Hundreds of students hosted separate campus rallies at three California State Universities yesterday to protest the proposed student fee increase.
The CSU budget, which awaits final approval by the State Assembly and Senate in June, proposes a 10 percent student fee increase for the 2007-08 academic year. The CSU board of trustees approved the budget in November, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger approved it in January.
For San Diego State students, current undergraduate tuition fees for those carrying more than six units total $1,588. The 10 percent increase would bump fees to about $1,746 in the fall.
But many students' biggest fear is annual fee hikes.
Protest organizers said yesterday's rallies at Long Beach State, CSU San Bernardino and CSU East Bay were successful.
An estimated 500 students walked out from noon to 2 p.m. at CSU East Bay. Students met at Meiklejohn Hall, where the university's political science department is located.
"You always wonder about turnout," said Lili Marquez, a political science senior and rally organizer at CSU East Bay. "But our numbers were overwhelming because students took ownership. They didn't want to stop chanting."
Marquez, who is also a director at large for CSU East Bay's Associated Students, said cries of "Kill the fee hike" could be heard across campus.
"We believe education should be affordable, and this is the way for students to have their voice," she said. "With this fee hike, it's becoming really hard for (students) to get to college and stay in college. You're denying them the right for public higher education."
The statement is reminiscent of the pleas heard from California Faculty Association members' for "the health of the system" not too long ago. After several months of negotiations, the CFA and CSU administration were able to reach a tentative labor agreement on April 3 to avert two-day rolling faculty strikes. On Monday, the CFA, which received some support from students, backed the students' decision to protest.
"We support, without reservation, CSU students in their opposition to the student fee hikes, which have spun out of control over the last five years," CFA President John Travis said in press release on Monday. "This administration is busily cutting deals behind the scenes while discarding the real priority: the quality of the education we are providing our students."
SDSU A.S. President Matt Keipper said he hasn't heard any plans to stage a rally at SDSU. The statewide campus protests were organized with the help of the CSU Students for Quality Education, a coalition that does not have formal representation at SDSU.
"It's free speech, and they're free to protest as they will," Keipper said of the campus rallies. "For those students deeply affected (by an increase), I'm sure they are deeply emotional and will protest accordingly, and that's great."
More rallies are scheduled for today at San Jose State, CSU Los Angeles, CSU Dominguez Hills, Cal Poly Pomona and CSU Northridge. The walkouts are expected to conclude tomorrow with protests at San Francisco State and CSU Sacramento.
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