I wrote a really angry letter...
To any UCSC students who haven't checked out the administrative email from today, I recommend it as a bile-inducing activity. It made me angry enough to write a response I know no one it's addressed to will read, so I thought I'd re-post it to feel fulfilled about writing it.
The program outlined for the restriction of student events is outrageous.
Sure, it's an inconvenience having visitors fill up campus, but it's on a weekend, and it's in a meadow.
I'm sure the administration gets some flak for not cracking down this hard previously, but that kind of tolerance in the face of bureaucratic pressure is the University we signed up for.
The policies here are not. Requiring residents and off-campus students to buy parking permits (and to be unable to take the bus onto campus) to study or visit on campus at less than a week's notice is inconsiderate, to say the least, as is revoking the right to host a guest in campus residences at such short notice. I might offer a reminder that the policy for giving tenants of any other residence notice of invasion, blockage, or changes to lease policies requires a period of thirty days in advance of action.
All these policies seem to be under the impression that all UCSC students participate in the 4/20 celebration, which I would venture to say most do not. The way you're taking away rights from nonparticipating students is shameful.
Don't give us lines about regretting inconvenience. These are violations, with almost no warning, and in my estimation they amount to mostly scare tactics and threats of surveillance.
Don't pretend it's about safety. Students concerned with safety might reasonably be warned against attending events, and reminded to always lock their dorm doors. The key-card entries to all residence halls might be kept on continuously. This is blatantly not about safety.
In light of all this, I strongly hope we students all agree to take protest action against these restrictions, and I hope even more strongly that administrative bodies do not pursue the same avenues of crowd control against these protesters which have been used against other recent lawful demonstrations for social justice (i.e. pepper spray, beatings, and pressure points used by non-University Police forces).
Working under the assumption that all statements about valuing student input have truth to them, I thank you for your time and consideration.
The program outlined for the restriction of student events is outrageous.
Sure, it's an inconvenience having visitors fill up campus, but it's on a weekend, and it's in a meadow.
I'm sure the administration gets some flak for not cracking down this hard previously, but that kind of tolerance in the face of bureaucratic pressure is the University we signed up for.
The policies here are not. Requiring residents and off-campus students to buy parking permits (and to be unable to take the bus onto campus) to study or visit on campus at less than a week's notice is inconsiderate, to say the least, as is revoking the right to host a guest in campus residences at such short notice. I might offer a reminder that the policy for giving tenants of any other residence notice of invasion, blockage, or changes to lease policies requires a period of thirty days in advance of action.
All these policies seem to be under the impression that all UCSC students participate in the 4/20 celebration, which I would venture to say most do not. The way you're taking away rights from nonparticipating students is shameful.
Don't give us lines about regretting inconvenience. These are violations, with almost no warning, and in my estimation they amount to mostly scare tactics and threats of surveillance.
Don't pretend it's about safety. Students concerned with safety might reasonably be warned against attending events, and reminded to always lock their dorm doors. The key-card entries to all residence halls might be kept on continuously. This is blatantly not about safety.
In light of all this, I strongly hope we students all agree to take protest action against these restrictions, and I hope even more strongly that administrative bodies do not pursue the same avenues of crowd control against these protesters which have been used against other recent lawful demonstrations for social justice (i.e. pepper spray, beatings, and pressure points used by non-University Police forces).
Working under the assumption that all statements about valuing student input have truth to them, I thank you for your time and consideration.