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Monday, April 30, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
AFT Local 1904 Day of Action Address--Lisa Grab
Today, I am speaking on behalf of Students for a Democratic Society and New Jersey United Students. Both of these groups advocate for student rights and accessible education, among other causes--all of which are directly connected with the AFT’s struggle right here at MSU.
On a side note, I would like to mention that today is the day that nation-wide student debt has reached 1 trillion dollars. This too is connected with the workers struggle at MSU--they are all a result of an attack on the public service of higher education.
Last week, Dr. Cole stood before a small audience of 500 and insulted our vision of education by explaining how this university should be operated like a business.
A university that is “operated like a business” only serves to mass produce robotic workers rather than create educated citizens. Dr. Cole’s agenda of nontransparent reckless expansion drains not only the students, but also the faculty and staff, of their every last penny.
A university that is “operated like a business” does not care about its foundations. Attacks on the AFT union at MSU are attacks on higher education itself. If the AFT cannot secure a fair contract, the quality of education will drop. Professors, staff, and students will no longer be able to explore intellectual freedom or expand their knowledge easily.
Last week many of you saw the tents that we set up in the quad. This weeklong occupation was part of NJUS’s statewide week of action to raise awareness about tuition hikes and student debt. The occupation successfully created an alternative community that offered free education, food, and a place to stay.
The occupation reminded me how we all need to stick together here at MSU. We are all part of the same struggle. All of our problems here come from the same source--a broken society. To be more specific, we all suffer from a government that values imperialism more than the right of education and basic care for all of its citizens; we all suffer from Christie’s attacks on higher education; and we all suffer from an administration that does not take the voice of the students, workers, and faculty seriously.
While the separate unions on campus give different groups statewide power, they can only do so much for the problems here on campus. We need to unite with all workers at MSU--all the community here--and we need to learn about one another’s struggle.
For example, did you know the maintenance workers are suffering borderline racist attacks? They are the only workers who are required to fingerprint every day because the administration does not trust that they are fulfilling their hours. Similarly, you should reach out to others to educate them on your issues with the campus.
We need to bridge our gaps and stand in solidarity. When the maintenance workers are facing discrimination, when the Sodexo workers are unhappy with their working conditions, when the faculty and staff cannot secure a fair contract-we all need to help one another because so many of our problems come from the same source.
Let’s unite and fight back!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Occupy MSU / Tent State University
From Monday April 16 to
Friday April 20, Montclair
State University's
chapter of Students for a Democratic Society hosted a week-long occupation on
their Student Center Quad.
The setup began Sunday
evening as SDS members put up their first tents preparing themselves for a
entire week of activism to raise awareness of real issues that affect higher education: tuition hikes, student loan
debt, lack of state funding, lack of administrative transparency, student rights on campus etc.
 |
| Day 1 of the encampment |
The setup of the occupation
sparked the curiosity of the general public. Tents, signs, and banners were
prominently displayed on the quad as students, faculty, and staff workers came
up to the SDS table to receive free food, informational literature, button
pins, and student debt stickers (HELLO, MY NAME IS ALDO AND I AM $10,000 IN
DEBT). Students were also encouraged to call their state legislators to
advocate for two Tuition Cap bills
that are currently on the floor of the NJ State Assembly (A2464) and the NJ
State Senate (S1569).
As SDS and other students
camped out over night, the University Police Department (UPD) patrolled the
area every night before midnight. This
was due to the administration’s pathetic little attempt to restrict the ability
of the students to protest. Rules were imposed on the
occupation such as only being allowed to occupy half of the quad and not
allowing anyone to sleep inside tents. SDS and company slept outside of
the tents instead, a hilarious loophole that was continuously exposed. Thankfully, the warm
weather was on the side of activism.
Despite the restrictions on
Freedom of Speech, Occupy MSU received positive media coverage for its protest: (Click)
-SDS member Aldo Guerrero appeared on camera in News 12 New Jersey. Although it aired on TV, the footage is not readily available for online viewing.
