A movement born of $1 billion in budget cuts to California's state university system has blossomed into a nationwide protest, as students and professors in 33 states will challenge administrators and state lawmakers to ante up.
Most of Thursday's demonstrations will focus on cuts to state-funded colleges and universities, which supporters say drive up tuition, limit classes and make higher education unobtainable to many.
A blog called Student Activism said in a Twitter update that 122 events are slated from coast to coast -- most on campuses, and some at state capitals.
Dissatisfaction, anger and an uncertain future have led professors and students to call for a day of action to defend education.
Alright, that's fine, particularly as college adminstrations are being rightfully targeted as a big part of the problem.
However, the CNN story then goes on to relate an anecdote that, to my mind, completely undermines the rational of the "upset" profs:
More students take particular classes, not because they are interested in the topic or are even fulfilling their requirements, but because they are unable to register for anything else, says Vivian Chavez, an assistant professor at San Francisco State University.
Furlough days and a 10 percent salary decrease have affected the morale of professors and students at the school.
"We are doing more with less," Chavez said. "I normally teach 45 students, and last semester I taught 68 students. It was so difficult to remember student names. How do you give each one individual attention?"
Now, look, I've been furloughed like a lot of other professors, but having a schedule where I only had 68 students in a semester sounds like Nirvana. I have 172 students this semester (and, in case you were wondering, no, I don't have any teaching assistants.)
So, when I hear about Prof. Chavez and her 68 students I have a hard time not thinking to myself, "Slacker!"
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