“What do we want? COLA! When do we want it? Now!” hundreds of UC Santa Barbara’s graduate students – all rallying for a cost-of-living adjustment – cheered and marched from the university library to the Mosher Alumni house before finally returning to Cheadle Hall, where they remained until midnight.
Photos from the noon rally, and the following 16-hour occupation, can be viewed below. Live coverage of the Cheadle Hall occupation can be viewed here.
Updated [Feb. 24, 11:52 a.m.]
Choked by their cap tassel during a graduation photoshoot
Accidentally daps the Chancellor up as they receive their diploma
Decided to skip commencement to go day drink on Del Playa
Ugly crying so hard they drown out "Pomp and Circumstance"
Posing on stage like there's a model scout in the audience (there was)
Can't make it up the steps due to the sheer amount of cords, stoles, and leis
Couldn't decide on a grad dress so they showed up in pajamas under their gown
Showed up to commencement high and suffering from horrendous munchies
Somehow juggling the 15 ceremonies required for their triple major
Graduated with a 5 year plan, chronic anxiety, and a great internship
Reading Kafka in the audience in hopes of an honorary English degree
had their graduation photos taken in the lagoon to be different
My father worked two jobs to pay his way through graduate school. Previous generations knew that you had to get off your ass and hustle if you want to get things done.
Sad that’s lost on these lazy, uninspired children. No wonder a socialist is the DNC frontrunner…
I agree, nothing should ever get better for anyone. In fact, I hope my children have to struggle and suffer an even worse life than me.
These people do have a better life. If my dad decided to complain and not do his graduate student duties to protest instead, he’d be fired on the spot. We’re babying these adults.
ok boomer
“We forgot our roots before and trust me, things they fell apart” – Mac Miller
Comments like this make me cringe. All graduate students work!!!! Many work 2 + jobs. So educate yourself before you make tone-deaf comments. I’m a graduate student working two jobs, and I care about the livelihood of my friends and colleagues, many of whom are barely making it. Seeking change and challenging power doesn’t make one lazy.
Not performing your assigned duties because you’d rather stand around and beg for a little more cash is not “seeking change and challenging power”. I have TA’s right now who have skipped multiple sessions to “stand in solidarity”, which has wasted the time and money of both myself and my peers.
And if they work, then they shouldn’t be asking for a cost of living adjustment. The whole point is that they want to get paid enough so they don’t have to work at all. Graduate pay + that from another job or two is far more than livable.
Oh. Were you misled by the UC’s financial offer on acceptance? Did you not understand what you would be paid in exchange for a free graduate education? Were you forced to accept that offer? I would suggest that, assuming you had offers from other schools in cheaper surrounds and perhaps higher TA compensation (and PLEASE do not retread the tired mantra — we work N [very large] hours as a TA. In my department ALL the TAs work 20 hours max — and that includes sitting in lecture and listening. One size does not fit all). There are a variety… Read more »
These graduate students are hero’s they are standing up to this disgusting capitalist system that’s brainwashed people to think that we are supposed to work two jobs and go to graduate school and barely survive barely make rent barely have food to eat and in that person’s comments that’s hustle HELL NO THAT’S SLAVERY WAKE UP!! while these administrators who sit behind their desks all day doing the bare minimum making six figure incomes mostly male because this UC system is still very sexist and mostly white because it’s still really racist you habe Graduate students working two jobs plus… Read more »
You sound like you’re in absolute hysterics. Get off of Twitter and spend some time in the real world.
They made the choice to become graduate students. They get to live with the consequences. Life isn’t perfect, you have to work hard to succeed.
Please tell me you are not a graduate student in any department that requires the skilled use of English grammar.
Ya know, if I did not have the funds, I do not think I would choose to live on the central coast of CA. I use to live in San Antonio where you can buy a house and large yard for the cost of a nice car. Sometimes real-life choices (that have real-life consequences)have to be made.