The Demands of Occupy UCR
After spending the last three weeks listening to the concerns of the UCR community, we at Occupy UCR compiled the following list of campus-specific demands. The purpose of these demands is to make UCR a place of greater integrity and equity—intellectually, morally, and socially. We have sought to make these demands as practical, specific, and potent as possible. These are steps that the UCR community can take by and for itself without the involvement of any other institutions or authorities. As soon as these demands are consensed upon by a cross-section of campus stakeholders, we at Occupy UCR will view such an occasion as concluding the first phase of our mission and at that time our encampment will disperse. We will continue working with the UCR community in order to address any and all issues relevant to economic, social, and educational justice.
ECONOMIC JUSTICE
Cap all UC Riverside compensation packages (salaries, benefits, bonuses, and other perks) at $150,000. This will create a sense of solidarity among all sectors of the University. Also, it will provide the funding necessary to pay for all of the subsequent demands discussed below.
TRANSPORTATION
Return of the Campus Loop and Trolley Express shuttle lines. These lines and the Crest Cruiser will return to 20 minute frequencies during 8AM-7PM five days a week, plus Saturday during finals week.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Reinstatement of the Journalism minor program, with sufficient course offerings and new faculty hires as determined by associated faculty.
Creation of an Activist Studies minor program, with sufficient course offerings and new faculty hires as determined by associated faculty.
CLASSES
Total campus wide course offerings will return to 2005 levels, assessed in terms of the ratio between students and courses offered. Sufficient tenure-track faculty positions will be opened in order to maintain 2005 course-to-student ratios.
10 of these tenure-track faculty positions will be opened as part of a new Community Scholars program. These hires will be effective Fall 2012. Community Scholars will teach loads of 3/3/3 with class sizes capped at 30 for all classes. As part of their duties, Community Scholars must spend a minimum of 3 nights occupying the UCR campus per week (during quarters in which they are teaching). Community Scholars will teach core classes in the newly created Activist Studies minor and classes of their own design in any of the following departments, subject to departmental approval: sociology, creative writing, comparative literature, anthropology, history, ethnic studies, political science, and/or philosophy. The search for Community Scholars will be open to candidates from any and ALL academic disciplines, as long as they demonstrate an active research agenda relevant to issues of economic, social, and/or educational justice. Preference will be given to candidates with experience working with local community service organizations.
All discussion sections, university-wide, will be capped at 15 students. The additional discussion sections necessary for maintaining the 15-to-1 ratio will be staffed by increasing the number of halftime TAships available to currently enrolled graduate students. TAs will teach no more than 3 discussion sections and no more than 45 students during any given quarter.
WIFI
Free, 100% publicly accessible, fast, wi-fi internet service. Entirely open and unrestricted, no login required. The network will have a range extending at least 1 mile outside the perimeter of campus in all directions and will be capable of supporting 15,000 users at bandwidth rates ≥15 MbPS download and ≥4 MbPS upload.
ECOLOGICAL SANITY
Eliminate ALL chemicals and pesticides used in agricultural research within five years.
Green Retrofitting Apprenticeship Plan. In 10 years, the campus will produce 100% of its total power usage by generation from renewable sources and usage reductions achieved through retrofitting existing buildings and replacing inefficient heating and cooling units. All work on these projects will be completed by workers participating in a University implemented green building apprenticeship program. Apprentices will attend a series of classes and seminars in the theory and practice of green building, design, engineering, and recycling taught by recognized experts drawn from the surrounding community. Apprentices in this program will be paid a starting wage of $15 an hour for the time that they spend on the job (no less than 20 and no more than 30 hours during any given week) with 5% annual raises as they progress through the program.
Compost bins will be maintained near all campus buildings. All compost will be donated to the UC Riverside community garden or, in the case of a surplus, to other community gardens (e.g., Eastside People’s Garden)
LIBRARIES
Funding for the Libraries, in terms of both collections and staffing, will be kept at 2005 levels proportional to student enrollment. If necessary, additional funding will be provided immediately for the following initiatives:
Both Rivera and Orbach will be open 7 days a week from 7 AM – Midnight during academic quarters. The Media Library will be open from 8AM-6PM 7 days a week.
Hire 10 new Librarian Subject Specialists in the following fields: medicine; engineering; anthropology; sociology; interdisciplinary social sciences; philosophy and religious studies; interdisciplinary humanities; ethnic studies and activist studies; media & cultural studies and; history.
J19 REPARATIONS
The immediate firing of UCPD officers Own and Ruiz for their sexual harassment of female protestors on J19.
Chancellor White must issue a statement of support for J19 arrestees Ken Ehrlich and Humberto Rivera, urging the Riverside County District Attorney to drop all charges against them immediately.
FREE SPEECH
No limits of any sort to free speech on campus. Encampment is a form of speech.
