UC Berkeley Student Sets Up Tent On Chancellor Birgeneau’s Lawn - DailyCalifornian

[WillyT]

UC Berkeley student sets up tent on Chancellor Birgeneau’s lawn
By Javier Panzar | Senior Staff - DailyCalifornian
Thursday, November 24, 2011 at 6:51 am
Updated Thursday, November 24, 2011 at 8:10 am


UC Berkeley senior Alex Kim holds his cat Obi
outside Chancellor Robert Birgeneau's campus
home Thursday morning. Kelly Fang/Staff

<snip>

While most UC Berkeley students chose to head home for the Thanksgiving break, senior Alex Kim decided to do something decidedly different early Thursday morning.

Kim cancelled his plane ticket home and instead lugged camping equipment and his pet cat Obi to Chancellor Robert Birgeneau’s front lawn at around 5 a.m. There he pitched a tent in solidarity with the Occupy Cal movement that has shaken the campus over the last three weeks.

Kim, who is taking a vow of silence until the New Year, said in a typed letter to The Daily Californian that he would appreciate a public apology from Birgeneau for the destruction of “creative property and personal property” when the Occupy Cal encampment was cleared out last week and “perhaps even an invitation to join him at his table tonight to make up for the fact that I broke my mother’s heart by canceling my plane ticket home.”

“In all seriousness, Our dear chancellor, Birgeneau needs to shape up or get out before we force him,” he continued in the letter. “Occupy Cal has only been a beautiful community building activity and we all intend to keep it that way. It’s just too bad he doesn’t see it for what it really is. An awakening of our generation.”

<snip>

More: http://www.dailycal.org/2011/11/24/uc-berkeley-student-sets-up-tent-on-chancellors-lawn/

:kick:

[Moravecglobal]

1. UC Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneau steals our kids' futures

Chancellor Birgeneau has molded Cal. into the most expensive public university. Paying more is not a better education.
Californians are reeling from 19% unemployment (includes: those forced to work part time; those no longer searching), mortgage defaults, loss of unemployment benefits. And those who still have jobs are working longer for less. Faculty wages must reflect California's ability to pay, not what others are paid.
Current pay increases for generously paid University of California Faculty is arrogance. Instate tuition consumes 14% of Ca. Median Family Income!
Paying more is not a better education. UC Berkeley(# 70 Forbes) tuition increases exceed the national average rate of increases.
UC President Yudof, Cal. Chancellor Birgeneau($450,000 salary) dismissed many much needed cost-cutting options. They did not consider freezing vacant faculty positions, increasing class size, requiring faculty to teach more classes, doubling the time between sabbaticals, cutting & freezing pay & benefits for chancellors & reforming pensions & the health benefits.
They said such faculty reforms “would not be healthy for UC”. Exodus of faculty, administrators? Who can afford them and where would they go?
We agree it is far from the ideal situation, but it is in the best interests of the university system & the state to stop cost increases. UC cannot expect to do business as usual: raising tuition; granting pay raises & huge bonuses during a weak economy that has sapped state revenues & individual Californians’ income.
There is no question the necessary realignments with economic reality are painful. Regent Chairwoman Lansing can bridge the public trust gap with reassurances that salaries & costs reflect California’s ability to pay. The sky above UC will not fall when Chancellor Birgeneau is ousted.

Opinions? Email the UC Board of Regents [e-mail]

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. Beautiful. Welcome to DU!

:toast::hi:

[EFerrari]

4. Well done and about flippin' time.

[roguevalley]

5. what an extraordinary boy and his mom must be busting buttons

love him and his kitteh.

[Fire Walk With Me]

3. Alex, you are a hero.

:hug: