California University Cuts Protested
Thousands of students, faculty members and employees at the 10 University of California campuses protested budget cuts, unpaid faculty furloughs(休假) and tuition increases On Thursday.
Officials at the University of California, Berkeley, estimated that several thousand protesters were in Sproul Plaza chanting and waving signs. (46) Other campuses reported smaller turnouts (聚集的人群) at rallies() and marches.
"Everyone agrees there is a budget cr and that the university must respond," said Joshua Clover, all associate professor of English at U. C. Davis who was a co -author of a petition(情愿书) calling for the faculty walkout Off Thursday. Mr. Clover said (47)
The online walkout petition was signed by 1,221 of the 19,000 faculty members statewide. A union representing more than 11,000 university professional and technical staff members supported the protest and called a one -day strike.
(48) The university’s budget now stands at $ 2.6 billion. Friction(摩擦) has developed between the administration and some faculty and staff members and students over how and where to cut.
Among the more contentious(有异议的)items are a proposed 32 percent increase in student tuition by fall 2010, and decisions made by the university president, Mark Yudof, over how to handle mandatory(义务性质的) faculty furlough days ,which will reduce pay by 4 to 10 percent. (49)
"I chose Berkeley over all the other universities because it offered me a very good education at a price my family could afford," said Brandon Pham, 17, a freshman political science major who skipped the day’s classes in protest. Mr. Pham held a sign that read: "We make the university. They make the cr. "
Steve Montiel, a spokesman for the University of California’s office of the president, said, (50)

• A. "We respect people expressing themselves, but we hope they realize that the true source of their frustration is in Sacramento at the state capital."
• B. The Legislature approved a reduction of $ 637.1 million, about 20 percent of the university’s 2009 -2010 fiscal year (财政年度) financing, as part of the budget agreement reached in August.
• C. "The problem is that the administration’s handling of the budget cuts disproportionately (不成比例) harms those who can least afford it both among the workers and the students. "
• D. Average yearly tuition and fees for undergraduates this academic year are $ 8,720.
• E. Most academic departments on campus reported that some classes had been canceled because faculty members and students walked out.
• F. Still, many students at Berkeley did not participate in the protest and walked about campus as they would on any other Thursday.

California University Cuts Protested