Occupy El Camino sought to restore the 2013-14 winter session after debuting its new “Chop from the Top” proposal at the April 16 board of trustees meeting.
The proposal calls for a 20 percent decrease to the salaries of EC’s President and five Vice Presidents, money which would be used to fund the currently canceled winter session, OECC Organizer Robert Dewitz said.
According to a document released by OECC, administrator salaries have increased an average of 20 percent since 2007 and the cuts could save the college up to a quarter of a million dollars yearly.
“We’ve been cutting courses, counselors and raising student fees. So far we’ve only been cutting from the bottom, so it’s only fair to make cuts to the top,” Dewitz said.
However, any hope for an easy victory seems unlikely, judging from board president Will Beverly’s response.
Comparing the proposal to Karl Marx’s philosophy of “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need,” Beverly added that it “was not as simple a process as that”.
“Should we all contribute what we can and receive the same rewards? Some would think so, but that seems to not work out in many societies,” Beverly said.
“A lack of incentive will prevent good people from taking the job. It’s a complex subject,” Beverly added.
Far from being discouraged however, OECC has launched a new campaign aimed at garnering student support for “Chop from the Top,” Dewitz said.
“We’re circulating petitions,
planning a week of action followed by a rally on April 30, and we’re reaching out to the media for support,” DeWitz said.
“While we’re proud to have saved winter session for the next semester, a lot of us feel like it’s only a partial victory if we can’t get it continued long-term,” Dewitz added.
Despite the new campaign, “Chop from the Top” still has a long way to go, with two major obstacles to its success.
The first is the same issue that EC’s administration has been wrestling with, the California school system’s uncertain economic future, Andy Bradford, Geology major, said.
“There’s a lot of uncertainties right now, and if there are more major cuts, $250,000 might not be enough to save the winter session,” Bradford said.
“It’s frustrating, because there’s not a whole lot that an individual El Camino student can do about it”, Bradford added.
The second issue “Chop the Top” faces is a matter of time; with only about a month left of the semester, DeWitz expects the campaign to continue on into the fall semester.
“Some of us won’t be here come fall, and while some of our key members will still be around, we’re really hoping we’ll get new members from the influx of new students,” DeWitz said.
