keep california's promise...

The numbers on how to make California's budget work with the aim of preserving the quality of public higher education....Chris Newfield has also linked to Keep California's Promise's working paper demonstrating that it is possible to fund the Cal State's and the UC's with a minimal tax increase ($32.00 per taxpayer). Read it and distribute it. This working paper shows that what the state lack is political will and a proper sense of priorities, not the money to defend public higher education.

Statement in support of the UC Mobilisation (Updated)

Statement in support of the UC Mobilisation

24 November 2009

We the undersigned declare our solidarity with University of California students, workers and staff as they defend, in the face of powerful and aggressive intimidation, the fundamental principles upon which a truly inclusive and egalitarian public-sector education system depends. We affirm their determination to confront university administrators who seem willing to exploit the current financial crisis to introduce disastrous and reactionary 'reforms' (fee-increases, lay-offs, salary cuts) to the UC system. We support their readiness to take direct action in order to block these changes. We recognise that in times of crisis, only assertive collective action – walkouts, boycotts, strikes, occupations... – offers any meaningful prospect of democratic participation. We deplore the recent militarization of the UC campuses, and call on the UC administration to acknowledge rather than discourage the resolution of their students to struggle, against the imperatives of privatization, to protect the future of their university.

Signed:

• Dina Al-Kassim, Comparative Literature, UC Irvine
• Alison Hope Alkon, Sociology, University of the Pacific
• Eyal Amiran, Comparative Literature, UC Irvine
• Susan Antebi, Spanish and Portuguese, University of Toronto
• Aldo Antonelli, Philosophy, UC Davis
• Emily Apter, Comparative Literature, NYU
• Kiran Asher, International Development and Social Change and Women's Studies, Clark University
• Jennifer Bajorek, Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths College
• Mona Baker, Translation Studies, University of Manchester
• Mieke Bal, Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis, University of Amsterdam
• Gopal Balakrishnan, History of Consciousness, UC Santa Cruz
• Karyn Ball, English and Film Studies, University of Alberta
• Stephen Barker, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, UC Irvine
• Tani E. Barlow, History, Rice University
• LeGrace Benson, Emerita, SUNY Empire State
• Leo Bersani, French, UC Berkeley
• Bruce Braun, Geography, University of Minnesota
• Nathan Brown, English, UC Davis
• Darcy C. Buerkle, History, Smith College
• Craig Calhoun, Sociology, NYU
• Emma Campbell, French, University of Warwick
• Julie Carlson, English, UC Santa Barbara
• Anthony Carrigan, English, University of Keele
• Amy Sara Carroll, Latina/o Studies, American Culture, English, University of Michigan
• Allison Carruth, English, University of Oregon
• Mari Castaneda, Communication, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Paula Chakravartty, Department of Communication, UMass Amherst
• Piya Chatterjee, Women’s Studies, UC Riverside
• Chris Chiappari, Sociology, Anthropology, St. Olaf College
• Kyeong-Hee Choi, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago
• Noam Chomsky, Linguistics, MIT
• Joshua Clover, English, UC Davis
• Lin Chun, Department of Government, The London School of Economics and Political Science
• Drucilla Cornell, Political Science, Women’s and Gender Studies, Comparative Literature, Rutgers University
• Maria E. Cotera, Latina/o Studies, American Culture, Women’s Studies, University of Michigan
• Whitney Cox, Languages and Cultures of South Asia, School of Oriental and African Studies
• Daniela Daniele, Anglo-American Literatures, University of Udine
• Eva von Dassow, Classical and Near Eastern Studies, University of Minnesota
• Jodi Dean, Political Science, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
• Richard Dienst, English, Rutgers University
• Jackie DiSalvo, English, Baruch College, CUNY
• Elizabeth DeLoughrey, English, UCLA
• Sergio de la Mora, Chicana and Chicano Studies, UC Davis
• Mattanjah S. de Vries, Chemistry and Biochemistry, UC Santa Barbara
• Hent de Vries, Humanities Center, Philosophy, Johns Hopkins University
• Lisa Disch, Political Science and Women’s Studies, University of Michigan
• Ariel Dorfman, Literature, Duke University
• Robert Dudley, Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley
• Alexander Garcia Düttmann, Philosophy and Visual Culture, Goldsmiths University
• Raymond Duvall, Political Science, University of Minnesota
• Ken Ehrlich, Art Department, UC Riverside
• Norma Field, East Asian Languages & Civilizations
• Gail Finney, Comparative Literature and German, UC Davis
• Paul Fleming, German, NYU
• Aranye Fradenburg, English, UC Santa Barbara
• Anne-Lise François, English and Comparative Literature, UC Berkeley
• James Fujii, East Asian Language and Literatures, UC Irvine
• John Funchion, English, University of Miami
• Alexander Galloway, Media, Culture, Communication, NYU
• Alexander Gelley, Comparative Literature, UC Irvine
• Bishnupriya Ghosh, English, UC Santa Barbara
• Rich Gibson, Education, San Diego State University
• Jill Giegerich, Art, UC Riverside
• Rachel Giora, Linguistics, Tel Aviv University
• Shai Ginsburg, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Duke University
• Ruthann Godollei, Art, Macalester College
• Marcial Gonzales, English, UC Berkeley
• Manu Goswami, History, NYU
• Yogita Goyal, English, UCLA
• Greg Grandin, History, NYU
• Ronald Walter Greene, Communication Studies, University of Minnesota
• Martin Hägglund, Society of Fellows, Harvard University
• Peter Hallward, Philosophy, Middlesex University
• Werner Hamacher, Literature, Goethe University
• Kristin Hanson, English, UC Berkeley
• Harry Harootunian, History, Columbia University and Duke University
• Michael Hardt, Literature, Duke University
• Ulla Haselstein, American Literature, Free University of Berlin
• Rebeca Helfer, English, UC Irvine
• Cressida J. Heyes, Philosophy, University of Alberta
• Katsuya Hirano, History, Cornell University
• Dirk Hoerder, History, Arizona State University
• Jennifer Holt, Film and Media Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
• Grace Kyungwon Hong, Asian American Studies and Women’s Studies, UCLA
• Eugene W. Holland, Comparative Studies, Ohio State University
• Ashley Hunt, Photography and Media, California Institute for the Arts
• Adrienne Hurley, East Asian Studies, McGill University
• Natasha Hurley, English and Film Studies, University of Alberta
• Patricia Ingham, English, Indiana University
• Peter Jackson, English, Birmingham City University
