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Golden Gate Xpress

The Student News Site of San Francisco State University

Golden Gate Xpress

Occupy SFSU plans to camp out through end of fall semester

Occupy SFSU
Occupy SFSU put up an encampment at Malcolm X Plaza, Dec. 1, 2011. Photo by Hang Cheng.

After successfully setting up an overnight encampment, Occupy SFSU held its first general assembly late last night at SF State.

The general assembly voted through majority rule on encampment rules, which are as follows: no smoking, no littering, no use of drugs or alcohol, no violence against another person and no defecating and/or urinating.

Occupiers gathered in front of the Cesar Chavez Student Center to discuss encampment procedures and proposals to fight tuition increase.

“I’m under no illusion that CSU trustees are going to see this and reverse the tuition increase, but at least I’ll get to know the people that I went to school with and fought for the right to higher education,” said Spanish major Sam Vasquez, 23.

Occupy SFSU set up roughly 8 tents outside of the Cesar Chavez Student Center for the few dozen students that decided to spend the night.

“This is my first time being a part of an overnight encampment,” said history major Alexander Day, 23. “Right now there is a sense of continuity and I know this will be able to promote a global movement.”

Although a few patrol cops showed up at night and a gust of wind blew a tent away, the encampment survived the night without eviction.

Joseph Greenwall, Office of the Associate Dean of Students and Director of Leadership, Engagement, Action, Development, said that he has attended Occupy SFSU general assemblies before and hopes to continue communication with the students.

“I think that the movement is inspiring, not only because of what it’s done so far but because of its potential to express the hopes and dreams of its generation and future,” said grad student Nick Occhipinti, 31.

According to Occupy SFSU, occupiers plan to stay in their encampment until the end of the fall semester. Once winter break approaches they will  reassess the situation and will consider staying over the break.

“If we do leave, it will be temporary but we will be back with a vengeance. Everyone deserves the right to free, quality education and Occupy SFSU will not rest until we succeed,” said criminal justice major Lalo Gonzalez, 22.

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    BrandonDec 2, 2011 at 9:44 pm

    I’m so tired of this stuff. I was so proud of my school, I thought my fellow students were intelligent enough to not get involved in this “occupy” nonsense, but I guess not.

    Since all the quotes in the article are pro-Occupy, let me give you a student quote from someone who isn’t a liberal. “Go home.”

    I really don’t understand the idea of occupying campuses. I think the whole movement in general is stupid, but this one doesn’t make any sense. You want to protest fee hikes? Go “occupy” the front lawns of the trustees. Or better yet, protest the lawmakers. It was liberal lawmakers and their polices that created the whole problem. That and this disgusting idea in our society that manual labor/getting your hands dirty is something second class. We have a society where unemployed losers with flower arranging degrees and secretaries look down on plumbers and farmers, like my dad, even though the manual labor pays more and they actually contribute something to society.

    Not everyone needs to go to college. The world needs ditch diggers. Get the government to stop insuring student loans. No more insurance on them, banks stop giving them out. Less people can get loans, the schools either have to drop prices or go out of business. Right now, the schools know they’ll get they’re money back, so they give out the loans. The schools know they’ll get the money, so they raise prices. Blame the government.

    Sure, you may have to go to college AND work, like our parents did. You may have to spend a few years working and saving like I did (I refuse to take out loans). But guess what, you wont graduate in debt. There’s millions of unclaimed scholarship dollars every year. Or, go to a trade skill, learn a ‘useless’ skill, like plumbing, and make $100,000/year.

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Occupy SFSU plans to camp out through end of fall semester