Students at the University of California at San Diego stormed the campus library earlier this week, vowing to reclaim it for 24/7 use. Administrators told police not to force the students out, and ultimately gave in to their demands:
Students stressed that they, too, wanted to avoid confrontation. Nonetheless, they set an 11 a.m. deadline for the administration to respond to their demand that they be allowed into the former Center for Library & Instructional Computing Services, commonly called CLICS. The library was one of three the university closed over the summer in response to steep cuts in state funding. It had traditionally been open 24 hours a day during finals week.
Shortly after 11 a.m., a group of perhaps 50 students were holding a vote in front of the library’s main entrance on whether they should force their way in. As they counted hands, other students, who had forced open a separate entrance, pushed open the front doors and students streamed inside.
Several students stressed that they were “reclaiming” the library and took pains to avoid the word “occupy” or a connection to the Occupy movement.
“This library was always a 24-hour library during finals,” said Samer Naji, vice president of external affairs for the Associated Students. “It’s two stories with a ton of study space. Students took it upon ourselves that we were going to reclaim the space. We’re paying tuition through the roof and (administrators) blow money all over the place.”
Eden White, a sophomore biochemistry major, was one of those who arrived early in the cold morning to sit outside the library in hopes of persuading officials to reopen it.
“I’m here to help reclaim CLICS,” she said, working on a laptop with a blanket wrapped around her jacketed shoulders. “I think we’re trying to get away from ‘occupy.’ It’s got kind of a negative connotation.”
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