Author: bananaslums

To: UC Santa Cruz Community

From: Public Affairs

Subject: Yesterday’s protest and arrests

Yesterday, on the third consecutive day of unsanctioned strike activity, officers arrested 17 participants who ignored dispersal orders that were repeated over approximately 20 minutes—requests to move out of the city intersection of Bay and High streets and onto the university field to continue their demonstration. Officers repeatedly tried to de-escalate the situation and made clear that blocking this major roadway had to stop or it would lead to arrest. Demonstrators locked arms, sat in the roadway, and refused to move back onto the university field.

During Monday’s unsanctioned strike activity, there were several dangerous incidents between vehicles and picketers when this major intersection was blocked. The safety of everyone in our community is our highest priority. Failing to comply with an order to disperse and obstructing a roadway is extremely dangerous, and it is also against the law. The participants in the unsanctioned strike were arrested for unlawful assembly, failure to disperse, and unlawful obstruction of the free movement of any person on any street, sidewalk, or other public place. While we understand the frustration about housing costs in Santa Cruz, we also have responsibilities to the vast majority of our faculty, staff and students who simply want to do what they came to UC Santa Cruz to do–to study, to teach, and conduct research. 

UCSC’s police officers have a critical role in ensuring safety and security to all on campus.  They protect everyone’s ability to exercise the constitutionally protected rights of free expression, speech, and assembly. These rights do not extend, however, to disrupting regular and essential operations of the university by occupying offices, blocking roads, or infringing on the rights of others.  

It is essential that emergency responders, the Santa Cruz community, and the campus community can freely travel through the city, and on and off the residential campus. Moreover, in addition to the 9,300 students who live on campus, UC Santa Cruz is home to families with young children and elderly residents.  We hope today’s protests remain peaceful and lawful.  

Dear Chancellor Larive, EVC Kletzer, Faculty, and Grads,

Today: We—undergraduates, graduates, and faculty—stood together in solidarity and stared down the latest police intimidation and brutality, acting under administrative orders to keep “business as usual.” Business is not usual when graduates and undergraduates are this heavily rent burdened and indebted. Business is not usual when hundreds of people close the base of campus demanding change. Business is not usual when the administration spends over $300,000 in one day to bring in out-of-county police and put them up in the Hyatt. Business is not usual when faculty are standing between students and police in riot gear. And business does not return to usual when those cops arrest 17 people, injuring many so badly that they ended up in urgent care at the hospital- hair ripped out, bleeding, concussed, and with broken fingers. See the linked video and photos below.

An administration bemoaning harm to undergraduates missing fall grades cannot burn money on cops that arrest and assault peacefully protesting students. The administration appalls us. It is a disgrace to our community. 

Refusing to be intimidated and struggling for just demands, undergraduates, graduates, and faculty stood firm until police backed off and agreed to release every person they had arrested. We held the Bay and High Street intersection for over four hours, only leaving when we decided it was time to dance together on the lawn. 

Tomorrow: We held a general assembly to close the day, and resolved to come back tomorrow morning. We will be set up from 7:30am and cannot wait to see your beautiful faces. 

Join us tomorrow on the picket! Become part of this movement. We grow and learn more every single day we are out here.Every day longer is a day stronger.

We particularly encourage every graduate student who reads this to come to the picket tomorrow. Students who cannot be arrested or handle confrontation with the police will be protected.

Sincerely,
Students and Workers

Graduate wildcats went back out on strike again today. We give our eternal and overwhelming thanks to the undergrads who showed up, stood by our sides, were threatened by an army of cops from all across the Bay Area – surely costing the university tens, hundreds, of thousands of unnecessary dollars. Police apparently reported that they were going to do “whatever they needed to do.” What, exactly, do they need to do? What are they afraid of? 

Faculty, again, marched down from campus and met for a Faculty Assembly at 4. We are so grateful for their continued work with and alongside us. Tomorrow, they will meet at the Women’s Center at 11 and march at 11:30 am down to the base of campus. We look forward to seeing them there.

