Students plan trip to capital to protest budget cuts
By: Ellen Walrath
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: News
Warming up for the fight ahead, students rallied April 8 and are making plans and raising funds to go to Sacramento to protest cuts proposed to the California State University system.
Almost 500 audience members sat and another hundred stood to listen to staff, faculty, administrators and students ask for help protecting the CSU budget.
"We share our dreams, and on occasion we are called upon to fight together," said President Paul Zingg.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget cuts $313 million from the CSU budget, California is facing a deficit of more than $14 billion and almost every state program is facing a 10 percent cut, said H.D. Palmer, deputy director for external affairs of the state department of finance.
California's deadline for a budget is July 1, but it could be fall before the governor signs a budget. CSU supporters aren't waiting to take action.
The California State Students Association's annual conference Friday to Monday, will have workshops on opposing the budget, said Esmeralda Campos, Associated Students director of legislative affairs.
Members of the association are also going to march with students from the University of California system and community colleges April 21, she said.
One student planning to attend is junior Jesse Eller. As an elected state officer for California FFA, Eller knows the Secretary of Agriculture A.G. Kawamura and hopes to ask Kawamura for help opposing the cuts, he said.
Eller knows students who struggle to get into the classes they need to graduate, he said. He plans to tell legislators the budget cuts could make it even harder.
"Who knows what the extreme result of that is?" he said. "One semester (longer)? Two semesters?"
A.S. will pay the $100 conference registration fee for 10 students, Campos said. The organization is also getting a bus to take 50 students to the march.
Senior Dave Tittle, a liberal arts major, can't make it to the march because of classes, he said. But he's still helping.
He grabbed forms on ways to volunteer, such as writing letters to their legislators. He is having his roommates fill them out and also sent one to his father, a Chico State alumnus.
To save costs, the system cut enrollment by 10,000 students, about the size of Cal State Stanislaus, said Pat Gantt, president of the CSU Employees Union, at the rally.
"I'm willing to do a lot," Tittle said. "I might have been one of those 10,000 if I had been applying to college now."
Ellen Walrath can be reached at
ewalrath@theorion.com
Almost 500 audience members sat and another hundred stood to listen to staff, faculty, administrators and students ask for help protecting the CSU budget.
"We share our dreams, and on occasion we are called upon to fight together," said President Paul Zingg.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget cuts $313 million from the CSU budget, California is facing a deficit of more than $14 billion and almost every state program is facing a 10 percent cut, said H.D. Palmer, deputy director for external affairs of the state department of finance.
California's deadline for a budget is July 1, but it could be fall before the governor signs a budget. CSU supporters aren't waiting to take action.
The California State Students Association's annual conference Friday to Monday, will have workshops on opposing the budget, said Esmeralda Campos, Associated Students director of legislative affairs.
Members of the association are also going to march with students from the University of California system and community colleges April 21, she said.
One student planning to attend is junior Jesse Eller. As an elected state officer for California FFA, Eller knows the Secretary of Agriculture A.G. Kawamura and hopes to ask Kawamura for help opposing the cuts, he said.
Eller knows students who struggle to get into the classes they need to graduate, he said. He plans to tell legislators the budget cuts could make it even harder.
"Who knows what the extreme result of that is?" he said. "One semester (longer)? Two semesters?"
A.S. will pay the $100 conference registration fee for 10 students, Campos said. The organization is also getting a bus to take 50 students to the march.
Senior Dave Tittle, a liberal arts major, can't make it to the march because of classes, he said. But he's still helping.
He grabbed forms on ways to volunteer, such as writing letters to their legislators. He is having his roommates fill them out and also sent one to his father, a Chico State alumnus.
To save costs, the system cut enrollment by 10,000 students, about the size of Cal State Stanislaus, said Pat Gantt, president of the CSU Employees Union, at the rally.
"I'm willing to do a lot," Tittle said. "I might have been one of those 10,000 if I had been applying to college now."
Ellen Walrath can be reached at
ewalrath@theorion.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 6
ESMERALDA CAMPOS
posted 4/15/08 @ 11:26 PM PST
Hello all,
Students can sign up to be on the bus in the GAC office (BMU 203).
Bus will depart on Monday, April 21st at 7am and return to Chico State @3:00pm (meeting at the Parking Structure). (Continued…)
Dave
posted 4/16/08 @ 12:21 PM PST
Save your money and invest it in a high interest mutual fund, it will go further. Start taking some personal responsibility for your education and stop living off of government assistance. (Continued…)
Esmeralda Campos
posted 4/16/08 @ 6:20 PM PST
In response to the comment made by Dave
Government assistance of responsibility. Responsibility to the constituents of California to get a quality EDUCATION! This "goverment assistance" that is over 50% in student loans that students have to pay back!
Rich Johnson
posted 4/16/08 @ 9:26 PM PST
A key reason for these cuts is the obscene, bloated corrections budget in our state. Rather than educating Californians we've gone hog wild on locking people up. (Continued…)
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