-WMBC also showed up
-And finally, various student journalists and photographers came to observe as well.
 |
| Professor Samuels talking about MSU's Student Government |
Throughout the week,
teach-ins of various subjects were hosted by guest speakers. Here is a list of
some teach-ins that took place:
-The Problems of MSU's
Student Government by Professor Jack Samuels
-History of American Student
Activism by CUNY Professor Angus Johnston
-Marginalized Groups in
Progressive Movements by Femvolution President and SDS Member Leah Stone
-Fairness in the Economy by U.S. Senate
Candidate for the Socialist Party Greg Pason
-Discrimination in American
Law by S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M.S President Alan Akins
-Black Family Discussion by
SDS Member Carlo Rossi
-NATO, War, & Imperialism
by SDS Member Justin Wooten & Professor Grover Furr
-Animal Welfare 101 by Animal
Rights Activist Constance Li
-Meditation & Non-Violent
Resistance by Professor Maughn Gregory
-Progressive Music performed
by Rutgers Student Christian McFarland
 |
| Leah Stone about to begin her teach-in about marginalized groups in progressive movements |
The idea of Tent State University originated from Rutgers University who recently hosted their 10th Annual Tent State. Montclair State SDS, Rutgers, and Rowan University agreed to encamp in solidarity in an attempt to create a unified and powerful statewide voice that addresses the issues of higher education. It is time for the state of New Jersey and for the United States to treat higher education as a serious issue.
SDS was satisfied with Occupy MSU / Tent State University. Hopefully this will be an annual event that will serve to fight for a more just and accessible system of higher education.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Occupy MSU -- Coming Soon!
The occupation will begin on Monday April 16, 2012 with a tentative end date of April 20, 2012.
Hardly a place for political activism, Montclair State University (MSU) will be having its very own on-campus occupation organized by the student organization, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and any other organization that decides to offer its assistance.
The purpose of the occupation is to raise awareness about the real problems that students face not just at MSU but all over the country.
Issues of concern include:
-Rising Tuition costs (Tuition makes up 51% of MSU’s budget and increased 2.5 times since 2000
-Student Debt (Will reach $1 trillion in April 2012)
-Lack of administrative transparency (Where does tuition go? Why do the corporations that sit on the Board of Trustees almost always make a profit from the changes being made on campus)
-Not being allowed to speak at Board of Trustees meetings (Why not? Even the student trustees are kicked out of the “closed” Board of Trustee meetings)
-Feeble student representation on political issues in: The Student Government Association (SGA), administrative decision-making bodies of the university, the state of New Jersey
In addition to protesting the lack of democracy within MSU, SDS will also be providing various forms of entertainment and hosting informative activities during the occupation.
These events include:
-Guest Speakers (U.S. Senate candidate Greg Pason and more!)
-Musical entertainment by various rock bands
-Teach-ins on various subjects (Student debt, civil liberties, etc)
-Workshops on meditation and guerilla art
-And much more!!
Some food, tents and other accommodations will be provided for the student population. Donations whether in the form of supplies or funds are greatly appreciated.
IN A NUTSHELL:
Who: The students of Montclair State hosted by Students for a Democratic Society.
What: The occupation of the campus.
When: Beginning the week of April 2nd.
Where: Montclair State University Student Center Quad.
Why: To protest the lack of democracy and student representation in Montclair State University and in the state of New Jersey.
How: Setting up tents and occupying for as long as we want!!!
Tweet #OccupyMSU
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Board of Trustees Tuition Hearing - Aldo Guerrero Statement
To the Board,
My name is Aldo Guerrero and I am a sophomore majoring in Political Science.
My decision to attend this institution was based entirely on its supposed affordability. SUPPOSED “affordability.” Now, it is getting pretty difficult to use that as a justification for coming here. May I remind everyone that this institution has increased tuition over 150% for over the past 10 years? In fact, tuition overall has increased higher than the rate of inflation. How can anyone in good conscience call that “affordable?” Any claim that states that this institution is “affordable” has little to no legitimacy whatsoever no matter what the administration wants the students to think, no matter how much you blame the state for your own financial failings.
I can understand the frustration towards the state of New Jersey for not adequately funding higher education, particularly this institution. But what YOU have to understand is that it is TWICE as frustrating for the student body since we have to 1) deal with a state that no longer cares about higher education AND 2) deal with an administration that advises its Board of Trustees to raise tuition every single year. All year long, this Board manages to get away with executing the President’s expensive non-transparent and non-democratic agenda with absolutely no meaningful discussion or dialogue in the face of the public. When this is all set and done, the students are then asked to foot the bill in the form of tuition hikes near the end of the school year. How is any of this even fair?
