Students and faculty protest on first day of school
cfa protest:Lois Boulgarides, lecturer and vice president of the CFA chapter at Sacramento State, waves to cars as they honk in support of higher education. Sac State Coalition and California Faculty Association will be protesting fee hikes Monday and Tuesday on the J Street entrance.:Nallelie Vega – State Hornet
January 25, 2010
About 20 members of the student coalition and faculty union lined up today at the Sacramento State main entrance to protest against budget cuts, fee increases and to raise awareness among students.
Sac State Coalition and California Faculty Association hope to get more students involved in upcoming rallies this semester. Sac State CFA Vice President Lois Boulgarides said the picket lines will continue until tomorrow, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
“We want students to know that there’s a movement out here to support them, and we want them to join us,” Boulgarides said. “We want them to understand what’s happening to higher education in the state of California.”
Robert Graham of the Sac State Coalition said they want students to be aware of the budget cuts to Sac State and the California State University system.
“(We want) to ultimately try to increase participation when it comes to reinstating 40,000 students who lost access this past semester,” Graham said.
Protesters held signs with familiar phrases such as “Invest in Higher Ed,” “Stop the Attack on the CSU,” “Chop from the Top,” and “Stop the Hikes.”
“This sign represents the 200 plus faculty who have been laid off, and for every faculty member that’s been laid off, that is (less) access to education for between 40 and 200 students,” Boulgarides said, pointing at a sign that says “Missing Lecturer.”
Kimberly Nava, interim director of news services, said the administration agrees with what the students and faculty members are doing.
“Sacramento State students, faculty and staff need to make their voices heard by the Legislature to restore funding and reinvest in the California State University and any way that we can get our message to the Legislature and the governor is a great thing,” Nava said.
Emmanuel Gale, professor emeritus at the division of social work, said the current budget problem is the biggest disinvestment to higher education he has seen in 42 years.
“California is crashing into the Pacific Ocean. It is not a natural disaster; it’s man-made,” Gale said.
Kristine Guerra can be reached at [email protected].