Hello Community,
UCSD Student’s have RECLAIMED the Library known as CLICS located in Revelle College. The University shut it down earlier this year due to “budget cuts.” This has had a dramatic effect on all students and further illustrates the Universities Privatization. The school just placed a $1.3 Million Dollar installation on the Jacob’s School of Engineering but couldn’t afford to keep the Library open.
Students have spoken out and taken action into their own hands! They have reclaimed their library! But we need you support! We need our faculty and departments to stand in Solidarity with the Students, you all can come into the space and use it for office hours or help us by publicizing to other students that the space is open.
It is currently being operated/run by students. They are currently working on a set of demands and are taking suggestions!
CLICS will function as the center of our reclamation process in taking back our university against the budget cuts and privatization of our education. We need your help getting the word out about this action: please tell your students to study at CLICS and to participate in the action. Here are a few action items….
Action items:
Please publicize this to students and other Faculty that will also help us publicize.
If you would like to hold office hours or review sessions within the space let us as soon as you can.
If you want to hold your final there or want students to turn in their finals let us know.
Please write a letter to the university supporting this action and demanding the University to meet our demands.
If you can donate supplies, financially or food, please let us know as well.
Let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions or things you would like to see within the space.
More than anything we need your support and advice to sustain this movement.
Con amor,
The students
UPDATE
- From the students on the ground: “we had been working at this for a while, and made it really hush hush, but this morning at 6 oclock we were met by cops, so the library was not reclaimed, we are currently outside speaking to admin and police. Since its finals week the students have proceeded to studying outside. It is really cold outside, the building has running water and electricity with NO materials (computers,penicls etc.) all we want is a space to study. They cut this 24 hour library and gave us no alternative.”
- The Admin seems to have conceded and they have now allowed the students entrance. Although, the students say it was them “who opened the doors”. They continue to push for the same demands. For more info, check out the following links: NBC San Diego and Sign On San Diego. (via RebelRadio)
Related:
- A community garden set up on Saturday in solidarity with the occupy movement in Santa Cruz is under threat of bulldozing today at 1pm.
occupy california 
5 December 2011 at 2:58 pm |
Regarding the $1.3 million art installation at UCSD, this money was supplied by a private grant for the specific purpose of adding to the university’s art collection. Not that I am fan of this piece, it’s just unfair to accuse the university of misappropriating funds in this exact case.
6 December 2011 at 5:09 am |
Generally speaking, I think most students understand that funding is nuanced and includes a lot of private donations, but at the same time private funding has become the excuse admin use to drown out complaints about the loss in public funding. When private funding becomes what they rely on to get things done they turn back and again to it as their new reliable resource, which is a huge problem. Also, getting private funding isn’t as easy as cashing a check, you have to put a good deal of clerical and admin hours into getting that money — time that won’t be spent on fighting privatization.
5 December 2011 at 4:05 pm |
UPDATE FROM THE GROUND:
THE LIBRARY HAS SUCCESSFULLY BEEN RECLAIMED. IT WILL REMAIN OPEN FOR 24 HOURS A DAY, THROUGH THE END OF FINALS WEEK.
ALL DEMANDS HOLD TRUE. PLEASE SEND THIS TO FACULTY/STUDENTS/FRIENDS AND COME PARTICIPATE.
6 December 2011 at 1:11 am |
[…] morning of Finals Week, UCSD students reclaimed a long-revered study space – the Center for Library & Instructiona…. Closed in June 2011 thanks to $3M budget cut to the libraries, CLICS has stood empty for most of […]