UCSD-Student-Coops-attacked-again-by-j-field

15 when the administration ordered the UCSD police to forcibly remove student coop members and customers/supporters from the General Store Coop.. unanimously resolved among other things

UCSD Student Coops attacked again Police remove students

4 posts by 3 authors

James Field

This is an update to posts from Dec 19, the last time the UCSD

administration threatened to shut down one of the student coops, and students were forced to occupy the building to prevent eviction or a

lockout We have now done our second building occupation in a

month, and on the anniversary of the beginning of a 55 day antiwar

occupation that some of us participated in last year

JANUARY 16, 1992

STUDENT COOP CRISIS UPDATE

A history of administrative contempt for students and their

organizations has come to a head The Student Coop Crisis escalated yesterday (Jan 15) when the administration ordered the UCSD police

to forcibly remove student coop members and customers/supporters from the General Store Coop Police action began at approximately 1:30 a.m with an unauthorized entry into the student coop, under

administrative order to change the locks Contrary to the

administrationUs claim that the action was prompted by the General Store refusing to accept an audit, the administration in fact, broke a

verbal agreement to conduct the audit next Tuesday

Members of the coop were forced to break a window in order

to gain access to their own store At 11:15 the police returned,

forcibly ejecting the students from their store and locking

themselves in, in the company of and under the leadership of,

Assistant Vice Chancellor Tom R Tucker About 300 students

spontaneously surrounded the coop, banging on windows and doors, demanding that the police give back the store Unknown to the

police the students had changed back the locks Windows crashed and doors opened Students drove the police and administrators out

of the coop The entire fiasco was televised on Channel 8 news at

noon Students occupied the coop The occupation continues today The spontaneous response of the students is consistent with

campus-wide support for the coops On Dec 2, 1991 the UCB passed

a resolution by 7 votes to 2, condemning the administrationUs threat

to TeliminateU Groundwork Books The following day, the GSA voted 14-1 in support of the UCB resolution The administration

completely ignored these student representative organizations,

TofficiallyU shutting down Groundwork Books Groundwork prevailed

during the quarter break through direct student action Refusing to give into administrative intimidation, students occupied the coop through the night The next morning, an agreement was negotiated with the administration which enabled Groundwork to continue

operating as normal without accepting the demands made by the administration

On January 13, 1992 the UCB reasserted its authority with regard to student fee-funded facilities, condemning the

administrative actions against the student coops, reprimanding

Director Carruthers and resolving that Tfurther violation of UCB

policies and/or direction will be sufficient grounds for terminating the relationship between the current Director and the UCBU The GSA Executive Council, pending ratification, has endorsed this resolution Student support is further evidenced by the 3000 signatures

collected on circulating coop petitions The University community has donated about $6500.00 to the coopsU legal defense fund Numerous university departments, for instance, Visual Arts, Muir Writing, Sociology, Communications, Political Science, History,

Literature, have displayed their support of the coops

Finally, in the wake of yesterdayUs disturbing developments, the A.S unanimously resolved among other things that the

administration used Texcessive forceU against students and that this represented Tinexcusable treatment of the studentsU and reflects their Tlack of respect for the abilities of student governing bodiesU and further resolves to support the original UCB-Coop committee solution proposed at the end of last quarter and finally will consider Tlegal recourse to defend the rights of UCSD students and student organizationsU

Unanimity has therefore been reached among all student

representative organizations in support of the coops More

importantly, the coop struggle has crystallized the fundamental

issues of the right to autonomous student organization, the right for student representative organizations to control their own finances, the right for students to control student fee-funded facilities, and

in general the right for students to control all monies collected

through self-assessed student fees Neither the A.S., the GSA, or the UCB presently control their finances (i.e OUR MONEY) Unless our representative organizations control their finances they have no autonomy

These are UC-wide issues and the students of UCSD are now moving once again to take the lead in this regard The bill before the California State legislature which deals with all these issues, and which originated at UCSD, is now to be followed by the formation of

a UCSD united student association to coordinate here, and set the pace throughout the state, the struggle for student autonomy,

integrity, and self-determination This process begins tomorrow (1/17) with the All-Campus General Assembly We will invite all

members of the UCSD community to join us in our attempt to end bureaucratic tyranny by seeking mandate to initiate a special

student forum comprised of all representative student organizations

to address all of the above common student concerns and last, but not least, to resist UC-fee hikes

ATTEND THE ALL-CAMPUS GENERAL

ASSEMBLY MEETING ON THE HUMP ON FRIDAY

BE THERE WHEN UCSD MAKES

HISTORY

Click here to Reply

James Field

UCSD student government reaction to attack Call for help

show quoted text

-Here is a packet sent to student governments containing the ASUCSD's reaction to the administration's attacks on the coops, in an effort

to gain support and to try to build support for AB1884 a bill in the California legislature regulating student control of student fee

funded facilities

January 15, 1992

Associated Students Representatives:

