A banner with clear demands is dropped from Wheatley Hall.
On the first school morning of March, activists representing the UMass Boston Committee to Have Fun dropped a banner from the Wheatley building reading “No Paycuts or Tuition Hikes. March 4th!” as a sign of things to come this week as schools across the country prepare for the March 4th day of action to defend public education.
The banner was hung one story above a parking garage in Wheatley that has been rendered unsafe due to dilapidated conditions, in the same building with ceilings that leak water into classrooms and hallways when it rains. Wheatley is the campus home to departments such as the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Public and Community Service, the Labor Resource Center, African American Studies, and other such cultural and progressive programs. UMass Boston just bought the Bayside Expo Center for $18.7 million, but somehow has had an issue with keeping the buildings we use now safe and up to their fullest potential. We as students, faculty and staff demand that UMB direct funding towards improving current facilities and abandon all paycuts and tuition and fee hikes, as local students are being priced out of the University of Massachusetts system and quality staff and faculty face less pay for more work, to make up for their laid off colleagues.
March 4th at UMass Boston will be a big day on campus. A rally and speak-out will be held outside Campus Center from noon-2pm, followed by a Teach-In from 4-7pm in McCormack, 3rd floor, old cafeteria. The teach-in, organized by students and union faculty and staff will address issues such as democracy in educational systems, affordability and accessibility, where the money for UMB projects come from, who distributes it, and what programs and staff get cut. There will also be a presentation on the response to education cuts in California and what tactics they have successfully employed, as well as the logic of escalating campaigns to achieve our demands. Afterwards will be a strategy session for students and workers to come together and discuss how to mobilize our campus and community to fight for quality, affordable public education.
On March 4th and beyond, the UMass Boston faculty, staff and student bodies demand:
-Respect negotiated contracts – we can’t afford any less!
-No tuition or fee hikes!
-No to privatization! Privatization and outsourcing are union busting.
-An expansion of high quality programs and services.
-Tax big corporations to pay for affordable public education for all.
