Sacramento State students must be absolutely shocked that California legislators have turned their backs on higher education once again. -It seems so improbable that they would be willing to hit such a powerful portion of the electorate with a 30 percent fee increase.

– College-age voters worked hard to inform lawmakers that a few-hundred extra dollars per semester is a huge burden for students. During campaign season we turned out to vote and we corresponded with our leaders at the Capitol on a regular basis.

– Students across California were out working to help representatives that understood their needs.

– Weren’t they?

– At the very least, the massive numbers of students voting chose people who vowed to fight, tooth and nail,to expand funding for education.

– Didn’t they?

– OK, most of us were registered to vote.

– Right?

– Wrong?

– Why all the shock and dismay, the gnashing of teeth, about a $474 bump in undergraduate fees and $522 in graduate fees(and these on top of a 10 percent increase last spring). -What, exactly, did students do to make sure our needs were met?

– How did we challenge our leaders to defy our will?

– We stayed away from the polls in droves. -We used our time voting for more important things like Kelly, Justin and Ruben, or helping pick the best music video on Total Request Live this week.

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Instead of writing representatives to warn them that students will organize and vote with our quickly emptying wallets in mind, most students chose to instant-message each other bitching and moaning that our wallets our empty.

– Who are we kidding?

– Go ahead and mourn your lost funds quietly. -Please don’t stage protests and shout around campus, though. Unless you not only voted, but also helped three friends to register, your anger rings hollow.

– Have we all forgotten that, in a representative democracy, the participation of citizens sets the mandate by which we are governed?

– You can be sure that organizations like the American Association of Retired Persons organizes its constituency to ensure that property taxes stay low while programs for seniors remain fully funded. -When the AARP knocks on the door of elected officials, they’re given the action they want.

– If students refuse to relate with the people in power by writing letters, actually meeting face-to-face, or even simply voting, we only reinforce their notions that students, struggling to find a better living, are a segment of the electorate which can easily be ignored.

– Organized students helped turn the tide against the Vietnam War. -Efforts by present students could ensure that sticker-shock does not become a recurring experience with each successive semester of study.

– More than a few of us spent spring break in Sacramento working to cover the previous fee increase instead of sunning ourselves in Cabo San Lucas. For now, all we can do is accept that our winter break will be spent in the same fashion.

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Let us hope that the mid-semester fee statement we all are dreading serves as a reminder that voting and staying alert about events at the Capitol affects our daily lives in a very real way. –

– Just look at your bank statement.

– It’s fine to be angry. -Just, don’t kid yourself that you should only be angry; be an informed and active participant too.

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