How is it fair that the students get their tuition raised, the faculty works without a contract, but the president manages to self-enrich herself with a $125,000 longevity bonus which she has outright REFUSED to give back on the grounds that she actually NEEDS this extra compensation? I can pull up the YouTube video where she blatantly refused to donate it in any shape or form despite the fact that Rutgers President Richard McCormick has donated his bonuses. How could the President NEED extra compensation if the President’s contract is filled with other lucrative bonuses such as a free house with a free housekeeper, a free car with a free driver, and an American Express Corporate Card all paid for with University funds which can include tuition. In addition, she is a tenured member of the English Department when she clearly does not teach and there is a clause in her contract that entitles her to an entire year’s worth of a paid sabbatical with full presidential salary should she decide to actually teach. Even if she decides to not teach, she is STILL entitled to a monetary performance bonus that cannot be less than her current salary ($350,000). Clearly, she does NOT need a longevity bonus. I don’t care if these perks are considered a standard. How can I believe that there is a budget crisis if the President accepts gifts like these and the Board approves of them? How can I believe that the University needs more money by raising tuition if there is obviously enough money to go around to fund these lucrative, higher privileged perks? If tuition goes up, I really hope that my money is not being used for self-enrichment purposes. University money should be money for education and NOT administration.
Thank You,
Aldo Guerrero
Board of Trustees Tuition Hearing -- Lisa Grab Statement
4-5-12
Dear Board Members,
At last year’s tuition hearing, I spoke about my personal story. Apparently that did not have that much of an impact because you decided the tuition increase over a conference call last summer (without the student trustees present), you continue to silence and dismiss students at the board meetings, and you continue shift 100% of the responsibility to the state.
As you can see, I’ve rallied up some more students. You are no longer going to get away with these silly decisions that end up costing individual students thousands of dollars, that end up adding more and more fees to our bills.
Asking for lower tuition is not synonymous with cutting faculty salaries; it is not synonymous with asking for lower quality education; and it is not synonymous with hoping the state will give us more money. (Trust me, I am giving the state just as much of a hard time as I am giving you all, so don’t say I am misguided).
I find it outright insulting that you are trying to justify the tuition increase by showing how MSU is one of the cheapest schools in New Jersey. Although we are one of the cheapest schools, we had one of the largest tuition increases last year. So it is not going to be the cheapest much longer. Stop blaming others and take responsibility. If you do want to continue blaming the state, then you need to be doing more to hold the state accountable.
Additionally, while it is true that the state is partially to blame and that our governor selfishly strives to squeeze the poor for more and more money while giving the wealthy individuals and corporations tax breaks, there is still some frivolous spending going on at MSU because of the administrations’ lack of transparency.
We can save money here at MSU by chopping from the top. Some things we could have saved money on are our presidents’ $125,000 bonus (most presidents donate their bonuses to scholarships), the ill and nontransparent decision making, and the privatization of services on campus that are hidden inside added fees.
Pedestrian Promenade:
Two great examples of the administrations’ lack of transparency and disregard for student input can be found in today’s agenda. The first is the Pedestrian Promenade. I asked around about this for quite some time before I discovered what it is. For those of you who don’t know, the pedestrian promenade is a walkway that they plan on building along the ridge parallel to Valley Road so that they can take prospective tours along a scenic route overlooking the NYC skyline. To bring in more “students” (or should I say sources of revenue). This fancy walkway is going to cost the university around 2.5 million dollars.
Let’s stop and think for a second. We have sidewalks deteriorating all over campus. It is getting more and more difficult for students--especially those who need wheelchairs and assistance getting around—to walk on the preexisting sidewalks.
[The administration interrupts me right here and tries to cut me off, but I continue.]
Or we can think about it this way. 2.5 million dollars can do a lot for students. It can give each student of the 18,000 students $138 dollars for textbooks or another fee. It can give 100 students free tuition for their entire 4 years at MSU. 2.5 million dollars can do a lot of things and should not be given over so easily to a project so useless as the pedestrian promenade.
If the administration really cares about student input they wouldn’t stop at consulting the BOT student representatives or the SGA committees. They would call for a referendum and see if the students at MSU really want a fancy walkway that is going to cost them 2.5 million dollars.
The Overlook at Great Notch:
Another great example is the overlook at the great notch, where we are planning on putting the School of Business. Two years ago, the university paid a company 2 million to design a new school of business building that would have gone on the tennis courts. Now the university changes its mind with the argument that we can’t afford an entire new building. So they wasted 2 million on the designs and are now asking for another million to redesign the overlook building. This brings the total cost of designs to 3 million dollars.
It gets worse. We will be renting the overlook with a long-term lease of 21 years for the initial term. At what price? It is not listed. This will be left to the discretion of the president. However, I decided to do my own research.
A quick search on the internet says that at the rate of $28/SQ FT, the 151,000 square feet that MSU will be renting at the cost of 4 million a year. Over the span of 21 years, this will cost the university over 88 million. This far exceeds the 35 million being proposed for the building of the Media and Communications building.
