March 4, 2010, 5 p.m.

‘DAY OF ACTION’ WINDS DOWN OUTSIDE ALDRICH HALL

The crowd of students, faculty members and staff that marched on UCI campus roads and city streets had dwindled from an estimated 800 to about 50 nearly five hours after the protest began. Earlier, chanting protesters demonstrating against state budget cuts to education had banged on the windows and doors of Aldrich Hall when they tried to enter and found the building open only to those who had business inside. Eventually, the banging and chanting gave way to quieter speeches. No damage, injuries or arrests have been reported.

March 4, 2010, 3 p.m.

STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE AT LANGSON LIBRARY

After a noontime rally and march around Ring Mall, about 500 protesters staged a brief demonstration against statewide budget cuts in front of UC Irvine’s Langson Library at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 4. The crowd of mostly students waved banners and chanted, “We’re fired up! Can’t take no more!”

March 4, 2010, 2:10 p.m.

PROTESTERS BLOCK TRAFFIC ON CAMPUS DRIVE

A crowd protesting state budget cuts to public education temporarily blocked traffic on Campus Drive at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 4.

March 4, 2010, 1:30 p.m.

LARGE CROWD PROTESTS AT RING MALL

A crowd of about 500 protesters demonstrated against state budget cuts to public education at a noontime rally along UCI’s Ring Mall Thursday, March 4.

Picketers chanted and waved signs that read “Education is a right,” “Fight for your education” and other pro-education, anti-budget-cut sentiments. They gathered at the flagpoles near the administration building for speeches on varied topics, including justice for students who have had to drop out because they couldn’t afford fee increases as well as campus workers and lecturers who have been laid off. Speakers also called for restoring funding to campus libraries.

The rally was followed by a march around Ring Mall, with protesters yelling, “Walk out, walk out!” to encourage students to leave their classes and join them.

March 4, 2010, noon

CLASSES NOT CANCELED

Despite any other information you may have heard, classes at UC Irvine are not canceled today, Thursday, March 4.

March 3, 2010, 3 p.m.

BLACK WEDNESDAY EVENT

About 50 members of UC Irvine’s Black Student Union stood in front of the Student Center on Wednesday, March 3, with duct tape over their mouths, mutely asking: “Do UC us?”

The silent rally was, in part, a show of solidarity with black students at UC San Diego, roiled by three racist incidents in less than three weeks. It also spotlighted UCI’s African American students, who make up just 2 percent of the undergraduate enrollment.

Supporters from other campus organizations gave voice to the students concerns and read a list of 12 demands presented to UCI administrators last week — among them a call for full funding of a recruitment and retention center for underrepresented students.