The long litany of UCSD Administration attacks on UCSD student

co-op enterprises has recently been resumed with heightened intensity Documents communicated here should provide a preliminary sketch

of what has transpired

Precipitous actions on the part of the Administration with UC Police complicity have undermined the possibility of constructive

negotiations unless significant change occurs in the area of student rights and autonomy Because of the nature and degree of recent events, changes in the fundamental structure of UCSD's student government cannot be excluded

Present issues at UCSD relate to conflicts familiar and relevant to student organizations at many public universities in California

We hope to gain the solidarity of the Associated Students at such universities (specifically the AS-UCs and the AS-CSUs.) In particular,

we request resolutions of support and letters of solidarity from those and other such student representative bodies We also exhort you to consider asserting your own autonomy emoranda of Understanding

of the kind enjoyed between the AS-UCLA and the UCLA

Administration would seem to be of specific interest Student

governments must declare that they represent their student

constituencies first and reserve all autonomy necessary to do so in the face of any Administration's assertions to the contrary

Because the conflicts we face are not particular but structural, we hope that we may expand and coordinate our efforts with those of other California public university student bodies to find system-wide solutions Legislative efforts, particularly AB1884, will require

consolidated support and elaboration

Please contact the Chair of the University Center Board or the

President of AS-UCSD for more information and discussion

In solidarity we may attain what has eluded us separately

###

AS RESOLUTION CONCERNING THE RIGHTS OF STUDENTS AND STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

submitted by Siamak Malek January 15, 1992

Whereas, on November 18, 1991 the University Administration

issued an ultimatum to a student organization, (Groundwork Books Cooperative), to relinquish their status and thus their rights and

privileges as a student organization; and

Whereas, on November 18, 1991 the University Administration

issued an ultimatum to three other student organizations, (the Food Coop, the General Store, the Che Cafe), to either surrender their assets

to the University Administration, their agency accounts and

autonomous business structure or relinquish their status and thus their rights and privileges as student organizations; and

Whereas, with these two ultimatums the University Administration left no room for negotiation and compromise on their status change from student organization to "outside contract vendor"; and

Whereas, the University Administration has bypassed the official designated governing boards and has taken unreasonable action against student organizations thus violating the spirit of University community; and

Whereas, these student organizations are governed with a collective decision making process which is different than the University

Administration's hierarchical system, which necessitates flexibility and understanding; and

Whereas, on January 15, 1992, at approximately 1 am, the University Administration entered the General Store coop, without prior written

or oral notification to the General Store or UCB and without

authorization, changed all the locks to the doors; and

Whereas, on January 15, 1992, at approximately 10 am,

representatives of the University Administration returned with

University police officers and forcibly removed students from said student fee funded facility;

Therefore be it resolved, that the Associated Students maintain that

we as UCSD students have the constitutional right to form

associations and organizations for the promotion of our various individual, group, and collective interests; and

Be it resolved, that the Associated Students find that the actions of the University Administration violated the coops' existing lease contracts; and

Be it resolved that the Associated Students find that the University Administration's use of excessive force was inappropriate and

inexcusable treatment of the students, student boards, and student organizations; and

Be it resolved, that the Associated Students find that the University Administrations actions reflect a lack of respect for the abilities of student governing bodies to resolve concerns of importance; and

Be it resolved, that the Associated Students recommend that the University Administration respect and consider the joint UCB/Coop Committee's proposal for the resolution of any and all alleged PPM violations before taking any further actions; and

Be it resolved, that the Associated Students will consider taking

legal recourse to defend the rights of UCSD students and student organizations if it is deemed necessary

###

UCB Resolution on University Center Director

vote (January 13, 1992) :

6 in favor;

O opposed; 2 abstentions

Whereas the University Center Director continued to push his

"administrative action" during the break, and ignored the December

2 mandate of the Board which stated "that any attempt by the University Center Director to alter the current relationship between the UCB and any coop be, and hereby is, declared to be inconsistent with the policies and intentions of the University Center Board, and a violation of the University Center Board Charter" as stated in the resolution

Therefore it is resolved that the Board, within its full authority to do

so, formally reprimands the current UC Director, under the following terms:

1 The Director shall not participate in any negotiations regarding UCSD's co-ops without prior express written authorization

by the UCB Chair

2 The Director shall transfer all files into the Board room

and make all documents, including all correspondence between the Director and the administration, available to Board members

3 The Director shall act in accordance with all Board resolutions and policies

Further violation of UCB polices and/or direction will be sufficient grounds for terminating the relationship between the current

Director and the UCB, and

Be it resolved that the Chair write a formal reprimand to the

Director's employment file, condemning Carruther's prior violations

of UCB resolution and policies, and

Be it resolved that a confidential questionaire be sent to University Center employees who work with the Director to provide the Board with further data on the performance of the Director, and

