Students from throughout the California State University (CSU) system joined California State Assemblyman Hector De La Torre Friday in kicking off the campaign for a new assembly bill aimed at improving financial aid for college students.
Students from five CSU campuses, including Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Fullerton, gathered in USU 224 with signs promoting AB 302, a bill that would change the financial aid awarded to Cal Grant B students during their first year of higher education.
According to a press release from the California State Student Association (CSSA) and the CSU system, Cal Grant B students receive only a nominal access award for their first year, followed by three years of full tuition coverage, whereas Cal Grant A students are awarded full tuition for four years.
Javier Gamboa, a junior at Cal State Fullerton, shared his experience as a Cal Grant B Student.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to receive financial aid assistance to help me with my undergraduate studies and my expenses that I’ve incurred while pursuing a higher education and a higher quality of life. However, many of our state’s truly financially needy students like myself do not qualify for first-year Cal Grant B funding,” Gamboa said. “Since my Cal Grant B did not cover my first-year tuition assistance, I had to take out a loan and incur great deals of debt, which I am still trying to pay off.”
De La Torre said the current financial aid system provides students with “separate and unequal” access to funds. He said the system needs to be updated so needy students have an equal opportunity to achieve.
“We’ve found that Cal Grant B students, when they are able to take classes and take care of their financial obligations, perform as well or better than Cal Grant A students,” De La Torre said.
Jeremy Mills, chairman of legislative affairs for CSSA and vice president of External Affairs for the CSU San Marcos Associated Students Inc., brought 450 signed letters from San Marcos students supporting the bill. Mills said he knows of an additional 500 letters of support still at San Marcos.
De La Torre appears confident that the bill will pass.
“I know we will have success in the legislature,” he said. “I look forward to having a bill-signing ceremony this year.”