So, in the long term, we will not be saving money. Especially when you start consider the additional shuttle services that will be driving students to and from the overlook.
Conclusion
The final message that I leave you all with—-trustee members, students, and faculty—-is that we need to hold the decision makers accountable at this university. These people rule the university. And they are appointed by the governor. Many of them have their own agendas. Some of them do not have the students’ best interests in mind. They all need to be told by the students how WE want OUR university to be run—democratically and fairly. If our tuition and fees continue to rise, our intolerance for the actions and decisions being made here will increase 10 times that amount.
Thank you.
Board of Trustees Tuition Hearing -- Mark Ludas Statement
Board of Trustees speech
4-5-12
The Greek philosopher, Plato, and his pupil, Aristotle, did not see eye to eye on many things, but there was at least one thing upon which they agreed, as did all notable philosophers: Everything that exists is made of parts. Add or subtract one or another part and the thing may cease functioning, or it may become another thing entirely. All the parts are necessary, they all add up, they are all essential, and while the thing itself created the need for them, they make the thing what it is.
Tuition is just one part in the “thing” called education. It serves two purposes. The first is to provide the student with her education. The second is to compensate the school for that education, such that it can continue giving it to others. Hence without tuition, the school would not prosper or improve in quality of materials or faculty, and the students would have no manner of purchasing education in a society that requires it be purchased like any other commodity.
Hence, we have proven that tuition is necessary in our society as it is now. We have also pointed out that the students are another part of education, as is the school itself. But what is the nature of this relationship? The students attend the school, and in so doing, sustain it. The school provides the students with education, which increases their value in the job market, for, as my economics professor once told me in 2005, each year spent in higher education will increase one’s lifetime income by a million dollars.
So the student’s presence at the school is required for the school to make money, and the school’s presence on the student’s degree is required for the student to make money. And both of these outcomes are made possible by tuition.
Money is the arbiter of humanity’s endeavors, not humanity. This isn’t idealistic speechifying, this is the world as it actually is, and I do not contest that. Rather, I would ask you another question, a question that addresses the reality I just described, and that is the cardinal question today.
What happens when tuition is raised? Answering this question depends upon the recognition of newly discovered “parts” of what we think is education. The “tuition hike,” occurs as the result of another part, the “board of trustees,” acting under the influence, direct or indirect, of yet another part, “the state.” What is the relationship between these three parts? How do their proper function maintain that of the entire “thing” called education?
The state decides to cut funding to higher education. The board of trustees responds, by deciding to raise tuition. The tuition hike does three things. First, it makes state school less accessible to new students. Second, it makes paying for state school less manageable to current students. Third, it reduces the value of the education for graduate students when you consider that tuition increased 8.4% at public universities while increasing only 4% at private universities in 2011.
The graduated students won’t make as much money because their degrees will be worth less, and they will be saddled with exorbitant student debt. Therefore, the school can’t make as much money because fewer students can actively afford it. Logically, if the students can’t attend the school, the thing known as “education” is missing one of its key components, and should break down entirely. But the school can counter this, and does in spades, building shiny dorms and facilities, privatizing parts of the school like food, housing, and parking, accepting innumerable outside dollars, publicizing its land more than its curriculum, and relying solely on a student’s willingness to pay for whatever the school wants her to, once she’s signed her acceptance letter and her parent or guardian has cosigned the loans.
So, students continue to attend, and “education” retains its necessary parts. But what has the tuition hike done? The part of education called the “students” will struggle with jobs and loans to pay their bills while they take their courses during the day and into the night. A crushing yoke of debt will rest upon their shoulders for much of their journey into adulthood. And the degree they obtain will have all the applicability of an expired coupon in our current job market. Perhaps twenty years ago, this degree or that one would have been enough for a substantial job. Now, bachelors, masters, and doctors are often equally disenfranchised.
The parts of a thing make up the whole of it, and as I said, add or subtract one or another part and the thing may cease functioning, or it may become another thing entirely. Students, tuition, school, board of trustees…these are the active parts of education that are necessary in the world in which we live. Add the part called “tuition hike” and you endanger the whole of education. There will be no students, there will be no tuition, there will be no school, there will be no board of trustees. There will only be a corrupted circle of these, of cynically complacent bystanders—student, professor, staffmember, trustee—a merry-go-round spun round and round by The State, its inhabitants grasping for dead leaves that once grew on a tree of dreams.
