents moving forward to increase tuition automatically in the event that the tax initiative, debt service restructuring, or any other policies are not adopted by the state. We also call on President Yudof and Chair Lansing to join us in asking Governor Brown to restore the protections for UC students and workers that the Governor eliminated from the budget by line- item veto along with the full Cal Grant award amounts that he cut by veto.

We also ask that President Yudof refrain from scapegoating “significant opposition from our labor groups” as the main problem with the debt service proposal. Many students have spoken out against the debt service proposal because the non-partisan Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) says the debt restructuring would eliminate significant legislative and public oversight. At the same time, the LAO believes the policy could allow UC Office of the President to use instructional funds and tuition as collateral to restructure $2.5 billion in debt now held by the state for construction projects.2 The Senate Budget Committee agreed with the LAO and rejected the debt service restructuring in a unanimous, bi-partisan vote. UC Office of the President could better dedicate its energy to supporting revenue measures that we can all support for refunding higher education – taxes on Wall Street, multinational corporations, and millionaires.

In the wake of these budget developments, please join us in calling on President Yudof and Chair Lansing
to pledge they will not recommend automatic tuition increases tied to the tax initiative or debt service restructuring. Instead, ask them to support restoring protections for students and workers that the Governor eliminated with budget vetoes. Please let one of us know if you will take this stand.