Occupy GSU Walkout
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Communique M13
On March 13th, students at Georgia State University demonstrated our collective power by walking out of our classes. At 11:30 sharp, Occupy GSU began the call, and students responded back: we accept their world no more. The halls shook, the spectacle broke, the upsurge began and the classes were dismissed. More than 150 students marched. This is only the beginning.
Students understand how it works: we pay now for a future that is more and more unlikely to occur. We become indebted to an education system that acts as factory, fed by sub-prime student loans that weigh us down for the rest of our lives.
On March 13thwe learned of power: power of the students to walk out from their classes; power of community as students from across the USG system participated in the action; power of the state as police targeted and arrested a student for handing out political flyers; power of the 1% as we faced down police threats and stood up during the Board of Regents meeting, calling out the crimes they have committed – fee hikes, tuition increases, the ban on undocumented students, and the re-segregation of higher education in Georgia. They are bankers, tycoons and CEOs, appointed by a governor that oversaw the cutting of the HOPE scholarship. Their wealth, as the 1%, has a common origin: theft from the 99%.
We demonstrate to build political power at our University. The Occupy movement has given the people their voice: and there is no going back. We grow, we learn, we fight.
Occupy the Universities, seize what is ours, from the hands of the 1%!
Regents Scum, Here We Come
Occupy GSU created a pamphlet detailing information on the corrupt Board of Regents and why they are an illegitimate body that has any say over our education and over our public schools. Please find a detailed version of this pamphlet here.
OGSU Forum: Capitalism and the University
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Library Dance-in, Banner drop
Occupy Georgia State organized a small entertaining action in the Georgia State library to show how badly students at our university want a 24-hour library. With all of the rising tuition increases and fee hikes, and as our university boasts about being a leading research university in the state, why don’t we have a 24-hour library?
Watch the video here.
MARCH 13 WALK-OUT
A walk-out is a form of resistance. When students walk out, they are refusing their roles as students and are participating in real and direct action in the politics that affect their daily lives.
We at Georgia State, and members of Occupy Georgia State, are walking out of class on March 13. We are walking out to resist the university becoming increasingly privatized, and increasingly segregated by fee hikes and the HOPE scholarship cuts, and we walk out to refuse the ban on undocumented students. We as students, faculty, staff, and members of the Georgia State community and beyond are walking out against the 46% tuition increase at Georgia State, 87% fee increases, all of which goes to profit the Board of Regents who continuously enforce policies that hurt us.
We will walk out of class and rally in the GSU courtyard, and march on the Board of Regents meeting which will be happening only two blocks away from Georgia State University.
We demand that our university be public not only in name, but in truth. We acknowledge that we may attain this goal only through respecting our collective diversity of tactics. We aim to take our power back from the university, back from the apathy of the Regents, back from the corruption of the government. We will reclaim our university in the name of its people, students, educators, and workers, who value education in Georgia.
RESIST – STRIKE – WALK OUT – NO FEE HIKES – NO TUITION INCREASES – NO BUDGET CUTS – NO BAN ON UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLES – OUR UNIVERSITY – OUR GENERATION – OUR FIGHT
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This Forum has been organized in the name of Occupy Georgia State, a student-led organizing space modeled after Occupy Wall Street, created to fight against the assault on students, faculty, and workers at the hands of the Regents and administration.
The purpose of this forum will be to educate and agitate the Georgia State community on the crisis in higher education. Currently, the discussion topics include the school-to-prison pipeline and its direct relationship with banning undocumented youth and the cuts to the HOPE scholarship, home defense and foreclosures in Atlanta, and the effects of neoliberalism in the university through fee hikes, tuition hikes, and budget cuts. We want to explore how neoliberalism is a manifestation of capitalism, and how social movements can solve these problems. We want to avoid a discussion on liberal reformism, and instead, engage with everyone on why a fundamental change is necessary through action. We want to create a space of presentation on different issues including, but not limited to, the university. We want to engage those who participate in this discussion to gain an understanding on different struggles, and unite under a broad analysis. Most importantly, we want to have as many people as possible attend this forum to prepare everyone for the actions planned in March. The university belongs to those who use it. |
General Assembly this Thurs. Feb 23
Occupy GSU will have its next general assembly this Thursday, February 23, at 5:30pm in the library courtyard (or in the parking deck underneath if we suffer inclement weather).
Crash this meeting.
All info taken from Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/284672064932914/
WITH ONLY ONE DAYS NOTICE: Wedn. Feb. 22 in Room 450 of the Georgia State Capitol
Mtg Notice: http://www.senate.ga.gov/
SO WHY IS SB 458 A TERRIBLE IDEA:
- It specifically removes the officials who were place positions of making decision on higher educational matters, inlcuding the Board of Regents, and the State Board of Technical Colleges, of having any influence in the matter of admission of students.
- It requires massive ‘red tape’ for the admissions process to attend a public University in Georgia
- It creates crimes even if you only have made a mistake
- It targets undocumented children and youth who are DREAM Act eligible
- It would define ‘Postsecondary education’ as a ‘Public Benefit’ (Note authoring Senators: ‘Postsecondary’ is not even an official word defined by dictionaries … Please do at least a spell check … Correct: ‘Post-secondary’)
DETAILS
Read details in the Bill SB 458 here:
http://www.legis.ga.gov/
State of Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee:
http://www.senate.ga.gov/
ACTION FROM HOME OR PHONE:
Contact your reps today: Below, please find a listing of the Senate Judiciary Committee members to focus upon between now and tomorrow afternoon to ask them to oppose the language re. ban on higher education.
Thanks to Larry Pelligrini for this listing.
Hamrick, Bill Chairman – Republican
District 30
121-H State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: (404) 656-0036
Fax: (404) 651-6767
bill.hamrick@senate.ga.gov
FOCUS: Express Opposition to Post Secondary Education language
Cowsert, Bill Vice Chairman – Republican
District 46 From Athens
421-B State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: (404) 463-1383
Fax: (404) 651-6768
bill.cowsert@senate.ga.gov
FOCUS: Express Opposition to Post Secondary Education language
Crosby, John Secretary – Republican
District 13
302-A Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: (404) 463-5258
Fax: (404) 657-0459
john.crosby@senate.ga.gov
wants the document fixed
FOCUS: Express Opposition to Post Secondary Education language
Bethel, Charlie Member – Republican
District 54 From Dalton
324-A Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: (404) 656-6436
Fax: (404) 656-6484
charlie.bethel@senate.ga.g
FOCUS: Express Opposition to Post Secondary Education language
Carter, Jason Member – Democrat
District 42
327-B Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: (404) 463-1376
Fax: (404) 657-7853
jason.carter@senate.ga.gov
HELPFUL. THANK HIM.
Fort, Vincent Member – Democrat
District 39
121-J State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: (404) 656-5091
Fax: (404) 651-7078
vincent.fort@senate.ga.gov
HELPFUL. THANK HIM.
McKoon, Joshua Member – Republican
District 29
319-A Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: (404) 463-3931
Fax: (404) 657-3217
joshua.mckoon@senate.ga.go
FOCUS: Express Opposition to Post Secondary Education language
Ramsey, Sr., Ronald B. Member – Democrat
District 43
303-A Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: (404) 463-2598
Fax: (404) 463-1386
ronald.ramsey@senate.ga.go
HELPFUL. THANKS HIM.
Stone, Jesse Member – Republican
District 23
320-B Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: (404) 463-1314
Fax: (404) 463-1388
jesse.stone@senate.ga.gov
FOCUS: Express Opposition to Post Secondary Education language