Vigil held to protest cuts to California community colleges
Alexa Hemken
Issue date: 11/30/09 Section: News
|
"The intention was to organize a peaceful expression of solidarity among faculty, administration, classified staff, students and community members to publicize our concern over the budget cuts and subsequent loss of jobs and classes at CSM," said Deborah Garfinkle, English instructor and organizer of the event.
Faculty, staff and administrators gave short speeches to the crowd.
President Michael Claire, Assemblyman Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), and district trustees Richard Holober and Dave Mandelkern also spoke.
"There is no budget crisis," said Elizabeth Terzakis, co-chair of a local AFT chapter and English professor at Cañada College.
There is a crisis of priorities, she said, and "what we are standing against is a full frontal attack on public education."
"There's been nothing like this that I have ever seen in the history of education," said Jennifer Hughes, vice president of student services, of recent cuts.
The 2002-03 cuts were severe, but funds were eventually restored, according to Hughes.
The budget could be better balanced by changing Prop. 13, eliminating the two-thirds majority needed to pass taxes or budgets, and enacting an oil severance tax, said Mandelkern, the district trustee.
Education was more of a priority for the state 20 to 30 years ago, Claire told The San Matean.
There has been a "long, slow, steady decline" in funding for community colleges in the last 20 years, he said.
Angela Skinner Orr, an adjunct geography instructor, set up three laptops at a table where students could send e-mails to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
About 20 to 30 students sent e-mails.
"The biggest problem comes from Sacramento," Orr said.
A constitutional convention that would usher in a new constitution was needed in order to change the way the budget is balanced, she said.
More than 20 of her students attended the event for extra credit.
"This college saved my educational career," said Assemblyman Jerry Hill.
He compared education to a candle whose flame is in danger of being blown out by the wind.
"I want to be a part of this," said Evan Kaltschmid, 21, business major, who particularly liked Hill's speech.
"85 percent of people that I know don't care," he said.
After the speeches, Rudy Ramirez, adjunct assistant professor of ethnic studies, and three of his students performed Bob Dylan songs, with Michelle Saxton and Sarah Schultz singing and Laura Saxton on guitar.
"This is reminiscent of the sixties" when people would come to candle light vigils and protests in support of public education, Ramirez said.
"Spineless politicians" should find cuts elsewhere, he added.
Be the first to comment on this story