evergreen administration

On November 11, the Evergreen Board of Trustees met from 9 am until 3 pm. At 2:30, the board opened up for public comment. The public comment time is short and at the end of a six hour meeting. This creates a small window in which students can address concerns to the board.

The Board of Trustees has almost total control over the school’s long-term policy and plans. However, many on the board are not involved with Evergreen, nor do they have a deep understanding about Evergreen culture and student history.

In this period of declining budgets, we are all witnessing a renewed attack on our public services. From declining Social Security and welfare benefits, to a 28% increase in tuition costs, conservative interests are using financial crisis for their familiar goals of defunding public services.

In fall quarter of 2000, Evergreen student Sky Cosby began selling a few radical, underground books on campus. Shortly afterwards, he created a student originated study on opening an independent bookstore and drafting a business plan.

A couple years later, Cosby opened the doors to Last Word Books in downtown Olympia. Every quarter since its opening on May Day of 2002, Last Word Books has sold used books on topics ranging from anarchy and counterculture to administrative law and philosophy. Chances are, if you aren’t a freshman and you’ve been on Red Square more than once, you have seen him or the Last Word stand.
However, when he arrived on campus this fall, ready to set up his table as he had done for almost ten years, Cosby was informed by Conference Services that he was no longer welcome on campus as a vendor and would not be sold a permit. When he asked why, Conference Services said their hands were tied; a moratorium had been instituted over the summer banning book sales. Why did this happen, who was at the bottom of it, and is this the kind of treatment Evergreen alumni can expect from the campus?