In a statement released today, the union representing graduate assistants at the University of Iowa (COGS) announced plans to join Iowans Defending our Universities at a protest to take place this Wednesday at the Iowa Memorial Union.
In the statement, the union contends that the Board of Regents “has failed to advocate for quality education at this university” and calls for the resignation of Board President Bruce Rastetter. Read the full statement:
COGS has joined the newly formed coalition, Iowans Defending Our Universities, at the Board of Regents protest this Wednesday, October 21st at 3 pm. The formation of this coalition marks a decisive moment in the fight against corporatization of higher education in Iowa. We reject the attempt by the Governor and his Board of Regents to pit community members against the University of Iowa and students against teachers. We are joining with undergraduate and graduate students, other unions, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and community members to demand the resignation of Bruce Rastetter from the Board of Regents. We are the public stakeholders in this institution and we will not stand by and watch our proud tradition of access to high-quality education be gutted by the greed and incompetence of a few bad actors.
This Board, led by Bruce Rastetter, has failed to advocate for quality education at this university. It’s clear that the presidential search that resulted in Bruce Harreld’s appointment was a pointless and costly charade, fueled by cronyism and corruption. Bruce Rastetter’s policies, from the long withdrawal of legislative resources away from the University of Iowa, to the farce of the TIER audit and now the appointment of Harreld, are designed to undermine quality public education. We will fight back.
The Wednesday protest will take place at 3 p.m. at the Iowa Memorial Union on the UI campus.
