Late Wednesday night, in an exercise of consensus process and direct democracy, the community known as Occupy Eugene elected to relocate to the University of Oregon campus. After hours of negotiations on Thursday between the University and representatives of Occupy Eugene, it was decided that the occupation would move to the Millrace Park on East 11th Avenue and Franklin. The University has generously supplied the occupation with generators, electricity, and rides from Public Safety to the Park.
Occupy Eugene acknowledges the University for matching the City of Eugene in its openness to communicating with OE and facilitating our ongoing commitment to maintaining a vital, visible, educational community presence.
Many have seen a memo from a Lorraine Davis, Acting Provost of U of O, which enunciates that camping is not permitted at the U of O campus, but that “free speech and active exchange of ideas…are at the foundation of higher education.” We agree. The concepts of free speech and the exchange of ideas are fundamental to higher education. We consider this particular expression of free speech and exchange of ideas to be completely consistent with the University’s mission of teaching and research.
It bears clarification: Occupy Eugene is not a campground. We occupy public space because the occupation is the message. We believe that regular citizens have been disenfranchised in our current political climate, where corporations and wealthy individuals are able to unduly influence our political process. Because of this influence, regular citizens have been deprived of our ability to have an effect on the workings of our government. As a last resort, we are exercising our First Amendment rights to assemble peaceably and petition our government for redress of grievances. By placing our bodies in public space, we are able to make our voices heard. We feel there is no other option available – the occupation is the message.
Therefore, we feel that our presence on or near a public university campus is absolutely in keeping with our message and with the university’s mission. If the “core mission” of the university is teaching and research, we can add to that mission. We would love to learn from the members of the university. We would be happy to teach others about our movement and teach about our own personal stories and struggles. We as citizens have a lot to learn from each other. Exposing students to democracy in action and the exercise of the right to free assembly and free speech is educational.
The underfunding of public higher education in this country means that a university education is, more and more, out of reach for the average family. The UO’s tuition and fees more than doubled in the 10 years between 2001 and 2011, from $4,071 in 2001 to $8,883 this year. Students and families are assuming more debt, just to gain an education which should be available to all. After graduation, this debt (on average, $24,000 per student) becomes a severe burden. Overall student loan debt in the US is set to exceed $1 trillion dollars this year. Instead of working to keep tuition low, governments have drastically cut funding to public universities and other sources of public education, while giving away billions of dollars to Wall Street banks. Much of the $1 trillion dollars in student debt is held by private banks. Therefore, a substantial part of Wall Street’s profit derives from the chronic underfunding of public education. As one of the principal goals of Occupy Wall Street is to bring attention to these issues, it is appropriate for Occupy Eugene, in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, be present on this public university campus.
Many of our members are UO students, staff, and alumni. We welcome all members of the University community to join our movement and work for change in our society. We hope that Lorraine Davis will visit us and help support the core educational mission of the UO, to teach and to learn from us.
-Occupy Eugene Communications Committee