Lori Kletzer and Quentin Williams, meanwhile, granted a meeting with three graduate students and two faculty members (remember when they said they couldn’t meet with us?). In today’s meeting, grads reiterated that all decisions would be made collectively and told admin to offer them something to take back to our general assembly. What did admin offer us? 1) no money offer, and 2) a “substantive meeting”, where we might discuss financial resources, should we call off the strike. At our 4:30 pm General Assembly, grads, of course, did not see this as sufficient to call off the strike. So, we go back out at 7:30 am again tomorrow. This decision will be reported to them tomorrow when we meet with them again.

We will have an Organizing Committee meeting at 8:00 am close to the sign. 4:30 pm is our General Assembly. Look out for other events/ updates. All are welcome.

Solidarity.

Striking graduate students

Dear graduate students,

In this email you will find a Call for Proposals for talks, performances, workshops, etc. for the picket line, more details about the Coastal Campus “work-in,” and where to get your own wildcat COLA shirt and buttons.  Please distribute the Call For Proposals widely.

1) We are soliciting art, performances, talks, workshops, events, and services to be shared on the picket line starting February 10. Graduate students are fighting for a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) and a truly PUBLIC university that is run by students and workers. We want to pull our collective creativity and expertise to build a picket line curriculum that we actually want to learn and engage in.

We have already received proposals to make buttons, screenprint wildcat t-shirts, read tarot, give massages, facilitate yoga sessions, and perform music at the picket line (this list is not in any way exhaustive, and is only meant to give you ideas for your proposal). Let’s share our talents, knowledge, skills, and expertise with each other as we demand a COLA.

Please fill this form to suggest an activity you want to bring to or see at the picket. Share the Call for Proposals widely with other grads, faculty, staff, workers, and community members! The call is open to EVERYONE (except cops, landlords, and admin)!

2) This Friday graduate students will congregate on the Coastal Campus of UCSC for a joint “work-in.” Bring your laptops, books, notepads, and other things you need to do your work, your research. Let’s work together!  We will also share a meal, print wildcat shirts, make COLA buttons, and build community with our COLA comrades in STEM. More details in the flyer attached.

3) You can make your own wildcat COLA shirt and strike paraphernalia at First Friday in the Graduate Student Commons (GSC) from 5:00pm-7:00pm. Bring your own shirt, bandana, or any fabric you want to print the wildcat on. You can also get a red UAW 2865 shirt at First Friday. Come through!

Whose University? Our University!

Always and forever in solidarity,

Striking Graduate Students

On Friday, January 31st, Financial Aid sent out a form email to certain TAs and GSI claiming:

“_______ is among a group of about 50 students for whom the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office is required to retroactively reduce or eliminate fall quarter aid on Monday, February 3. This aid is from the U.S. Department of Education and/or the California Student Aid Commission with regulations which require us to take this action. This action will likely cause a bill to the student” (see screenshot for full email below)

We still maintain that the UC does not have to, should not, and potentially will not harm undergraduate students in this way, but we believe that continuing to have their grades withheld poses a substantial risk to the undergraduates who were listed on this email. 

To clarify: this only concerns the 50 students mentioned in the January 31st email, not earlier emails from Financial Aid. For the students included in earlier emails, you can still use the template below. See our earlier communication about these students.

If you have received this email (Jan 31st), we strongly suggest contacting the affected students with this information to ask them how they would like to proceed (those students should have received an email directly from the Financial Aid Office about this issue as well). You should only continue to withhold these students’ grades in the event that an undergraduate responds to you today stating affirmatively that they understand the risks and they still want their grade withheld. If students respond saying that they want their grade submitted, or do not respond at all by the end of the day today, their grades should be officially submitted. 

You can submit individual grades by logging into MyUCSC and submitting a partial grade roster. Instructors should save the grades they wish to submit in the grade roster, then email the Registrar’s Office from their UCSC email address with their request to submit a partial grade roster. Requests should include the course subject and number and be sent to registrar@ucsc.edu, CC regsys@ucsc.edu and cpsanger@ucsc.edu. If you are a TA, your instructor should do this. If you are a GSI, you should do this yourself.

