College students from around California traveled to the state Capitol on April 20 to rally and testify to state legislators against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed fee increases and budget cuts to higher education.

The rally was just one of several student protests held throughout the state that day. Berkeley, San Diego and San Jose were some other sites where similar gatherings were held.

Students representing the California State University and the University of California assembled on the east lawn of the Capitol to rally against what they called “Mourning the California Dream,” or the end of guaranteed access to higher education in California.

The rally included a funeral procession for the “California dream,” with students marching around a mock cemetery that had tombstones bearing different CSU and UC budget statistics.

Jennifer Lilla, president of the UC Student Association, addressed the gathering of about 100 students.

“We pause today to mourn the death of the California dream,” Lilla said. “As fees have increased, financial aid has been reduced.”

Last November both the CSU board of trustees and UC board of regents approved a 25 percent set-aside of fee revenue to be used for financial aid in the new budget.

As part of Schwarzenegger’s budget proposal, the UC and CSU systems are allowed to determine how much student fee revenue can be set aside for financial aid, as long as the amount is between 20 and 33 percent of total student fee revenue.

However, the Legislative Analyst Office, a nonpartisan fiscal and policy adviser for the state, disagrees with the CSU and UC over the proposed 25 percent set-aside, stating the approach disregards accountability.

The report said that when asked for information about the set-aside, the UC and CSU could not estimate the average financial aid award for prior or current budget years.

“The UC and CSU should be required to provide the legislature with evidence of their student aid needs and justification for any requested augmentation,” the report stated. “This set-aside approach has no rational policy basis and has resulted in funding levels that are disconnected from identified needs.”

In the 2004-2005 budget, financial aid set-aside for the CSU and UC systems was cut from 33 percent to 20 percent.

Karlos A. Santos-Coy, a Sacramento State graduate student, spoke to the crowd about the decreasing numbers in student enrollment.

“The CSU enrollment is the lowest it has been since 2001,” Santos-Coy said.Santos-Coy said it wasn’t a lack of student interest in college, but a matter of ever-increasing tuition costs driving potential students away.

Cruz Bustamante, California’s lieutenant governor, joined the rally and gave some statistics on enrollment.

“For the first time since World War II, today’s generation of students have a smaller chance of attending college than the generation before it,” Bustamante said, citing a National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education report.

“This is an indictment on this generation of leadership. We should be ashamed of ourselves,” Bustamante added.

Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, who sits on the Assembly budget committee, also spoke and alerted the crowd that student fees have risen much faster than inflation.”We need all of you to be fighting with us on the outside,” Hancock said. “You are the ones who can turn the legislature around.”

After the rally, students moved inside the Capitol and packed the Assembly sub-committee hearing on higher education finance.

Select students had an opportunity to testify to the committee, to tell their personal stories of how fee hikes and budget cuts have affected them.

“I’m a struggling student. I do receive Cal Grants; however, those do not cover rent and other expenses,” Santos-Coy said.

Mercedes Castillo, a UC Davis law student and chair of the National Latino Law Student Association, said she is worried access to college for the working class is dwindling.

Castillo told the committee, “I’m the first in my family to go to college, and I fear this will not be possible for future students.”

Jason Spencer, director of legislative affairs for the California State Student Association, summed up the students’ mission for the Assembly members.

“The proud history of low fees in California is something we need to look at,” Spencer said. “I’m a firm believer education is why we are the sixth largest economy in the world.”

Assemblywoman Wilma Chan, D-Oakland, and Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally, D-Compton, both members of the budget sub-committee, reminded the audience that although they would gladly hear testimony, the committee would not be voting on these issues at the meeting.

The sub-committee only makes recommendations to the full Assembly budget committee.Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget calls for a 3.6 percent increase in general funding for the UC system and a 4.4 percent increase in general funding for the CSU system.

The budget proposal also includes an 8 percent fee increase for both UC and CSU undergraduates, while graduate students would see a 10 percent increase.

The deadline for the legislature to approve a finalized budget is June 15.

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Greg Hyatt can be reached at [email protected]