Robyn Gee, Turnstyle News

Students disrupted UC regents meetings yesterday at four University of California campuses: UCLA, UC San Francisco, UC Davis and UC Merced. They used the "human mic" call and response method of communication, used at most Occupy protests, to voice their grievances.

The regents were meeting to discuss the budget for next year and the ongoing investigation into the pepper spray incident at UC Davis, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The regents ended up unanimously passing a budget proposal requesting extra funds to avoid a tuition increase. The board is asking for an additional $412 million from the state. However, the UC system already took a $650 million cut this year, and could suffer another $100 million reduction in early 2012. Even though the budget request would stabilize tuition costs, protesters turned out at each campus.

Turnstyle spoke to UCLA Daily Bruin reporter Emily Suh, who was covering the regents meeting at the James West Alumni Center on the UCLA campus, where members of Occupy UCLA and the student government-funded organization “Fund the UC” had gathered to speak and make their arguments known to the regents.

“[The vibe] really shifted. In the beginning it was calm... after public commentary ended, and the board actually started discussing the items, then it got hectic,” she said. “It first started out about how [the students] wanted to extend public commentary, and make it a ‘people’s regents meeting,’ and wanted audience participating actively,” said Suh.

Today, Occupy Colleges called for a nationwide student protest, in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Participants from 90 colleges have pledged to attend the protest.

Natalia Abrams, 31, is one of the founding facilitators of Occupy Colleges. She’s a graduate of UCLA, and has been in close contact with the larger Occupy LA movement. “We’re about getting the word out on college campuses. As students, we don’t have the capability to go out and camp with our sisters and brothers, so we’re organizing one day events,” she said.

“Because of our mounting student loan debt, and lack of opportunities after graduation, that makes us the 99 percent,” she added. Abrams said that Occupy LA is in full support of Occupy Colleges. “We’ve been going there on the weekends. We suggest college students go out and help out at their local occupations. It’s about solidarity. Yes, student loans are a big issue, but we don’t want to stray from the message of Occupy Wall Street,” she said.

The event today was formerly called a walk out, but the Occupy Colleges group changed the wording. “We don’t want to be seen as being subversive to schools,” said Abrams.

According to a recent UCLA study, as more fast food joints pop up around schools in LA, kids are eating more junk food for lunch. Despite the high number of local produce being sold at farmers markets from Glendale to Huntington Beach, teenagers find the convenience of close unhealthy eateries too much to resist, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

The study itself intends to show problem areas and why improving the retail food environment surrounding homes and schools of children is important for young people's health. Home and School Retail Food Environment Index (HSRFEI) was made by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research in order to “examine the relationship between the food environment near home and school and consumption of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages." It’s basically a way to measure environments with less healthy food options against those that have more, and builds upon a study that discussed the link between diabetes and local food environments. Read more...

Ever since I submitted my last college application, I’ve been on edge. It feels as if my future depends on rejection or acceptance from UCLA. But I still have a backup plan.

In the sixth grade, my mom took me to visit UCLA’s theatre program. I loved the way the people embraced me. I imagined myself taking acting classes there and performing in a play. I felt right at home and decided from there on – that was my school.

We all know that this has been a hard year for the UC system and that they’re making financial cutbacks that will limit admissions. For a lot of teenagers, this causes even more anxiety about whether or not they’re going to get in to the college of their choice.

It’s not easy being stuck in a position where I can’t make decisions for my future. But, I’ve made sure that I have pretty good alternatives. Not only did I apply to UCLA, but I also applied…and got accepted… into Azusa Pacific University. It may not be my dream school, but it still satisfies my desire to be in Los Angeles to network, which I know will eventually lead to the career that makes me happy.

I’m learning to be patient. But still, I won’t stop checking for an e-mail that says, “Congratulations, Dana Payne, you’ve been accepted to UCLA!”

BERKELEY--  About 60 students and supporters at UC Berkeley have locked themselves inside Wheelar Hall to protest the recent tuition increase. According to campus police a group of students entered the building around 6 a.m. Three students were arrested immediately for burglary. According to one student who spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle, the protesters “had enough food and water to last four days.”

Youth Radio has been following tweets from @ucbprotest—one of the protesters inside Wheeler Hall. Check out some of tweets below.

@ucbprotest "Professor ananya Roy is in negotiations with the admin. to meet occupiers demands"

@ucbprotest “Police moving onto the west side of wheeler. Students sitting down, won't move.”

@ucbprotest “The four demands for us to end this particular occupation are, as already stated:
1) To repeal the 32% fee increase
2) for transparancy of the UC Budget to all
3) Allow undocumented laborers and students free access to Berkeley campus
4) Democratize the Regents and fire our disgraceful "leaders" including Yudof.

@ucbprotest “cops claiming to be on the phone with us, not true!!!!”

@ucbprotest Occupiers not arrested. They are doing fine in wheeler. Police are threatening but the situation has not changed.

@ucbprotest “people are not handcuffed inside, the barricade remains intact.”
 

A number of UC campuses decided to go on a three day strike on Wednesday to stand up against raising undergraduate tuition by 32 percent. Despite the walkouts the University of California Board of Regents decided on increasing tuition 32% by next fall.

On the first day of the protest, 14 protesters were arrested at UCLA. On Thursday--the second day of protest, 50 protesters were arrested at UC Davis campus—this is after the decision of increasing tuition was announced.

“…An estimated 52 men and women had been arrested. The majority were housed in a paddy wagon, which the protester occupants rocked each time more arrests were made. The rest were placed in the back of patrol cars. “ via Mercury News

The University of California Board of Regents approved raising undergraduate fees by 32 percent Thursday. The fee increase be in place by next fall. The increase amounts to about $2,500 and will come in two steps. That would bring the basic UC education fees to about $10,300 -- plus about another $1,000 for campus-based charges. Books, and room and board would add even more costs for the typical student.

“The impact on the University of California campuses has been dramatic: faculty hiring is not keeping up with enrollment demand, and many course sections have been eliminated. Instructional budgets are being reduced by $139 million, with 1,900 employees laid off, 3,800 positions eliminated and hiring deferred for nearly 1,600 positions, most of them faculty.” via The New York Times

Students and faculty members launched a three-day walkout on Wednesday to protest against the 32 % increase. Despite all the walkouts and protests,  the Board still approved the fee increase.

UCLA’s walkouts turned violent. Fourteen protesters were arrested, two students and several police officers sustained minor injuries, and one student was tasered.  Check out this video of UCLA protests:
 

When I heard the news Michael Jackson passed away, I believed it was some practical joke on the internet. But when I arrived to the UCLA medical center and saw all of the people outside holding signs and moping around the Westwood area of LA, reality started to seep in. Damn. Michael Jackson is dead? Often referred to as the "King of Pop" Jackson's persona was so much larger than life that dying from cardiac arrest in a million-dollar mansion seemed too normal a fate for him. I would have expected him to meet his demise at the hands of some exotic animal, or on a space mission gone wrong, or from something fantastic like a time travelling accident.