First, I love Santa Cruz, and I can't imagine a better place to spend 5 (with 3 more to go) years of graduate school than UCSC... for me, this is about as ideal a place as I will ever live.

But the article might be better titled "Tent University Santa Cruz: Pissing off the neighbors". The people organizing this event seem to think "free speech" means they can speak any time of day from a makeshift stage (presumably with loudspeakers) at the edge of a suburban neighborhood. It seems they want to have an educational Woodstock of sorts, but everything I've seen leads me to believe this event will turn into a mini Woodstock 2, without enough space, basic services (water and bathrooms), or security to manage the hundreds of people they hope will take part.

One of the things I have always appreciated about UCSC is the feeling of security I have on campus. Relative to other universities and even greater Santa Cruz, UCSC is much safer. But without the support of local or university police at this event, the risk to students, their property and even the university property, will be substantially increased. What good is it to protest rising fees if the result is millions of dollars in damage (that would have to be paid for by student fees) caused by a small number of even attendees without even a basic level of respect for the community we live, learn, and work in? How much worse would it be if even one student was attacked on her way home from a late night study session at the library?

I realized a while back that the people of Santa Cruz, in general, like to think of themselves as open-minded people; God help anyone who isn't as open-minded as they are though. Everyone, including the administration, wants to promote a "climate of intellectual exchange and engagement" (from ucsc.tentstate.com), but that climate can't exist without safety for those involved. I would urge the organizers of this event to work with the university administration to find a location and time that will not only promote your ideas, but will also provide for the safety and security of the people who participate.