More than a dozen students from throughout California showed up at the California State University board of trustees meeting Tuesday to protest fee increases proposed for the 2010-11 school year.
The student activist group Students Fight Back carried signs and tried to inform students of the consequences of budget cuts and fee hikes.
“School is unaffordable at the moment,” said Stevie Merino, a student who had previously attended Cal State Long Beach but is now unable to due to budget cuts. “Once I wasn’t able to go to school anymore, we realized we needed to get organized and protest the hikes.”
Protestors started a picketing circle chanting various slogans such as “Stop cuts, Stop hikes/Education is a right.” Chants gathered honks of support from people driving by the scene.
Budget cuts are not only affecting current students, but returning ones, as well. Joe Delaplain left CSULB in 1986 and after being laid off, returned to school in Santa Monica.
“There are no jobs, and employers want a ridiculous amount on degrees,” Delaplain said. “The thing we wonder is that if the government can bail out banks, why can’t they do the same for education? Loans are getting harder to pay back and the amount of classes is dropping.”
Government came into question again as the protest lasted into the afternoon.
“We’re here to protest the injustice of the tuition increase,” said Cal State Los Angeles student Arturo Velasquez. “We’re not going to be able to pay the 30 percent fee increase. If capitalism can pay for wars, then it can do the same for education.”
Others are looking even further into the future.
“I’m a student and I want kids, and I want an education for my kids,” said Los Angeles City College student Corazon Esguerra. “It’s pretty scary right now; we’re hoping that public organizing will bring us through.”
Protestors tried to make their way into the lobby of the chancellor’s office but were stopped by police and private security. Students pounded on the windows, demanding to be let in.
In the end, the doors had to be forced closed by security. Students continued shouting from their bullhorns until police threatened protestors with removal.
“We want an education and they want to give us jail,” protestors shouted.
The noise from students outside thundered throughout the building. Students took a break from screaming at police officers when the board of trustees crossed the lobby to take a lunch break. At that time, students took to beating on windows and trying to get into the lobby.
The budget meeting brought students from as far away as Fresno. Student Laura Flores left Fresno at 6 a.m. with her group to be at the protest.
“We feel we are not being fairly represented,” said Flores, a sociology major from Cal State Fresno. “We’re hoping to get in [the meeting] and speak about how we don’t feel adequate action is being taken.”
Ashley Fairburn, a Cal State Fresno graduate, expressed similar thoughts.
“Schools should be put first,” Fairburn said. “They don’t care about students’ education; they keep getting raises and they’re not here for us.”
As the group disbanded, their only thought was what would come next.
“I’d like to stay hopeful,” said Jamie San Andres, an anthropology major from Fresno. “Our school has shown us that we cannot go to the system to change it. It takes a revolution. The next step is an education campaign — power has to go beyond the administration.”