Cal State Long Beach will host the “Budget Fight Back Rally” at the Speaker’s Platform near the University Bookstore today.
The forum will discuss the impact of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget cuts to the California State University system for the 2008-09 fiscal year and their possible implications to future students, faculty and staff.
California Faculty Association President and professor at Cal State Los Angeles Lillian Taiz said she has attended a number of similar events that have happened at other CSU campuses, including Sonoma, San Luis Obispo and Sacramento.
“They’ve been really exciting and really successful,” Taiz said.
Today’s event is one of 23 that will happen at each CSU campus systemwide. According to Taiz, “There have been 14 or 15 [forums] already.”
Humboldt State held its budget forum on Monday, and yesterday was Cal State Fullerton’s event.
The proposed budget will impact all 23 campuses in the CSU system, with a 10 percent reduction in funding for CSULB. The reduction would result in a loss of $16 million in funds, which would further result in an inability to accommodate about 1,000 prospective students.
Participants in the forum discussion include CSULB President F. King Alexander, Long Beach Unified School District Board President Felton Williams, Long Beach City Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal, Associated Students, Inc. President Mark Andrews, union representatives and members of the CSULB community.
“The message we need to send to lawmakers and the governor is ‘CSU is the solution,'” said Alexander in a statement. “The appropriations investment that the state of California accounts for is 43 percent of the university’s revenue, yet for every dollar of state appropriations income invested in CSULB, the campus generates another $4.33 in economic activity.”
According university spokeswoman Toni Beron, the event is all about sending the state capitol a message.
“What we are doing is pulling together all of the campus entities … talking about the impact on the proposed budget for the CSU,” Beron said. “This is a very strong, very positive pulling together to send a message to Sacramento.”
The event is expected to attract 2,000 members of the campus community. The event will have computers for students to use to send messages to Sacramento about their thoughts on the budget. There will be templates that students can use for their messages if they do not prefer to write their own.
CSULB campus community members who are involved with the CSU Employees Union will have a presence at the forum.
“We’re expecting from 200 to 300 employees. We’re expecting a high turnout,” said Richard Duarte, a speaker at today’s event and the president of the CSU Employees Union Chapter 315. The chapter covers approximately 1,148 employees, according to Duarte.
“The state of California cannot be cutting us and our contributions to the state,” he said.
The event will also promote the Alliance for the CSU, a grassroots organization comprised of CSU faculty, staff and prospective, current and alumni students. According to AllianceForTheCSU.org, members of the organization include “people who depend on and enjoy the many assets the California State University adds to our communities and cities.”
“This Alliance mobilizes students, faculty and staff. We’re expecting a huge number participating in this,” Duarte said. He said that the Alliance would help members “bring attention to the legislature about the budget cuts.”
Dennis Dillon, the vice president of representatives for the CSU Employees Union, said “In 2003 [and] 2004, we suffered a cut of a half a billion dollars to the CSU. We have never recovered from that. The quality of education the CSU is able to provide has been impacted by that and is not the same as it was in the past.”
Dillon also mentioned the impact that the CSU has on the state and its economy. “The CSU itself is an investment in California’s future.”
Taiz said that the goal of the forum is “to get everybody signed up and on board with the Alliance for the CSU. It’s a call to action to join the Alliance.”
Taiz said that the point of the Alliance is to get everyone who cares about the CSU to organize and do something about the budget cuts.
“It’s an educational experience because folks will be learning about what the CSU contributes to the state,” she said.
“I am so impressed that students, faculty and staff are working together for the CSU,” said Elizabeth Hoffman, a lecturer in the English department. “I can’t remember a time I was more proud of my campus.”
Hoffman supports the idea that “the CSU is the solution to the economic problems in the state.” She is also the mother of two graduates of Cal State Long Beach.
“[Because of them], I am willing to fight for the opportunity for other people’s kids,” she said.
According to the Alliance website, there will be more forums at CSU campuses across the state through April, and the California State Student Association will have a Lobby Day for the budget at the state capitol on April 21.
