On the first three days of class this semester, students and faculty gathered at Sacramento State’s J Street entrance to protest furloughs and budget cuts.

“This (protest) is an appeal to solidarity,” said Eric Vega, professor of ethnic studies, as cars honked in support of the coalition.

Kevin Wehr, professor of sociology and president of Sac State’s chapter of the California Faculty Association accompanied him.

Students are paying 32 percent more in student fees than last year. Meanwhile, Wehr explained, students are losing 10 percent of education with furlough days.

This is a compromise of our education.

The California State University system used to be the alternative to the more expensive, impersonal University of California system. Small classes and professor-student interaction were hallmarks of the CSU.

These hallmarks sink away with every budget cut and fee increase.

Our professors are mobilizing out of neither self-interest nor personal gain, but a true commitment to students and education.

According to its official website, the CFA sponsored Assembly Bill 656 in April. It is one of the bill’s strongest advocates.

The bill would levy a severance tax on big oil companies, bringing in over a billion dollars to higher education.

As Wehr explained, the CSU’s share of this money would have completely offset its $584 million in cuts. Texas and Alaska fund their public higher education systems in their entirety with this tax.

The California State Student Association, the voice of the students from each of the 23 CSUs has shown overwhelming support for the bill. It honored Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, 656’s author, as Legislator of the Year in April.

The CSU Office of Advocacy and Institutional Relations’ Aug. 6 Legislative Report details that the CSU has failed to endorse, and has taken no position on the bill.

Opponents of the bill say the taxation will be bad for business, but what could be better for business than building an educated working force?

The CFA has made a commitment to us, the students. This allegiance compels our professors to stand on the street corner in their formal robes, waving signs that say, “Tax Oil, Not Students.”

We are the moving force capable of shifting this sordid course.

It would be the greatest failure of our generation to let the CSU slip away.

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