University of California campuses rocked with protests. Berkeley sees the “largest in recent memory.”
Thousands of students and university employees staged walkouts and protests all across the University of California system. It was impressive by any standard.
The walkout was aimed at the plan to lay off hundreds of workers, impose unpaid furloughs on nonunion employees and reduce courses.
UC’s board of regents is also expected to raise next year’s tuition to $10,302, a 45 percent increase over last year’s tuition of $7,120. For many of the state’s students a tuition increase that large will put a UC education out of their reach.
From SFGate:
Paul Mogulof, a Cal spokesman said the crowd was the largest in recent memory.
As the Sproul Plaza rally drew to a close just before 2 p.m., the crowd marched through Sather Gate toward California Hall, where UC President Mark Yudof apparently has a corner office. The group waved and chanted: “Education should be free. No cuts, no fees.”
They headed west through campus, down Center Street to Shattuck Avenue in downtown Berkeley. Police blocked off the streets as they turned south, stopping at Bancroft Avenue, where they sat down and chanted. The crowd, which appeared to be mostly students, filled all four lanes of traffic for at least one city block.
The protests are part of a systemwide walkout, which caused many classes to be canceled at UC and other campuses.
