UCSD Sit-In Protests Closing of Store : College: Students defy the attempts by administrators to shut the student-run store in a dispute over its financial records.

In a confrontation that left broken windows and produced a sit-in that was continuing last night, more than 200 UC San Diego students protested Wednesday outside a student-run store that is under scrutiny by college administrators.

At least two windows were shattered at the General Store, one of several student-run cooperatives on the campus, but no arrests were made and no one was injured during the morning demonstration.

The chaotic events began about 1 a.m. Wednesday, when campus administrators along with UCSD police changed the locks on the store’s doors in an effort to seal off records needed for an internal audit. College administrators ordered the audit to examine the store’s financial practices, a point of contention between students and the administration.

The store’s security alarm apparently signaled students of the officials’ intrusion. Sometime between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., a group of students affiliated with the cooperatives reportedly broke a window, entered the store and had the locks changed again.

Students opened the store for business about 9 a.m., and an hour later campus administrators, escorted by UCSD police, arrived and ordered everyone to leave, saying the store had been closed for an audit and was open illegally.

About four police officers were ordered to remain inside the store as a security precaution.

Outside, a group of students apparently barricaded the store’s exits and nailed its front door shut. A swelling crowd of more than 200 students gathered around the store and began pounding on the walls and broke at least one window.

Shortly after 11 a.m., members of the crowd removed the nails from the door and rushed inside. At that point, the remaining police officers left, and more than 100 students began a sit-in.

Students began distributing a petition as store employees reopened the cooperative for business. Brown shopping bags filled with free bagels were used to lure more people to participate in the sit-in, and an effigy of a campus administrator was hung outside.

Wednesday’s confrontation centered on an audit ordered in December by college administrators of the student business.

UCSD Vice Chancellor Tom Tucker said Wednesday that information submitted by the store during a routine financial report last fall spurred his office to order a formal review of the store’s financial records and transactions.

The report apparently included questionable cash register mistakes and three loans to store employees, and lacked proper documentation of vendor payments, Tucker said. Campus administrators alleged that students failed to hand over the store’s financial records on at least two occasions.

But an attorney for the students denied claims that the students were withholding records.

Lottie Cohen, a Los Angles-based attorney representing the cooperative, said her clients had agreed to hand over the store’s records next Tuesday.

But, because of the officials taking over the store at 1 a.m., Cohen said she agreed to turn the records over to campus officials by noon Wednesday.

That agreement, however, apparently fell through after officials again tried to shut down the store about 10 a.m., which was followed by the sit-in.

Discussions took place between student demonstrators and college administrators throughout the day to resolve the tense situation.

“We want to see the cooperatives do well, and we want to see them flourish. However, as an institution, we must guarantee sound financial practices,” Tucker said.

But students such as Andy Howard viewed the administration’s actions differently.

“We wanted to negotiate with them, but they apparently weren’t really into negotiating. All they want to do intimidate us, threaten us and strong-arm us into what they want,” the 35-year-old system science major said. “What they’ve offered us is death by fire or death by water.”

Howard alleged that campus administrators were seeking greater control over the student-run cooperatives, and other students said they believed the administration would like to replace the cooperatives with outside companies that would bring in more money to the university.

Administrator Tucker flatly denied the allegations.

Cohen, the students’ attorney, said last December that a similar event was played out when campus administrators tried to shut down Groundwork Books, another student-run cooperative. Cohen said her clients will seek a temporary restraining order against the university to keep both the General Store and Groundwork Books open.