Victory for The Milwaukee 16!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Victory for The Milwaukee 16! UWM Administration Offers to Drop Charges

The 16 people who were arrested at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on the March 4th National Day of Action To Defend Education have achieved victory. The University administration has offered to drop all charges for the Milwaukee 16, and the investigation into the conduct of the UWM campus police will continue.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin June 30, 2010 -- Due to relentless pressure from the University community, including faculty, staff, and students, the UWM administration has offered to drop the charges against the Milwaukee 16. Though the charges will be dropped, SDS and the Education Rights Campaign will continue to seek justice for those who were mistreated by the police on March 4th through a formal third party investigation.

SDS member Molly Ubbesen states, “On March 4th, the University tried to silence our voices by arresting protesters, but we will continue to fight for democracy and education rights.”

Although Chancellor Santiago initially denied the request to drop the charges, he was ultimately forced to accept the demands of the campaign. As The Milwaukee 16 celebrate this victory, they attribute the success to those who demonstrated in their support.

UWM says they will drop the charges against the Milwaukee 16, but students and workers say that the fight is not over yet. As tuition rises and wages are cut at universities around the country, SDS is organizing nationally to demand that the rich pay for their economic crisis, not students and workers. Oct. 7th will be the next National Day of Action to Defend Education.

www.SDSMKE.com

Education is a Right!

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Students for a Democratic Society Condemns Massacre of the Freedom Flotilla

Students for a Democratic Society condemns in the strongest terms Israel’s massacre and kidnapping of the activists of the Freedom Flotilla on May 31 that was bringing humanitarian aid in solidarity with the people in Gaza. This terroristic act of piracy on the high seas by the Israeli military resulted in the deaths of at least nine people and the wounding of many more. The surviving activists say that they were beaten and tortured with electricity before being abducted from international waters into Israeli territory, where they were jailed on the absurd charge of illegally entering Israel.

Meanwhile, as the whole world responds to these events with shock and outrage, the US government hasn’t skipped a beat in providing the usual diplomatic, political and financial support for Israel’s war crimes. This has played a critical role in enabling Israel to conduct business as usual, as can be seen by the boarding and kidnapping of another aid ship headed for Gaza, the MV Rachel Corrie only days after the massacre.

SDS is mobilizing across the country to protest Israel’s criminal aggression against the Freedom Flotilla as well as its occupation and oppression of Palestine in general:

On June 1 and June 4, the UW-Milwaukee and UW-Waukesha SDS chapters, alongside MEChA, the Arab-American and Jewish communities brought out hundreds to protest at the Milwaukee Federal Building.
Chicago SDSers joined with a picket of more than 3000 at the Israeli consulate in Chicago on June 1.
On June 3, UNC-Chapel Hill SDS mobilized for a rally in Durham, North Carolina.
UNC-Asheville SDS called for an emergency protest on June 7.
SDS calls on students everywhere to join us in protest of Israel’s war crimes and the United States government’s complicity in them. We are calling for the following:

Release the activists with the MV Rachel Corrie
Lift the siege of Gaza
Dismantle the Jewish settlements in the West Bank
End all US aid to Israel
Campus divestment from businesses profiting from Israeli apartheid
For more information about Students for a Democratic Society, visit http://www.newsds.org

MEET AT THE LIBRARY - 11am Thursday

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129192813776250&ref=mf#!/event.php?eid=129192813776250

The UW Board of Regents will meet at UWM this Thursday and Friday to vote on a proposed 5.5% tuition hike (nearly $400 a year.)

The Regents have refused to allow students, workers, and staff from the Education Rights Campaign ONE minute to speak at the meeting regarding tuition hikes and budget cuts. Where is the democracy?

We will protest the regents meeting on Thursday June 10th at 11am to demand NO MORE TUITION HIKES! MAKE THE RICH PAY FOR THEIR ECONOMIC CRISIS!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Education Rights Campaign Confronts the UW Board of Regents: "Education is a Right! No Tuition Hike!
The Education Rights Campaign at UWM will confront the UW Board of Regents meeting this Thursday to demand administrators vote “No” to the proposed 5.5% tuition hike.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - June 7, 2010 -- Students, faculty, and staff will protest the UW Board of Regents meeting at UWM this Thursday to demand an end to tuition hikes and budget cuts. They will also demand that administrators give amnesty to students who speak out for education rights, including the 16 education rights activists arrested in March.

The protest will be outside the Board of Regents meeting in the UWM Union Wisconsin Room on Thursday June 10th at 11am. The regents have refused to allocate even one minute for students and faculty to speak before the regents as they attempt to raise tuition.

The Education Rights Campaign will confront the Board of Regents because they are responsible for doubling tuition at the UW system in just ten years. As the UW system faces $174million in cuts, students and staff who are forced to take the burden of the cuts are demanding that high paid administrators take cuts from their six-figure salaries instead of approving yet another tuition hike.

