Comments on: Wheeler Hall standoff ends, students out to cheers

By: David Stein

David Stein — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:57:46 +0000

There needs to be a much stronger link made to the entire failure of the State of California to deal with its finances: tuition increases are only a part of the dismal picture brought on by the insanity of Prop 13 and its aftermath. California decided back then that it was too cheap to afford civilization, and so it continues. Now the bill is coming due. It is time for a major overhaul at the state level. Only then will the issue of tuition be on appropriate grounds.
In FSM days, tuition was $62.50 a semester (including the health fee and student fee).

By: Doye O Sivils

Doye O Sivils — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:42:31 +0000

$3 Million Carefree Spending by UC’s Yudof/BirgeneauWhy does one of the top universities in the world have to spend $3 million of taxpayer money for consultants to do what should be done internally by UCB Chancellor Birgeneau?
Who teaches auditors how to audit? Do UC professors not have the knowledge to perform what they teach?
Having firsthand knowledge of consulting, I know one cardinal rule, “Don’t bite the hand that pays you.”
In a nutshell, we have a high-paid, skilled UCB Chancellor who is unable or unwilling to do the job he is paid to do. Why do we wonder that UC and California are in a financial crisis!
I’m sure taxpayers would not object to the $3 million payout if the money is reimbursed by taking money from the UCB Chancellor’s salary over the next 10 years.
Stop the spending of $3,000,000 on consultants by President Yudof and the UCB Chancellor and do the job internally
Respectfully

By: Richard Schmorleitz

Richard Schmorleitz — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:56:15 +0000

When my friend, Jack, let me know that students were clashing with the administration, I immediately thought of how it was in the 1960’s at Berkeley–even the Alameda police were still in the cast of characters–they’d have to be the children and/or grandchildren of parents who still believe that Berkeley has to suffer hassels at the hands of the police again. Shame on the Chancellor for failing to refuse to admit them access to the campus.

an FSM Vet

By: Deborah

Deborah — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:19:33 +0000

To see these ‘law enforcement’ officers use blunt and unnecessary force on students, I hope is eye-opening for those Americans who are in denial. Self expression and voicing your opinion are suppressed. We live in a country where peaceful unarmed students face a literal army of bullets, batons, and violent ‘officers’.

Some of these ‘officers’ must have children. What do they teach them? What sort of role models are these people? Talk about a power-trip- seriously have you seen this video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIN-UBbQlEA

I hope this makes national news so that everyone can see, and I hope these kids who were beat by these cops (one of the ones in the video appeared to be 250lbs pounding on a teenage student who had fallen on the ground) contact the ACLU asap to sue the crap out of these cops. Or at least get their medical bills covered.

These cops act like they are doing something important, and brainwash themselves that they are ‘protecting’ something or someone. But reality shows that they are just violent machines with NO thought process or decision making skills. BEAT, SHOOT, STOMP, KILL.

I haven’t anytime to even express my opinion on the kids who took over Wheeler Hall, this simply addresses the kids and faculty peacefully standing outside.

I can’t/don’t want to imagine if this happened in Oakland. They would have opened fire with real bullets right off the bat.

Peace & happiness. It’s just that when you are the peaceful and happy people you get beat.
That’s okay though, because it goes beyond the physical. And we all know it.

~*peace

By: Lillian R. Mongeau

Lillian R. Mongeau — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:37:36 +0000

Thanks to all for following our coverage. We posted a final version of this article last night once all of the reporters who contributed were able to gather in the newsroom and smooth out the inevitable bumps in the rapidly updated version above. You can check it out at: http://oaklandnorth.net/2009/11/20/the-fee-hike-and-some-plans-for-cushioning-it-by-the-numbers/

By: David Bacon

David Bacon — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:42:06 +0000

This was a good, detailed article that explained clearly what happened during the day of protest, and what the issue was for the students who occupied Wheeler Hall. Fair and accurate reporting. This article was not compromised by the fact that Puck Lo, a J-school student was one of the students involved. Journalists have a right to participate in social movements, like anyone else. And because of their training, journalist-participants have a lot they can tell us from the inside about how social movements develop. I congratulate Puck Lo on her commitment to the welfare of students and working-class journalists, and look forward to reading her account of what took place. While NYT journalists are pros, the paper does not provide the only kind of coverage we need. I’d like to see something different — more insight from the point of view of the protesters, and more commitment to social justice, not less.

By: Katy Murphy

Katy Murphy — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:51:15 +0000

Joe Hsu is comparing apples and oranges here. I agree with Joe that the New York Times analysis piece is excellent, but since it appeared in today’s (Friday’s) paper, it obviously went to press before news of this standoff broke.

The Oakland North story, on the other hand, was of the breaking/developing news variety — not unlike the AP story and blog I read today on the New York Times Web site, as a matter of fact. (Or this NYT story, of another UC demonstration this week: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/education/20tuition.html)

Sure, this piece could have benefited from another line or two of context — as most deadline news stories could — but I’d hardly call the result “shoddy reporting.” It was colorful and descriptive. The analysis can follow.

Oh, and the comment about being sure these j-school grad students don’t read the Times? Hmmm… Reader feedback is important for journalists of any amount of experience to receive. But I think we’d all be better off without this kind of gratuitous insult.

By: joe hsu

joe hsu — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:59:36 +0000

I hate to say it guys. This is pretty shoddy reporting. Instead of adding analysis and context to this event, you just barely scratched the surface and covered this event just like hundreds of other news organizations in the area, and this didn’t even have ANYTHING to do with Oakland!

Plus, instead of being journalists, you had reporters participating in the event. What does that say about your journalistic objectivity? I don’t want protesters covering the event any more than I want police or university officials covering the event. When news breaks, we depend on journalists to be observers, witnesses and to provide a TRUTHFUL analysis of the story.

The big question in everyone’s mind is WHY? Why are these people protesting? Do they even know the background issues leading up to a fee hike? The demands by the people holed up in Wheeler were ridiculous. As I watched the countless youtube videos of the protest I realized that these kids didn’t care about the issues. They were protesting for the sake of protesting. It was nothing more than an adrenaline rush and a maybe a feeling that they are doing something important. The problem was they didn’t advance any cause (if there is even one) they didn’t provide any real alternatives to the fee increases. It was all just a bunch of rhetoric, shouting, blaming the “police brutality” causing a general ruckus.

But who offered this context? Who offered a big picture analysis of this issues? All you guys did was post a “behind the numbers” graph showing Yudof’s salary. Sorry guys, if you cut all of the upper echelon salaries to $1, it wouldn’t be enough to cover the deficit your school is facing. Do you guys even read the news? I mean, you’re GRADUATE students for christ sake.

I’m sure you guys never read the New York Times, but you really should start. Learn from the pros kids. They know how to write a story. Here’s a good link to start you of with some background. A little bit of research, that’s all it takes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/education/20berkeley.html

By: Student Occupation of Berkeley’s Wheeler Hall is Fifth in Two Days at UC « Student Activism

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:06:45 +0000

[...] am | A newly posted article says that “several hundred” students are gathered in front of Wheeler Hall to support the occupation. Also, a new statement from the occupiers is now online. Possibly related [...]