Whereas the University Center Board Charter, an official document recognized by the University, clearly outlines that the UCB delegates the responsibility to the UC Director to run the daily operations of the Student Center, and pays his salary out of the $37.50

student-assessed fee, and,

Whereas the UCB has determined it will resolve any and all alleged PPM violations through the joint UCB/Co-op committee as outlined in the Dec 2, 1991 resolution,

Be it resolved that the Board finds it inappropriate that

the UC Director enter into contract negotiations which are

unauthorized by the Board, and

Be it resolved that the UCB retain independent (i.e.,

non-university) legal counsel as soon as possible to obtain

a legal opinion regarding the UCB's rights and

responsibilities similar in scope to that obtained in 1974

by AS-UCLA from the law firm Latham & Watkins The UCB will earmark an initial $5,000 from the University Center Board

budget line item (money to be transferred from the money

initially allocated to the Center Letter) with the

authorization of the UCB

Be it resolved that the scope of the joint co-op-UCB

committee be extended to include the following items:

a that the committee conduct research on the status

of student government at other campuses, especially within

the UC system

b that the committee propose to amend the UCB

Charter to clarify the UCB's relationships with the

following groups on campus:

1 the administration

2 student organizations in general

3 student co-ops

4 contract vendors

5 student auxiliary enterprises

c that the committee propose to amend the UCB

Charter to increase the UCB's accountability to the UCSD

student body

d that the committee focus on creating proposals

that outline steps to review and resolve any alleged PPM

violations

submitted by Chris Burnett and Molly Mckay

###

NOTICE TO UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION

UCSD students are standing together in solidarity with the coops' struggle for autonomy The University Administration is acting inappropriately by refusing to document their concerns or to

negotiate a third category for the coop businesses which would allow them to remain as student organizations with agency accounts and economic autonomy The tactics of intimidation have been proven ineffective and are an insult to the campus community at large Students insist on control over their fees and fee funded facilities The Associated Students, Graduate Student Association, Student Affirmative Action Committee, and the University Center Board representatives have called for an all campus meeting Friday

at noon on the hump We intend to draw connections between the disregard for student governing boards, intransigence and lack of good faith on the part of the University Administration negotiation, the lack of response to the non-academic grievance filed in response

to the RIMAC election procedure, the stated opposition to AB 1884,, the refusal to fund a UCSD women's center, the destruction of TG's, the inability to allow the old pub to stay open, and a general lack of responsiveness to student concerns We do not believe that the Undergraduate Affairs department is operating with the best

interest of students at heart

We urge the Regents, Office of the President, Chancellor and/or the Academic Senate to look into the actions of the undergraduate affairs department in regards to the coop situation We wish to operate in good faith, but there is little trust left Until the University agrees to negotiate on terms mutually acceptable to the students and the administration, the University Center Board Chair will hold the General Store audit information in safe keeping

We look forward to a swift and just solution to this intolerable unrelenting attack on the student body at UCSD

###

Emergency Call for

All-Campus General Assembly

Every Student will have a vote and a voice in reshaping our campus

Auggie Orozco, President of the ASUCSD

Molly McKay, University Center Board Chair

Juan Astorga, Student Affirmative Action Committee Chair

Denise Fenton, Graduate Student Association President

Che Cafe, Food Co-op, General Store, Groundwork Books, Recycle Co-op, Women's Resource Center

hereby acknowledge the need to assemble all UCSD students and university community members for a campus-wide meeting This will take place

Friday, January 17, 1992

at Noon

on the Hump

As a community, we seek to draft resolutions which will articulate our situation to legislators and national, local and campus media Demands to be issued to the University Administration will be

considered Working together, we will fight to have our voices heard This is your opportunity and responsibility to get involved, and

generate positive long term change! We have been isolated and apathetic for too long It is time for action!

Our rights to due process and autonomy are

at stake!

###

Devin M Scherubel

UCSD student government reaction to attack Call for help

Is there any help the UCSD coops could use from outside groups? Devin

Colin Johnson

UCSD student government reaction to attack Call for help

The following are excerpts from a posting by James Field at UCSD on Dec 19 These are his suggestions as to what to do to be of help:

-1 Letters of support Address them to UCSD Vice Chancellor Joe Watson, and send them to us at

United Cooperative Association

4130-107 La Jolla Village Drive, #167

La Jolla, CA 92037

By the way, you can also send Email directly to Joe Watson His address:

jwwa @ucsd.edu

We're sure he'll be delighted to hear from you Pleas CC us a copy

2 MONEY!! Legal battles are quite expensive Please send checks, payable to the United Cooperative Association, to the address above Alas, contributions are not tax-deductible at present

-If you do send email to the Vice Chancellor please CC a copy to

jfi @ucsd.edu

Let's give these folks a hand with this one Sounds like they could use the support

Colin Johnson | Dragging NASCO kicking and screaming

Colin @um.cc.umich.edu (work) | into the 21st century