La Raza protests trustees' proposal

The La Raza Student Association launched a petition drive Wednesday to protest the revised remedial education proposal by the California State University Board of Trustees.

Francisco Heredia, chairman of the Remedial Education Defense Committee of La Raza, said the drive attracted 500 signatures in its first three hours of operation.

"The target is to sign up 5,000 Cal State Long Beach students," Heredia said amid a crowd of student-volunteers soliciting for signatures in front of Liberal Arts Building 5.

Heredia said the new 10-year phase-in proposal adopted by the trustees was wrong and unacceptable.

"There is no need for this," he said. "They should never implement this program."

Heredia said his committee intends to have the petitions ready in time for the January meeting of the trustees, and follow it up with a protest.

"Even if the trustees vote is against us, we will not give up," he said.

Heredia said his committee was also working with students at other CSU campus for a group effort against he proposal.

Petition signatories initialed protest letters addressed to Barry Munitz, CSU chancellor, and Ralph Pesqueira, chairman of the Committee on Educational Policy, which reviewed the proposal.

Protest letters read, in part, that students believe the plan may be noble, "but the consequences will be devastating" and "please do not destroy the future of thousands of students and their families."

The protesters also listed eight CSULB courses they said might be in eliminated if the trustees' plan was allowed.