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GCC Students Do Their Share by Henan Joof, Student Outreach Services |
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Students United, will Never be Divided…those chants may be familiar to some of you. Pershing Square was filled with them, as crowds of concerned students from the UC, Cal State and community college systems congregated for a protest. Once again the governor is looking to balance the state budget on the backs of our students. In response to the state of California’s $14.5 billion deficit, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed a 10 percent cut in funding for just about every state service. According to the details of the budget, while the governor’s plan allows the UCs and Cal States discretion in allocating the specific impact of the 10 percent cut, it also anticipates a negative impact on student enrollment, tuition and individual programs. A proposed fee hike for community colleges would see fees go up to $26 per unit. Glendale College had a very well organized and what appeared to be the largest contingent of students from any college or university in Southern California. Armed with slogans, protest signs, chants and speeches, the students joined hands with their counterparts from other colleges for a rally at Pershing Square prior to marching to the Reagan State Building. This was part of a collective effort, as similar protests were held in Sacramento and San Francisco. Multiple students cited the slowing economy, difficulty in finding jobs while in college and after graduation, rising costs of living and gas prices as factors that made the proposed cuts unbearable. The event has been touted as the first collaborative effort by the three systems of higher education to get their message across to the governor and the legislature, and the organizers from the UCLA student association promised that they would be back. A special thanks goes out to the Associated Students of Glendale College for leading the college’s effort and to the concerned faculty that took time out of their busy schedules to accompany the students to the rally and back. & |
