Public Universities Join Attack on Progressive Activism
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By Randy Shaw
Beyond Chron
As Republican attacks on public employees garner headlines, public universities are also driving to stamp out progressive activism. The University of California, Santa Cruz has abolished its Community Studies department, which allowed students to major in a curriculum focused on social change, and provided field studies placements with nonprofit groups. The University of Oregon, whose campus is dominated by buildings funded by Nike founder Phil Knight, has seen the administration’s longtime hostility to OSPIRG (the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group) backed by conservative student representatives seeking to defund the campus' leading activist and community service group.
Santa Monica is another progressive city where local college administrators seek to squelch student activism; in this case, a CALPIRG chapter at Santa Monica College. These attacks on