• Fredric Jameson, Comparative Literature and Romance Studies, Duke University
• Micaela Janan, Classical Studies, Duke University
• Priya Jha, English, University of Redlands
• Adrian Johnston, Philosophy, University of New Mexico
• Richard Kahn, Educational Foundations and Research, University of North Dakota
• Peggy Kamuf, French and Comparative Literature, UCS
• Ken C. Kawashima, East Asian Studies, University of Toronto
• Sarah Kay, French and Italian, Princeton University
• Paul Kelemen, Sociology, University of Manchester
• Rosanne Kennedy, School of Humanities, Australian National University
• Susan Blakeley Klein, East Asian Languages and Literatures, UC Irvine
• Suk-Young Kim, Theater and Dance, UC Santa Barbara
• Anna Klosowska, French, Miami University
• A. Kiarina Kordela, German Studies, Macalester College
• David Farrell Krell, Philosophy, DePaul University, University of Freiburg
• Ernesto Laclau, Politics, University of Essex
• Bradley Lafortune, English and Film Studies, University of Alberta
• Neil Larson, Comparative Literature, UC Davis
• Michaeal G. Levine, German and Comparative Literature, Rutgers University
• Suzanne Jill Levine, Spanish and Portuguese, UC Santa Barbara
• Ann-Elise Lewallen, East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, UC Santa Barbara
• Jacques Lezra, Comparative Literature and Spanish and Portuguese, NYU
• Pei-te Lien, Political Science, UC Santa Barbara
• Akira Mizuta Lippit, Critical Studies, Comparative Literature, East Asian Languages and Cultures, USC
• Michèle Longino, French, Duke University
• Silvia L. López, Spanish, Carleton College
• Heather Love, English, University of Pennsylvania
• Stephanie Luce, Labor Center, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
• G. Akito Maehara, History, Asian American Studies, African American Studies, Chicano Studies, Native American Studies, East Los Angeles College
• Sharon Marcus, English and Comparative Literature, Columbia
• Lyle Massey, Art History, UC Irvine
• Robert May, Philosophy and Linguistics, UC Davis
• Todd May, Philosophy, Clemson University
• Christina McMahon, Theater and Dance, UC Santa Barbara
• Bob Meister, Political and Social Thought, UC Santa Cruz
• Walter Mignolo, Literature, Duke University
• Laura J. Mitchell, History, UC Irvine
• Claudia Moatti, Classics, USC
• Santiago Morales-Rivera, Spanish and Portuguese, UC Irvine
• Patricia Morton, History of Art, UC Riverside
• Fred Moten, English, Duke University
• John Mowitt, Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature, University of Minnesota
• Julian Myers, Visual Studies and Curatorial Practice, California College of the Arts
• Janet Neary, English, Hunter College
• Vasuki Nesiah, International Affairs, Brown University
• Sianne Ngai, English, UCLA
• Joel Nickels, English, University of Miami
• Julia Olbert, English, UC Irvine
• Bob Ostertag, Technocultural Studies, Music, UC Davis
• Thomas Pepper, Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature, University of Minnesota
• Amy Pederson, Art History, Woodbury University
• Kavita Philip, Women’s Studies, UC Irvine
• John Protevi, French, LSU
• Jack Linchuan Qiu, Journalism and Communication, Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Paula Rabinowitz, English, University of Minnesota
• Francois Raffoul, Philosophy, LSU
• Eve Allegra Raimon, Arts and Humanities, American and New England Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, University of Southern Maine
• Jacques Rancière, Philosophy, University of Paris (St. Denis)
• Jason Reid, Philosophy, University of Southern Maine
• Joseph Rezek, McNeil Center for Early American Studies, University of Pennsylvania
• Gerhard Richter, German, UC Davis
• Denise Riley, Cogut Center for the Humanities, Brown University
• Corey Robin, Political Science, Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center
• William I. Robinson, Sociology, University of California at Santa Barbara
• Avital Ronell, Comparative Literature, Germanic Languages and Literatures, NYU
• Sven-Erik Rose, French and Italian, Miami University
• Andrew Ross, Social and Cultural Analysis, NYU
• Kristin Ross, Comparative Literature, NYU
• Matthew Rowlinson, English, Center for Theory and Criticism, University of Western Ontario
• G.S. Sahota, Asian Languages and Literatures, University of Minnesota
• Simona Sawhney, South Asian Literature and Critical Theory, University of Minnesota
• Martha Saxton, History and Women's and Gender Studies, Amherst College
• Annette Schlichter, Comparative Literature, UC Irvine
• Andre Schmid, East Asian Studies, University of Toronto
• Ronald J. Schmidt Jr., Political Science, University of Southern Maine
• Gabriele Schwab, Comparative Literature, UC Irvine
• Louis-George Schwartz, Film, Ohio University
• Joan W. Scott, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University
• Louis Segal, History, UC Davis
• Susan Seizer, Communication and Culture, Indiana University
• Jared Sexton, African American Studies, Film and Media Studies, UC Irvine
• Katherine Sherwood, Art Practice and Disability Studies
• Scott C. Shershow, English, UC Davis
• Lewis Siegelbaum, History, Michigan State University
• Brenda R. Silver, English, Dartmouth College
• David Slater, Geography, Loughborough University
• Gavin Smith, Anthropology, University of Toronto
• Zrinka Stahuljak, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, UCLA
• Haim Steinbach, Visual Arts, UC San Diego
• Clay Steinman, Humanities, Media, Cultural Studies, Macalester College
• Christine A. Stewart, English and Film Studies, University of Alberta
• Matthew Stratton, English, UC Davis
• Imre Szeman, English and Film Studies, University of Alberta
• Rei Terada, Comparative Literature, UC Irvine
• Soraya Tlatli, French, UC Berkeley
• Sasha Torres, Information and Media Studies, University of Western Ontario
• Alberto Toscano, Sociology, Goldsmiths University of London
• Dimitris Vardoulakis, School of Humanities and Languages, University of Western Sydney
• Geoff Waite, German Studies, Comparative Literature, and Art History, Cornell University
• Elizabeth Walden, Philosophy and Cultural Studies, Bryant University
• Rebecca Weaver-Hightower, English and Postcolonial Studies, University of North Dakota
• Kathi Weeks, Women's Studies, Duke University
• Silke-Maria Weineck, German and Comparative Literature, University of Michigan
• Leonard Wilcox, American Studies, University of Canterbury
• Julia Bryan-Wilson, Contemporary Art, Visual Studies, UC Irvine
• Michael W. Wilson, Art, UC Riverside
• Mirko Wischke, Philosophy, National University of Kiev
• David Wittenberg, English & Comparative Literature, University of Iowa
• Mayfair Yang, Religious Studies, East Asian Cultural Studies, UC Santa Barbara
• Hu Yong, Journalism and Communication, Peking University
• Slavoj Zizek, Philosophy, University of Ljubljana
• Jack Zipes, German, University of Minnesota