Career, opportunity, ideas, stability, confidence, wisdom…These are the parts of another thing, a thing in which education itself is a part, without which it cannot exist, and to deny it is the ultimate crime of an adult. I am speaking, of course, of freedom. A tuition hike is an attack on education, and on the freedom of those who seek it. Since you have entered the field of education in any capacity, I believe that means you work for it. So attack freedom, and you attack yourselves.
Thank you.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Lisa Grab -- An Open Letter to My Supporters
On Wednesday, March 28, I officially lost my bid for SGA president to George Juzdan. This was a great disappointment for many of us who worked tirelessly throughout campaign week. We had a vision for a new kind of student government at MSU, one that better represents the interests of students in these increasingly tough times of budget cuts and disinvestment in the common good. Let us be honest with ourselves: the election results were a victory for the status quo – an indicator of how far we’ve yet to go in our work of bringing progress to this campus.
During my campaign, I tried to get the message out to students that our campus suffers from allowing a fratocracy to dominate the student government. Of course, I use the term “fratocracy” not as a slight to all Greek organizations. I have been clear in my support for sororities and fraternities. I use the term, instead, to shine a light on the fact that one fraternity dominates the SGA e-board, cabinet, and legislature; and I shall continue to use whatever tactics necessary to make apparent the obstacles this situation puts in the way of bringing about changes that our student government needs.
The fact is, the current SGA monopoly – an entrenched power in our little microcosm world of campus politics – goes hand in hand with a status quo that is simply intolerable. And make no mistake about the fact that the administration favors this monopoly. Just look at the record of the current SGA. What have they done to stand up to the administration, the Board of Trustees, and other authorities on issues like rising tuition and student debt, Sodexo, restrictions on free speech, or even the questionable quality of campus events? What have they done to make our voices heard? The current SGA’s record on these and other important issues is very poor. It’s a do-nothing, irrelevant SGA – and the administration loves this.
The circumstances of the election only make matters more disheartening for us. On a campus of about 18,000 students, only about 25 showed up to see the official SGA debate. I later allowed footage of my performance at the debate to be posted on YouTube to inform more students of my platform. But by the time the video received around 300 views, the SGA elections committee notified me that I had lost all online campaigning rights as “punishment” for an action I did not commit: because one MSU professor shared the link for my video with other professors, my online campaign was formally and effectively suppressed; and I was forced to censor my personal website and delete all my campaign activity on Facebook. In the end, less than 2,000 students voted and I received around half the votes had by the current Vice President and now President-elect of the fratocracy, George Juzdan.
Of course, these circumstances provide grounds for a serious challenge to the legitimacy of Juzdan’s victory and of the whole SGA. Juzdan’s supporters also held the majority on the elections committee; and Juzdan himself even had a chance to offer input when my punishment was being decided. However, the lack of voting participation among many students who were generally uninformed (or misinformed) about the election is even more concerning to me than these flagrant abuses of power. So few students saw the debate, far too few voted; and Juzdan and his “bros” are still getting away with using the SGA as a tool for their personal ambition and careerism.
These are the facts of the battle lost; and it is important that we remember them and make them clear to inquiring minds. But more important than that, we have to remember the progress we have made and press ahead. When I first founded our campus’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), it was an uphill battle just to keep a stable base of 3 or 4 members. Not anymore. Now we are growing everyday. I have watched in SDS students making new and lasting friendships, even romantic relationships blooming. Activism is simply becoming a “happening,” the first sign that it will be sustained over the long term. And that is damn good news for MSU!
We are also beginning to make connections across a variety of organizations – with political student groups like Spectrums, Femvolution, The Planet, Young Americans for Liberty, Speaking Through Silence, and more – so this is not just about me and it’s not just about SDS. The work we do together is so important because we are providing a space for political discourse and dissent, and also because we are making that space one where we can be ourselves without having to worry about judgment. There is a place for everyone in our ranks. We are an open community where any and all kinds of students can find their niche and apply their talents, be respected and valued, and grow with us. We are a movement!
If we take the results of the election at face value, we have to concede that the MSU community may not be ready for a politicized student government. And they may not be ready next year or the year after that. But when they are, we’ll be ready to unseat the fratocracy and turn the SGA into the organization we know it can be – one that is the most persistent and outspoken voice for student rights, one that helps our organizations and our movement thrive. Let’s pledge together now to keep up our fight, to hold the SGA accountable, to be persistent in our struggles with the administration, and to finally wake up this sleeping giant that is our university! Vive la revolution at MSU – in solidarity with the global struggle for basic justice – our own mini revolution!
Your most grateful comrade,
Lisa Grab
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