Sacramento State faculty, staff, students and administration are uniting to fight Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed $312.9 million budget cuts to the California State University system and are letting legislators know the importance of the university system to California’s economy.

Campus groups are joining the statewide effort, known as the Alliance for the CSU, to try to minimize the effects of the state’s budget crisis on the CSU system. The effort is made up of a variety of groups, including the California Faculty Association and other CSU employee unions, the California State Student Association and student governments from the 23 CSU campuses.

CSU Chancellor Charles Reed issued a joint letter with the leaders of unions working in the CSU system that was sent to all CSU employees.

“In the face of these proposed budget reductions, the CSU community – faculty, students, staff, alumni, administrators and the Board of Trustees – have agreed to work together to advocate that the Legislature and the governor consider alternative solutions,” the letter states.

consider alternative solutions,” the letter states.

Sac State is organizing efforts to make sure the CSU system does not lose funding proposed by the governor.

“Now is not the time to panic. It is the time to politick,” said Lila Jacobs, president of the Sac State chapter of the California Faculty Association and professor for the College of Education.

The California Faculty Association has been meeting with Sac State President Alexander Gonzalez and Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Joseph Sheley and representatives from the State Employees’ Trades Council, the California State University Employees Union, the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, and Associated Students Inc. President Christina Romero to plan a meeting to bring all the stakeholders in the Sac State community together. The meeting, known as the Budget Fight Back, is scheduled for March 18 in the University Theater.

The focus of the meeting will be what people can do to organize and fight for a better budget for the CSU system, Jacobs said.

“The organizational meetings with the administration are historic,” Jacobs said. “The administration, the unions and faculty are willing to put aside past differences to work together to help Sac State.”

Sac State Chair of the Faculty Senate Bruce Bikle agreed with Jacobs. He said this is the first time in a long time that the unions, faculty and administration have worked together.

“It is time to take a look at politics and to get the state Legislature to take an interest in and protect the funding for the CSU system and higher education in California,” Bikle said.

Chief Steward for the State Employees’ Trades Council at Sac State and automotive mechanic for Facilities Services Matthew Mason said members of his union believe in Sac State and want to take part in the budget fight.

The State Employees’ Trades Council represents the university’s trade workers, who include maintenance workers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters and service engineers.

Union members are currently part of a voluntary fundraising effort for Sac State in which they donate up to $50 a month from their paychecks. The union is hoping to raise $20,000 over two years to donate to the campus, Mason said.

“We are the people that often get overlooked,” said Patrick Hallahan, chief labor consultant for the State Employees’ Trade Council. “Students and faculty don’t think of us as part of the university until something breaks.”

At the statewide level, the union has been focusing much of its efforts on lobbying the government, including meetings last week with Lt. Gov. John Garamendi and Senator and Chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Committee Denise Ducheny, D-San Diego, Hallahan said. After the May budget revision, the union plans to bring 50 to 70 members from across the state to Sacramento to help with lobbying efforts, he said.

“Everybody agrees that in this time of limited resources, higher education and the CSU system should be at the top of the list for funding,” Hallahan said.

In addition to lobbying efforts, the union will be represented by its members at rallies organized by other groups involved in the Alliance for the CSU.

California State Student Association is planning a March for Higher Education on April 21 to the state Capitol to protest the proposed budget cuts and tuition increases.

“We will be asking the governor and the state Legislature to restore the $312.9 million to the CSU budget and not to raise tuition,” said Miguel Cervantes, California State Student Association legislative affairs chair and ASI executive vice president.

The association’s goal is to bring a contingent of 500 students from the campus to the April rally, Cervantes said. The group will use buses to shuttle students from the campus to the Capitol and back.

“We are asking professors to let students out of classes that day so they can attend the event,” Cervantes said.

California State Student Association lobbied the state government as part of its fight against the proposed budget cuts and in an attempt to get an initiative on the ballot for the November elections that would freeze tuition cuts for five years, he said.

“As administration, faculty and staff come together to fight the budget cuts, Associated Students will represent Sac State students in the fight against the unfair and unbalanced budget cuts that will, if passed, adversely affect the CSU and in turn, Sac State,” Romero said.

ASI is working with the California State Student Assocation to advocate on behalf of students at the Capitol, Romero said. ASI has been involved with the CSSA in planning and supporting the march to the Capitol to ask the Legislature to continue investing in higher education, she said.

“This is a critical time for the California State University and it is important that students take a stand now,” Romero said. “Tomorrow will be too late.”

Todd Wilson can be reached at [email protected].