On Monday, students from across the state marched from Raley Field to the Capitol to protest against fee increases and budget cuts to higher education. According to California Highway Patrol, nearly 3,000 students participated in the protest.

Newest student trustee inspired by grassroots effortBy Kristine Guerra

The march to the Capitol on Monday reminded student trustee Nicole Anderson of why she joined student government.”I think it was just seeing the passion behind it all and all the students out there together. I hadn’t really seen any sort of grassroots organizing in a while,” said Anderson, junior international relations major and one of two students appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees.Anderson was part of the first batch of students who took the bus from Sacramento State to Raley Field, where nearly 3,000 protesters from other universities and colleges were waiting to march to the Capitol.She said being on the Board of Trustees sometimes hinders her from realizing what students actually experience. Seeing her fellow students at the rally, hearing their chants and listening to their personal stories gave her a different perspective of how budget cuts are actually affecting students.”One of the problems as a trustee is looking at the general picture … sometimes you forget to listen to the individual voices,” Anderson said. “Here at the rally, you listen to what students are saying directly.”At the beginning of the protest, students were playing gongs and tambourines. Others showed up with skull face paints to depict what they call the “death of higher education.”Familiar chants, like “Students, united, will never be divided,” “Education is a right,” and “Yes we can,” were heard throughout the protest. A few students expressed their animosity toward Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, holding up signs that say “Terminator terminates school, police, health.”Assemblyman Marty Block, D-San Diego, was one of the few legislators who came out to join the students.”If Congress was brave enough to support health care, then the Legislature should be strong enough to support higher education,” Block said.Anderson, who stood near the podium throughout the 90-minute long protest, said the whole event revitalized her feelings about the CSU and about being a student trustee.”It’s just the idea that together students can make a difference and collectively we are all about getting funding and having the opportunity to get a good education,” Anderson said. Sophomore anthropology major Vanessa Zamora was one of nearly 100 students from Modesto Junior College who missed their classes on Monday to join the march from Raley Field.”I’m here because I want to be a body amongst the body,” said Zamora, who is the first in her family to attend college. “I’m here to show that people actually care about education and we’re not going to be passive.”

Kristine Guerra can be reached at [email protected].

Students cheered on march from campus to the CapitolBy Kalie Barnes-Young

Walking along J Street with a purpose, Angela Balta was one of the many students who marched Monday from Sacramento State to the state Capitol in the latest protest event against higher education cuts.The senior anthropology major joined more 100 students in the march lead by the Sac State Student Coalition.The students carried toy horns and signs handed out by the coalition prior to the march. Students were encouraged to introduce themselves and share their reason for participating. Balta’s frustrations over the budget cuts have caused her to delay her graduation for another year, she said. By the time she eventually graduates, Balta will have been at Sac State for six years.”I have a small major, so it’s difficult to get the classes I need, since those are the ones being cut,” Balta said.After informing her professors she would be missing class to participate in the march, she said one of them had told her: “March for me.”And march she did.During the nearly five-mile march, she carried her sign high and proud, shouting at passing cars to honk their horns. The chanting and horns would only grow louder whenever a car obliged to their requests and honked back.”I hope people pay attention to what we’re doing,” Balta said. “We need people to see this, see what’s going on, and maybe then they’ll be inspired to help.”The march also got the attention of people not participating.People walked out of their businesses and homes to watch the students march along. Some watched with smiles on their faces, while others asked students why they were protesting. A few faculty members from nearby Sutter Middle School walked out of their classrooms to cheer on the marchers.At one point, Balta volunteered to pull a wagon that had been filled with water bottles, a job she described as “not fun,” but she wanted to help in any way that she could.The marchers’ enthusiasm grew as soon as the Capitol building came into view. The shouting grew louder and the horn blowing was more frequent.Balta said of the march, “It was a little tiring, but I’m glad we kept the energy all the way through.”During the rally on the steps of the Capitol, Balta had found a place near the front of the sea of more than 3,000 people. She held her sign in her hands, forgotten as she gave her attention to the speakers.

Reid Milburn, president of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges and one of the speakers at the rally, said, “We are tired of our fee increases, we are tired of our classes being cut. We need to send the message to the Legislature that if they throw us out of our campuses, we’ll vote them out of office this November.”

Sac State’s Associated Students Inc. had a presence at the rally with two of its senior members making speeches. During her speech, ASI Director of Undeclared Students Yeimi Lopez said, “This is the human right of our time. Education is a right, not a privilege.” Balta, who attended the March 4 higher education rally at the Capitol, noticed a change of tone as she compared both events.”This one seemed a little more serious,” said Balta. “The one before had singing, and today felt a little more formal, a little more structured.”After the rally, Balta picked up several signs that had been discarded on the ground and moved them out of the way of those walking by.”The turnout was amazing, the speakers were great, it was awesome,” Balta said, finishing up her sign cleanup. “I really hope that we did today makes a difference.”

Kalie Barnes-Young can be reached at [email protected].

Why didn’t you protest? Students share their objections or reasons for not joining the rally.By Cahil Bhanji

“It seems that people are rallying but they don’t know what they’re rallying about.”- Dante Oliver, junior kinesiology major

“I’ve got a lot of studying to do and midterms and essays. I support the protesting because it’s for the good of all students but I’m not very politcally active in any way, shape or form.”- Sarah Abendschein, junior public relations major

“I guess I’d chalk it up to laziness. I’m not much of a protester; people don’t protest the way they used to, opposed to the way it was in the “60s. It used to be a lot bigger and I guess my not attending contributes to that.”- Vincent Jiron, sophomore international business major

Cahil Bhanji can be reached at [email protected].