Students
rally over fee increase
By Justin Diemert
On-line Forty-Niner
Students
and faculty gathered near the Speaker’s
Platform Tuesday in an attempt to rally
students and distribute information about
yet another proposed fee increase.
The message of the rally was that of unification,
though with different voices. Danny Vivian,
Associated Students Inc. president led the
rally with inspirational words of leadership
and direction. He organized the event because
of the propose fee increase and to
spread the message to the Chancellor’s Office
and the Board of Trustees that students
would not stand idly by and pay higher fees.
“We are not the answer! Our pockets are
not the answer!” Vivian shouted.
Passing students and faculty were called
out and told to come join the rally. The
energy of the event started slow but ended
with a small gathering of concerned students.
Marty Fiebert, president of the California
Faculty Association, said to the group of
concerned activists that the teachers needed
the students last year during the teacher’s
negotiations and now the students need the
teachers.
Armando Vasquez-Ramos, Chicano Latino Studies
lecturer and activist, tried his best to
entice passing students to join the
rally. The free peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches caused some students to stay
throughout the event, but most stayed for
one speaker and moved on to their next engagement.
“We will have had an almost 40 percent increase
in student fees in the last six months,”
Vasquez said.
Vasquez asked the crowd if it knew what
CMS was. While few responded, he explained
that the Common Management System, paid
for by the Chancellor’s Office, costs the
California State University system about
$100 million a year. He led the crowd to
ask themselves if the system was needed
and why so much money must be spent on experimental
programs if the base budget was not balanced
correctly.
Jade Wallis, a senior and double major in
political science and speech communication,
acts as a liaison between the students and
the legislators who make the laws that directly
affect students. She said that the rally
was more about informing the students of
what’s going on than anything.
“We want to let people know about the fee
increases,” she said.
Wallis is a part of a group that is attempting
to pass a bill, AB 550, which will require
that a committee be formed to approve, deny
or negotiate any upcoming proposed fee increases
for students. The committee will be composed
of students, teachers and administrators.
Guido Piotti, newly elected A.S.I. vice
president, spoke for a few minutes pointing
out some unique facts about the CSU system.
He said that one in every 10 members of
the California workforce is a graduate of
the system. He also said that 80 percent
of the CSU students work and pay taxes,
with 36 percent of them working full-time.
“Sometimes the best defense is a good attack,”
he said, explaining that students must take
action.
Vivian closed the rally by telling the crowd
to do three things to fight the fee hikes:
Go to beachpride.com and e-mail the governor
and legislators, sign up for a rally next
week on May 14 at the Chancellor’s Office,
and get parents to contact their local representatives.
“We are not the source of revenue for the
state of California,” he said.
Clara Potes-Fellow, spokeswoman for the
Chancellor’s Office, said that there is
a strong possibility that the proposed increase
will be passed by the trustees because it
is needed.
“We hope the trustees will pass the fee
increase because it is absolutely necessary
to balance the CSU budget,” she said.
She explained that the increase would be
25 percent more than the recently increased
tuition, making the total increase by fall
2003 $396 for full time undergraduates.
“It expresses the students points of view,”
she said, in response to Tuesday’s rally.
“We wish the governor or legislators could
implement lesser cuts to the CSU system,
but unfortunately that’s not the case.”
Students interested in joining the rally
next Wednesday can do so by contacting the
A.S.I. office for more information. Free
shuttles to and from the Chancellor’s Office
will be provided.
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