"The 16 students who were arrested for protesting outside Chancellor Santiago’s office have not been silenced, and we will take our message to the Board of Regents" said Paul Sickel, of the Milwaukee 16. "The administration is focusing their efforts on tackling students who protest tuition hikes instead of tackling the financial problems facing our university."

The Education Rights Campaign is a coalition of over 20 student and faculty organizations at UWM who demand an immediate end to budget cuts, a tuition freeze, and increased money for need based aid.

Education Rights Campaign
http://www.educationrightscampaign.com

Education is a Right! No Tuition Hike!

Protest: NO 5.5% TUITION HIKE!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129192813776250&ref=mf#!/event.php?eid=129192813776250

The UW Board of Regents will meet at UWM this Thursday and Friday to vote on a proposed 5.5% tuition hike (nearly $400 a year.)

The Regents have refused to allow students, workers, and staff from the Education Rights Campaign ONE minute to speak at the meeting regarding tuition hikes and budget cuts. Where is the democracy?

We will protest the regents meeting on Thursday June 10th at 11am to demand NO MORE TUITION HIKES! MAKE THE RICH PAY FOR THEIR ECONOMIC CRISIS!


Demands of the UWM Education Rights Campaign

Education First!
We demand a tuition freeze and increased money for need-based scholarships. This includes investing in the students before expanding infrastructure. Students are continuing to pay a greater percentage of their educational costs. The university is raising tuition by 5% for 2 years. Thousands of students are struggling to figure out a way to remain in school. On average, students at UW-Milwaukee work more hours than all other students in the UW system. Education should be available to all young people, and our urban university must reflect the urban community.

Chop from the Top!
We demand the Chancellor and high level administrators of the university take at least a 5% pay cut from their six-figure salaries before deciding to cut salaries of faculty and staff. Currently, the Chancellor is making over a quarter of a million dollars. The Chancellor is also accepting other benefits that include money to pay for his luxury condo, a car, and $20,000 a year from the UWM Foundation. The Chancellor accepts all this and more while cutting all faculty and staff pay by 3%, a net 5% loss after a 2% salary increase was canceled. *According to the Chancellor’s office, The Journal-Sentinel, and The UWM Red Book.

Transparency Now!
We demand that staff, students and faculty be part of the decision making process. The Chancellor called for all Deans to cut their departments by 5%. Students and faculty have the right to know exactly what is being cut and who is making these decisions. We demand the Chancellor publicly lists all cuts by university email.

Academic Freedom!
We demand free, fair, and open discussion of issues on campus. Students and employees have the right to organize unions and other associations at the university. The university administration must not try to influence or interfere with the rights of students and employees to organize on issues affecting us.

Drop All Charges Against the Milwaukee 16!
We demand that Chancellor Santiago drop all charges against the students and community members who were arrested for protesting at the chancellors office on the National Day of Action to Defend Education. We demand a legitimate third-party investigation into police actions on March 4th.

Campaign Sponsors:
Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Milwaukee Graduate Assistants Association (MGAA), The Association of University of Wisconsin Professionals (TAUWP), Students Equalizing Rights Forever (SERF), Students United for Immigrant Rights at UWM (SUFRIR), Progressive Students of Milwaukee (PSM), UWM Association of South American Students (ASAS), Black Student Union (BSU), Jews for Justice, Systematic Peace Project, Colombia Action Network at UWM, Latin America Solidarity Committee, Latino Student Union (LSU), Black Graduate Student Alliance, National Society of Black Engineers at UWM (NSBE), Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA MKE), Community Education Organization, English Education Association, Sierra Student Coalition, RSA.

Two Rallies This Week

Tuesday, June 1st:
The Middle East Committee of Peace Action will be hosting a protest
against the Israeli massacre of the Freedom Flotilla aid convoy TODAY
at 5:00pm in front of the Federal Building on 3rd and Wisconsin Ave.

This convoy, heading to Palestine, was carrying 600 activists,
supplies such as cement to rebuild Gaza, and vital medicine. It was
ruthlessly attacked by Israeli war ships in international water and
then seized. Many activists died.

Please spread the word. Protests are taking place internationally. It
is vital that we hold a large demonstration here in Milwaukee and show
our solidarity with the people of Palestine and to condemn U.S.
support for Israel.


Wednesday, June 2nd:
Join hundreds of other students in a march and rally for the DREAM
Act! We need everyone's support to encourage students who are
undocumented and unafraid to come out and share their story and to
show our senators that there is an URGENT NEED for change!

Wednesday, 3:30pm, Federal Courthouse, 517 E. Wisconsin Avenue

EDUCATION NOT DEPORTATION!
Because Everyone Deserves To Dream
Pass the Dream Act as a Standalone Now!