Statement From Faculty

Dear Chancellor Drake, Members of the UCI Administration, and Library Staff,

We write to let you know that we support the peaceful efforts of UCI students to keep the main library open this Friday after 5pm through Saturday and possibly Sunday. Those of us who are able to do so plan to hold study sessions, participate in teach-ins, and stop by to be with the students in the library during the week-end.

The current library hours, among many other measures, do a grave disservice to our students and staff and are simply an embarrassment for a great research university like UCI. Far from being a mere service to students, the library, where books and study spaces are available, lies at the center of the intellectual exploration that reaches fruition in final papers and exams.

Our action is intended to draw attention to the unacceptable sacrifices made by students and staff at UCI, despite the best efforts of faculty to continue to provide the high quality instruction for which our university is known. We note that our support of this action does not preclude our support of other actions, such as the "write-in" on the budget organized by the Chancellor.

We ask that you do all in your power to ensure that the library action goes forward peacefully, allowing students the full use of library resources before finals week.

Sincerely,
Cecelia Lynch, Political Science
Elizabeth Allen, English
Jane O. Newman, Comparative Literature
Rei Terada, Comparative Literature
Eyal Amiran, Comparative Literature and FMS
Catherine Liu, FMS and Visual Studies
Laura Mitchell, History
Santiago Morales, Spanish/Portuguese

(please send signatures to john.bruning@gmail.com)