Group aims to address tuition, faculty cuts
A small group of students from USC and Benedict College and Occupy Columbia supporters met at the Statehouse Thursday afternoon for the first time as Occupy USC — a movement inspired by the Occupy Education and Occupy Wall Street movements.
“We had a few preliminary meetings at the beginning of the semester, but this is the first time we’ve brought everyone together here,” said Scott West, a library and information sciences graduate student. “We’re bringing people together from Benedict College and USC, as well as graduates, to talk about tuition, loan issues, and staff and adjunct [faculty] issues.”
According to a flyer distributed to attendees, Occupy USC’s goals are to ensure job stability for adjunct faculty, stop cuts in staffing and freeze tuition.
Constant tuition hikes are driving the movement, West said adding tuition has doubled in the last ten years.
“We’re really all past the point of acceptable debt,” West said. “We’re past the point of affordability.”
Occupy USC has looked to other universities as examples, including the Feb. 10 demonstration against tuition hikes at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“We’re really trying to do what North Carolina is doing,” said Johnta Jacobs, a first-year criminal justice student at Benedict College.
While Occupy USC does not have any concrete plans for the near future, members are considering lobbying as well as demonstrating at the Statehouse.
“We’re going to try to do something around the budget, like a small demonstration on budget day,” West said.
Student loans are also a concern of Occupy USC’s, but because many loans are through the federal government, the group hopes to work with Occupy Education groups in other states.
“There are already groups in North Carolina, California and many other states, and we’re trying to get in contact with them to discuss problems with federal loans,” West said.
Another big focus of Occupy USC is increasing awareness and student activism regarding these issues.
“It’s a long-term thing, but the student activism level in South Carolina is lower than that of places like North Carolina, but we have the same potential,” West said. “We have to get information to the people who will be laboring under this debt for years.”
Despite the implications of its name, Occupy USC does not currently have plans for an occupation of USC’s campus.
“We haven’t talked about [occupation]. I would consider it. I think anyone would consider it if it would do any good,” West said. “Making your presence known through student activities and student media is all stuff you have to do first.”
Adjunct professor Sarah Quick, who teaches anthropology at several local colleges and universities including USC and Midlands Tech, showed her solidarity with the group.
“I definitely support the attempt to get students aware of all sides of the economic situation,” Quick said.