Spring Break
Protesters take stand on budget cuts that leave CSU with nothing left on its plate
Peter Hironaka and Corinne Speckert
Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: News
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According to a flier handed out at the event, the CSU budget could lose up to $312 million.
Liz Cara, president of the CFA San Jose Chapter, said the event was supposed to bring awareness about budget cuts to students.
"We want to let people know that they're real and that they do have consequences," Cara said. "We will continue to do this because the budget cuts seem to keep rolling out. We just have to stop them."
Cara said students were given paper plates to write on about the impact budget cuts have had on their lives. The empty paper plates symbolized how the school has nothing left on its plate.
Veronica Naranjo, a junior social work major, said the paper plate idea was important in getting the message across.
"It's affecting everyone I know," Naranjo said. "I think our voice is as strong as anyone out there."
Both organizations plan on gathering all the stories and faxing them to state legislatures.
She said utilizing the media present for the event was another good way to bring awareness to more people.
"This is for all the people of California, so we want to get the word out that now is not the time to cut education," she said. "It's time to support it."
NBC 11 and ABC were among the local news stations in attendance for the event.
Gloria Collins, an English professor, said their effort to stop budget cuts has come with wavering success.
"We got about $98 million back into the budget, and now that is in jeopardy," Collins said. "We're worried about the future students and education in California."
She also said that of the $98 million that went back, $32 million was taken out and put back into the state's budget by CSU Chancellor Chuck Reed. This, Collins said, was done voluntarily by Reed.
"We realize the state at large is facing a lot of problems, but we want to try to have the students and the whole community know that we have to fight for these things," she said.
Elena Dorabji, a political science professor, said the financial situation in California is much more of a problem than most students think.
"I understand that they're trying to go to school, they're trying to work, so for them to face political action is probably too much for them to be able to process," Dorabji said. "California is well on its road to becoming a Third World economy, and that's a fact."
She said the faculty at SJSU have gone without raises for the past seven years, and as a result find living in San Jose difficult.
"We don't really get the wages we need to be able to live in this area," she said. "At San Jose State, we have taken on 4,000 extra students. My classrooms are bulging and I don't get one penny extra."
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