In the midst of finals week, college students from across the state have decided to take their study materials to the State Capitol.
University of California, Cal State and community college students are holding a study-in at the State Capitol in Sacramento, where they will be protesting budget cuts, fee increases and the diminishing quality of education at institutions of higher learning, with supporting protests at District Offices across California.
The event is hosted by the Students for California’s Future, a coalition of the University of California Student Association, California State Student Association and the Student Senate for California Community Colleges. Approximately 200 people are expected to attend the Sacramento rally.
The protest will begin at 6 a.m. on the Capitol’s lawn, with a student press conference at 11:45 a.m. that will feature speakers from the UCSA and CSSA. Current speakers include Louise Hendrickson, president of the UCSA; Dina Cervantes, board chair for the CSSA and Lt. Governor John Garamendi. Additional state legislators, students, and coalition partners may also speak during the conference. They are expecting 10 speakers in total.
“One of the issues that we’re talking about is how they’re making higher education unaffordable. Tuition has almost doubled in the past 7 years in the CSU,” Cervantes said. “I think it’s important that we prioritize and make it possible for everyone to receive a higher education.”
Both the CSU board of trustees and the UC regents have recently voted to increase student fees for the upcoming school year. Students will have to pay over $145 million more than what they do now. Even after the release of a revised budget, Gov. Schwarzenegger is still proposing $456.9 million in cuts throughout the entire education system.
Students want to go straight to the legislators and ask them to re-invest in higher education by buying out the fee increases and protecting them from major cuts.
