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AIDE
marches for affordable education
By
Elysse James
Online Forty-Niner
Opinion Editor
Students
marched against fee hikes Tuesday afternoon,
chanting their mantra and striking a beat
on empty laundry detergent buckets. The
students, clad in black to symbolize the
death of education, marched in favor of
more affordable education and to spread
word of their beliefs.
"Education
is a human right, not a privilege. We are
here to hold people accountable to make
that happen." said Hector Flores, a
senior Chicano studies major at Cal State
Long Beach. "This is not a protest.
We are trying to create awareness to the
extinction of quality accessible education.
What we did was a die-in."
The
group started outside the Psychology building
near a booth devoted to their cause and
paraded down the walkway and through the
bookstore. Once outside the store, they
formed a close circle and proceeded to yell,
drawing glances from everyone around.
They
then marched around the University Dining
Plaza and out the doors of the Nugget where
they stopped in front of the stairs and
formed a circle. After raising their signs
and their volume as they counted down from
10, the students staged a "die-in,"
in which they fell on the cement, forcing
passers-by to walk around them.
Some
students were marching against any and all
fee increases. "I am trying to get
my education on. I’m not trying to
pay for things I’m not wanting to
pay for," said Fernando Sanchez, a
junior mechanical engineering major and
member of La Raza. "It’s about
money. Some of us don’t have money."
Not
everyone agreed with the message presented.
Richelle Parreira, a freshman kinesiology
major was sitting outside the Nugget with
friends when the marchers passed.
"We
heard the drums and saw it. It’s cool
that they can express that. Me and my friend
were talking and we stopped and turned,"
Parreira said. "They say education
is a right, not a privilege but some students
do work for it. You have to work for it.
They don’t hand it to you on a silver
platter and I am offended that they put
Maxson on a grave marker."
The
organization that planned this demonstration,
Action in Defense of Education (AIDE) is
affiliated with all University of California,
California State University and community
colleges. They are also aligned with La
Raza, Chicano studies, some members of Associated
Students, Inc. and Campus Progressives,
and the Feminist Organization Reclaiming
Consciousness and Equality.
AIDE’s
list of demands includes taxing the wealthiest
one percent of the population to help fund
education, and avoiding all budget cuts
and tuition increases.
"We
want the rich taxed. We want to create a
society that we want to live in. Proposition
98—we worked for it and we can’t
just let that go," said Sonia Garcia,
a junior majoring in art and Chicano studies
at CSULB. "It’s part of our mission
statement. We represent the students."
During
the demonstration, AIDE set up a booth near
the Psychology building to educate students
about university fee hikes. The marchers
also passed out fliers to nearby students
regarding the "die-in" and statewide
rally on April 20.
"Our
population is around 35,000. We passed out
400 fliers. It’s a good job and creating
this act spreads the word." Garcia
said. "We are building the organization
to get people involved so when they participate
on April 20 they know education is unfair
and not accessible. It’s not quality.
They should not be happy with what they’re
paying. Students are getting ripped off."
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