Conference Proposals  »   South Bay Coalition Proposals

We were not able to come to a consensus on proposals for the conference but the two proposals are very similar. Here they are:

*PROPOSAL ONE*

I. Short term and long term approaches that coincide together to build a culture of engagement and advocacy by the members of the student community and all those affected by the current lack of value in our political system towards education.
a) Short term problems
i) Immediate need for funds.
ii) Lack of voice in the process.
iii) Need for mobilization amongst California’s student body.
b) Short term solutions
i) Make a pledge of support for politicians who support and value education.
a) AB 656 – We understand that AB 656 is only a bandaid for a more deep-rooted problem. But by utilizing our networks to support politicians who support AB 656, we can discourage the reelection of politicians who do not support pro-education legislation. Simultaneously, we can call for new, more progressive legislation to further support education.
ii) Creative Campaigns for politicians, legislation, and to build support towards the societal necessity for education.
a) example: A sustained-presence campaign where we follow republican state senators wherever they go (The Nurses vs. Gov. Schwarzenegger)
iii) Continue holding assemblies both on individual campuses and amongst the broader coalition of colleges.
a) Individual campuses should be encouraged to work on building individualized campaigns that fit the culture of their university and connect its students to the larger struggle.
i) Each campus should decide on which tactics are to be used but should be encouraged to deploy a spectrum of approach options ranging from dialogues to constructive direct action.
c) Long term Challenges
i) The reason for the current lack of political and social support for needs of education is in large part due to the lack of will by those affected to maintain sustained engagement in the conversation.
D) Long term Solutions
i) Creating a culture that connects the right to an education with a duty of protecting it for themselves and for the future. Nothing we can do to bring in funding will work if we do not change the way in which students are engaged with the system.
ii) Use immediate campaigns to build an entrenched culture of support by current and future students, faculty, workers, families, and communities towards advocating for educational rights.

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*PROPOSAL TWO*

South Bay Campus Coordination Committee proposal (a grouping of individual students, student government members and student groups)
We support a general movement of students and educational workers across all levels of public education. This movement must be inclusive, democratic and open to all effective tactics. Below we have outlined a basic plan of attack.
1) All campuses and/or local regions should immediately organize their own campus wide and regional general assembly’s that are open, democratic in nature and include educational workers and students. We encourage that these assemblies be used to educate students and workers about the budget cuts and to come up with plans of action to fight these cuts.
2) All campuses are encouraged to immediately use occupations as a tactic as they see fit against those who favor cuts to public education and passing the burden of cuts onto students and educational workers.
3) All students and educational workers are encouraged to engage in and organize for a coordinated strike and walk out of workers and educational students in late 2009/early 2010 or when this conference sees fit.
4) All general assembly’s devise and carry out a diversity of local actions.