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CSU Students Deliver 7,000 Letters on Fee Hikes on Steps of State Capitol, then Lobby Legislature and Governor
Lt. Governor and CSU Trustee John Garamendi accepting letters. Garamendi has opposed fee hikes as an unfair tax on students and a dangerously shortsighted move that places the quality of California’s workforce in jeopardy. The Legislature and Governor were then visited by students to include funds in the state budget that would make the fee increase unnecessary.
By Brian Ferguson
Students, faculty and state political leaders gathered on the West Steps of the Capitol Wednesday morning to speak out against a proposed 10 percent fee hike for California State University students currently being considered by the legislature.
Student representatives from all 23 CSU campuses were on hand to deliver more than 7,000 handwritten letters from students to legislators asking for the fees not to be raised. Lt. Gov John Garamendi, who is also a CSU Board of Trustees member, was on hand to accept the letters.
“It is critical that we invest in our students and ensure that they can afford a college education,” said Garamendi. “California’s continued leadership and success depend upon our ability to adequately prepare our students to address the future needs of our state.”
Earlier this year, the CSU Board of Trustees voted for a 10 percent student fee hike for the 2007/08 school year, which would become official on July 1. That hike could be avoided if the legislature decides to include money in the budget to “buy out” the fee increase. If the fee hike goes into effect, it would mean that students will have suffered 94% in fee hikes since 2002 – far outstripping the rate of inflation. The Legislature will decide on a final budget on or around June 15.
The event was co-sponsored by the California Faculty Association. CFA President John Travis, is a professor of political science at Humboldt State and was on hand to speak and lend his support to the students.
“To preserve the CSU as the ‘The Peoples University,’ we need legislators to buy out next years proposed fee increases and enact reforms that will make the CSU administration and the Board of Trustees accountable to the public,” said Travis.
Wednesday ‘s rally comes on the heels of student protests held at Dominguez Hills, Los Angeles, Northridge, Pomona, San Jose, Sacramento, San Francisco, Stanislaus and San Marcos over the last three weeks. In the Bay Area alone, more than 1,000 students showed up at San Francisco State and 400 more came out at CSU East Bay to voice their displeasure with the CSU administration’s excessive fee increases during a time when waste, fraud and abuse are rampant.
Following the event, students marched through the halls of the Capitol where they delivered copies of letters to the Governor’s office, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez’s office, and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata’s office. Faculty members and students then continued on with their annual “Lobby Day” event, in which their message to elected officials will be to stop the fee hikes.
Brian Ferguson is a graduate of the CSU system and a Communications Specialist for the California Faculty Association.
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