After you have submitted the requested grades, consider reaching out to affected students and let them know that you have responded to the situation. While undergraduate students have been generally understanding and supportive, their direct experience of the administration’s callousness and incompetence may provide yet another opportunity for building solidarity.

Solidarity,

Striking graduate students

———

Dear UCSC Financial Aid Officers,

I confirm that [STUDENT’S NAME, STUDENT ID NUMBER] completed [COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE] in Fall 2019 with a passing grade (C- or higher). 

[NAME’S] actual grade will be sent to the Registrar once graduate students’ demands for a cost of living adjustment have been met.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

[TEACHING ASSISTANT or INSTRUCTOR OF RECORD] for [COURSE], Fall 2019

To UCSC administrators, UCPath representatives, and UCSC graduate students,

Several graduate students were notified on Thursday and Friday that their paychecks would be delayed because of flaws in UCPath (click here to learn about problems with UCPath). Graduate students, like other low wage workers in Santa Cruz, typically live paycheck to paycheck, and our income stays in our bank account just long enough to pay our rent. This means that there are many graduate students who have just learned that their rent check will bounce (and thus, have to pay additional fees). This is just one more example of the vulnerabilities graduate students face at current wage levels.  

Graduate students have been underfunded for years, and the current system is unsustainable (despite the meager “needs-based scholarship” that Chancellor Larive announced last week). It should not be surprising that under these conditions the system will break, as we have witnessed over the last two months. Graduate students are now organizing for a full strike. Wildcat strikes historically arise out of unbearable conditions, and are a reflection of the collective power of workers who can’t take it anymore (learn about other wildcat strikes by clicking here). The UC has the power to change the lives of thousands of workers and students; on our campus, graduate students and the campus community are holding the UC accountable to enacting necessary change.
To GSIs, TAs, tutors, and readers: If you were not paid in full, please fill out this form (click here) or contact me so that I can file a grievance on your behalf (learn more about grievances related to UCPath by clicking here). Because our union only currently represents GSIs, TAs, tutors, and readers, I can only file a grievance on behalf of these student workers. However,all graduate students should request a same day pay check from the UCPath office (based on their recommendation from the December GSA/UAW meeting): contact payhelp@ucsc.edu or (831) 459-2488.

Signed, 
Veronica Hamilton, M. A.

Dear grads,

Yesterday the Financial Aid office emailed undergraduate students who are missing all grades for Fall 2019. This email instructed students to email the Financial Aid office with the name of the instructor for at least one of their Fall classes. According to the email, the Financial Aid office will then reach out to the instructor to confirm whether the student completed the course with a passing grade.

This email supports that our assessment of last week’s Financial Aid email was correct. It also means that:

• The January 10th deadline specified in last week’s email was not a hard deadline. The most recent email tells undergrads that they need to contact the Financial Aid office with the name of one course and the instructor’s name by January 31st. This means that the actual deadline by which the Financial Aid office needs proof of undergrads’ Fall quarter completion is even later than this. The January 10th deadline was likely given because they were expecting non-compliance and wanted to give themselves plenty of time (or, a more cynical view might hold that the administration deliberately gave us only two days to respond because they were hoping to cause panic that would undermine the strike).
• The Financial Aid office will contact students directly with details about how their aid may be impacted. This supports our stance that undergrads will have the most complete information about how they may be affected, and that we should defer to them about whether they want their grades to be submitted or not.

There is no need to officially submit grades to the Registrar in response to this email. The Financial Aid office is reaching out because they are required to confirm whether students receiving federal aid completed the previous quarter. According to federal policy, if a student earns a passing grade in at least one course during a given term, the university may presume that the student completed the course and thus completed the quarter. A letter grade is not necessary to confirm this; Financial Aid only needs to know whether the student passed at least one class. This is why the email was only sent to students missing all grades from last quarter. 

This email from Financial Aid may cause confusion and/or fear among undergrads. We encourage you to communicate openly with your students and share this information with them to help them understand how they may (or may not) be affected. We also encourage you to reiterate to your students that although you are available to answer any questions they may have, and talk through their situations with them if they so choose, they are not obligated to disclose any private information to you (including graduation date, probation status, or financial aid).

