Blogs:

Demonstrations were recently held by Occupy Wall Street activists in California. This was a protest against education budget cuts that has since forced a campus to shut down. University of California in Santa Cruz experienced trouble as its entrances were blocked by hundreds of students. The coastal campus could not be accessed by cars and buses according to the school officials.

Jim Burns, the spokesman said that vehicle traffic practically came to a halt at the campus and many faculty, staff and students were unable to enter the premises. The campus was aware of the planned protests having been warned by the school administrators. As the administrative office faced shortage of staffs, there was frantic rescheduling and cancellation of classes, said Burns.

As a protest against skyrocketing tuition costs, at least 30 college campuses in California organized the Santa Cruz blockade demonstrations. Lawmakers were called to restore higher education funding. According to the organizers, walkouts, teach-ins, marches and rallies were organized coinciding with state negotiations.

Signs such as “Refund Education” and “Tax the Rich” were flaunted by at least two hundred demonstrators in San Francisco. Demonstrators attended a rally in the afternoon outside the City Hall after a teach-in session in the California State Building lobby. As a part of the “National Day of Action for Education”, demonstrations were held across the country by Occupy activists and college students.

At the Los Angeles based California State University campus, at least three hundred students marched chanting slogans and blowing whistles. They were pushing for no fees, no cuts and free education. Signs such as “Defend Public Education” and “Stop Privatization” were held by them in front of the campus bookstore.

These protests in California were just a prelude to another major rally namely the “Occupy the Capitol” rally in Sacramento. Over the next few days, faculty members and students will march from Oakland to the capital of the state as a part of the “99 Mile March for Education and Social Justice”.

All these protests are aimed at convincing Gov. Jerry Brown to categorically reject any budget proposal that aims to increase higher education tuition and axe funds. The protests also aim at making millionaires pay for social services and education by paying more tax. In this respect, the movements are asking the governor to support a relevant ballot measure.

A union representative and graduate student of UC Santa Cruz Josh Brahinsky said that the most important parts of our society are no more being funded as we have completely destroyed our tax base. He is one of the major organizers of the action that continues to call on the state to tax the rich and use the income to provide more services for mass.

ReFund California is a student group and labor union coalition. All demonstrations on the campus were coordinated by this group. During the fall, this organization organized rowdy campus protests. Only hope all these efforts bear fruit and our higher education soon moves towards the light at the end of the tunnel.