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Early this morning, as a thousand students and other activists protested at the capitol, New York’s state legislature passed a budget for the coming year that includes deep cuts to education — and a tax break for the wealthy.
As demonstrators chanted, yelled, and negotiated with Albany police over pizza delivery, the two houses of the legislature made their way through the long list of votes required to approve the state’s spending structure. There was no drama in the chambers to match the drama outside, and final approval came without any surprises at about one o’clock in the morning.
A fascinating breakdown and analysis of the demonstrators’ tactics can be found here.
The fall semester began this morning — one week late — at Michigan’s Oakland University.
Yesterday a judge ordered OU faculty and administrators to begin round-the-clock negotiations to end the university’s week-old strike, an this morning at 3:30 am the two sides reached a deal.
The agreement will have to be put to a vote of the faculty, and that vote may not happen until next month, but in the meantime faculty and students are heading back to the classroom.
As of 11:30 pm on Monday, talks to resolve America’s first faculty strike of the 2008-09 academic year were still ongoing.
Michigan’s Oakland University, which had been scheduled to begin the fall semester last Thursday, has yet to start classes because of a strike by the local chapter of the AAUP. The two sides are said to be close to a deal, however, and a message on the OU website encourages students to check back in the early morning to learn whether classes will be held on Tuesday.
Tuesday morning update: Oakland University faculty and administrators suspended strike negotiations at 4:30 this morning, after overnight talks failed to produce an agreement. The two sides are scheduled to come to the table again early this afternoon, but this morning OU announced that it would be seeking a court order to force faculty back to work.
Tuesday evening update: Representatives of OU’s faculty and administration are meeting in court tomorrow morning for hearing’s on the university’s claim that the Oakland strike is illegal. Classes for Wednesday have been officially cancelled.
Thursday morning update: Classes are back in session after the two sides reached a tentative deal last night.
See bottom of post for updates.
The first major American student protest of the new academic year has erupted at Howard University.
Hundreds of Howard students gathered outside the historically black university’s administration building on Friday, demanding that Howard address problems with financial aid, campus housing, and other issues. Rapper and entrepreneur Diddy, a Howard graduate, urged the students on via Twitter, telling them to “Do what we did and take IT OVER!!!!”
Classes began nearly two weeks ago at Howard, but many students say their financial aid is still in limbo. Students also complained about a shortage of on campus housing and about administration censorship of the student newspaper, the Hilltop.
The Hilltop reported on Twitter that after campus security locked the administration building down the protest moved on to the university chapel, where Howard student government officers addressed the crowd.
A thirteen-point list of demands presented to the administration included
- The resignation of the leadership of the Office of Student Affairs.
- Immediate reforms to financial aid policies.
- Bringing campus buildings into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Budgetary transparency within the university.
- Expansion of on-campus housing.
The protesters asked that the administration respond to their demands by next Wednesday, September 9.
More on this story as it develops…
Update: Here’s a YouTube clip from the protest, and a longer, edited YouTube vid, which includes an explanation of the demands.
Tuesday morning update: The Hilltop, Howard’s student newspaper, is going to meet with university president Sidney Ribeau at 12:30 pm this afternoon. Today’s Hilltop reports that more protests are planned if Ribeau does not adequately address the students’ demands by tomorrow.
Oakland University, a public research university of 18,000 students located just north of Detroit, has been shut down by a faculty strike on the first day of the fall semester.
The campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors has been in contract talks with OU since mid-May, but the two sides remain divided on issues of pay, workload, and health benefits. Negotiations are continuing with the assistance of a state-appointed mediator.
In a statement announcing the closing, the university suggested that its “difficult economic circumstances” limited its ability to meet the AAUP’s contract demands. The union, however, claims that while the state’s “economic crisis is real, Oakland’s is not.”
Some three hundred faculty and students rallied at the campus this afternoon in support of the strikers, and negotiations are expected to continue through the holiday weekend.
Update: The Detroit News says OU student government president Kristin Dayag supports the strike.
studentactivism.net 
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