If students contact you about this, or the Financial Aid office reaches out to you or the instructor of record seeking information about these students, we suggest emailing Financial Aid using the template below.

In solidarity,

Roxy Davis, M.A.

Graduate Student, Department of Psychology

———

Dear UCSC Financial Aid Officers,

I confirm that [STUDENT’S NAME, STUDENT ID NUMBER] completed [COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE] in Fall 2019 with a passing grade (C- or higher). 

[NAME’S] actual grade will be sent to the Registrar once graduate students’ demands for a cost of living adjustment have been met.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

[TEACHING ASSISTANT or INSTRUCTOR OF RECORD] for [COURSE], Fall 2019

From UCSC Chancellor, Cynthia Larive, to UCSC Community:

January 27, 2020

In September, I shared with our community my vision for UC Santa Cruz and the four goals that would help us define success. The first two — solidifying our status as a research leader and promoting student success — go to the heart of ensuring our educational and research excellence, and are issues that I would like to address today.

Key to achieving these goals is strengthening and diversifying our graduate programs. Though graduate students in doctoral and masters of fine arts programs are supported through fellowships, research and teaching assistantships, the cost of housing in Santa Cruz County remains a financial burden for many. The ability of UC Santa Cruz to address this need is hampered because our campus ranks at the bottom of the UC system relative to the number of graduate housing units. We simply have nowhere near the number of units we need to support our graduate students.

If we are to continue to pioneer and transform research through the application of diverse perspectives, we must demonstrate our commitment by ensuring that we can attract and support the best qualified and most innovative graduate students. To that end, I am pleased to announce two new programs:

• First, beginning in fall 2020, we will offer new and continuing doctoral students support packages for five years (two years for MFA students). These packages will have a minimum level of support equivalent to that of a 50 percent teaching assistantship.
• Second, until more graduate-level student housing becomes available, we are instituting a need-based, annual housing supplement of $2,500 for doctoral and MFA students offered through a partnership between the Financial Aid Office and the Graduate Division.

These two new programs further enhance the overall financial package our doctoral and MFA students receive to assist them in their academic progress and pursuit of an advanced degree.

Also, integral to our commitment to educational excellence is our obligation to our undergraduate students, which requires that we do everything possible to ensure their success. We know that a degree from UC Santa Cruz has the potential to change the trajectory of lives. Unfortunately, recent actions by some graduate students to withhold or delete grades only hurts the very students who depend on us.

When students do not have grades, it can profoundly impact financial aid, as well as the ability of some students to enroll in needed classes, apply for graduation, or even declare a major. It also can impact requirements of student athletes, student veterans, and those under academic review. Withholding grades also makes it more difficult for us to work together on tangible steps that we can take to help address the core, underlying issue — our lack of affordable housing.

UC Santa Cruz has a proud history of activism, and the university is committed to ensuring that all people may exercise the constitutionally protected rights of free expression, speech, and assembly. And while I commend our students for drawing attention to a very real problem, I am extremely disappointed that some graduate students chose to do so in a way that was unsanctioned by their union and is harmful to our undergraduate students, many of whom are struggling themselves. As this grade strike continues, I am deeply concerned about the impact on undergraduates. Therefore, graduate students who do not submit grades by Feb. 2, 2020, will receive a written disciplinary warning in accordance with the UC/UAW contract. Students alleged to have deleted grades will receive a student conduct summons.

A lack of affordable housing is not a problem unique to Santa Cruz. It is endemic to California. I sympathize with students who are impacted by the lack of affordable housing locally, as well as the generally high cost of living here. I believe the introduction of these two new programs demonstrates a commitment to our graduate students and will make a significant and tangible impact on their lives.

There is no doubt that more work needs to be done and I’m looking forward to collaborating on new ways of addressing ongoing problems. UC Santa Cruz is on a great trajectory and I’m confident that by working together we will be able to continue to achieve educational and research excellence.