October 5, 2009

Teach-In at UCSB to Explore Solutions to UC Budget Crisis

With UC's budget crisis generating fee increases, layoffs, furloughs, and frustration, a group of faculty and staff members and students at UC Santa Barbara have organized a daylong teach-in to debate the issues and to provide a public forum for discussion.

Set for Wednesday, October 14, in Campbell Hall at UCSB, "Defending the University: A ‘Teach-In' on the Current Crisis" will begin at 3 p.m. and continue through midnight. Panels, workshops, and break-out sessions will be held in nearby classroom buildings.

"It is both an educational and a political event designed to offer a positive road forward for the UC system and for education at all levels in California," Nelson Lichtenstein said of the teach-in. A professor of history and director of the campus's Center for the Study of Work, Labor, and Democracy, he is one of the event organizers.

Among the keynote speakers are George Lakoff, professor of linguistics at UC Berkeley; Stan Glantz, professor of medicine at UC San Francisco and past chair of the UC Committee on Planning and Budget; State Senator Loni Hancock (D-Oakland), who is chair of the Elections, Reapportionment, and Constitutional Amendments Committee; Ruth Gilmore, professor of ethnicity and geography at the University of Southern California; and Lenny Goldberg executive director of the California Tax Reform Association.

Glantz will speak on "The Crisis at the University of California" at 3:30 p.m. while Hancock, Gilmore, and Goldberg will take part in a forum on "California Politics and Higher Education" at 5 p.m. Lakoff will participate in a panel discussion titled "Where Do We Go From Here?" at 8:30 p.m. Locations of the programs are yet to be determined.

Other speakers include Robert Samuels, president of the UC-American Federation of Teachers; Robert Meister, professor of political science at UC Santa Cruz and president of UC Faculty Associations; and Jesse Bernal, student member of the UC Board of Regents. California labor leaders and UC student government officers will also be participating.

Issued: 10/5/09;

Corrected: 10/6/09

Issued: 10/5/09;

Corrected: 10/12/09

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.