By LBCC journalism student Jenny DuBois
Faculty members, students and staff from CSULB, dressed in black clothing, gathered in front of the California State University Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday to mourn the downfall of California’s Master Plan for Higher Education.
Tuition is being raised, faculty furloughs and layoffs are prominent, class cuts have hindered accessibility for thousands of students, and no one is ignoring this issue anymore.
Beginning at 10:30 a.m., participants disembarked on a double-decker bus for a mock funeral procession to represent visually the tremendous effects of funding cuts on California’s public college education system. A hearse, carrying a coffin with a cap and gown inside, led the bus to the CSU Chancellors office and was met by pall bearers and bagpipers playing a traditional funeral tune. The supporters led the casket in a procession to the lawn where roughly 200 people were paying their respects with personal notes, white lilies, and several strongly messaged signs.
“We are witnessing the systematic dismantling of California’s Master Plan for Higher Education due to persistent and deep budget cuts,” Teri Yamada, professor of Asian American Studies at CSULB said in a press release, “Our goal today is to remind the people of California that these cuts affect much more than the students, faculty and staff who study and work in our state universities right now. An entire generation of young people will be denied access to college degrees if something is not done to change the way California funds its colleges and universities.”
In 1960, the California legislature had a great idea for the future of college educations and passed the Donahoe Act. This plan was based upon the premise that some form of higher education should be available to qualified students regardless of their economic means. The top third of all were guaranteed an education at a CSU. This year alone the loss of California’s vision and leadership for public higher education is symbolized by a 564 million dollar budget cut to the CSU system.
Erik Fallis, Media Relations Specialist for the CSU system assures that recovery of the funds is a priority on the agenda at the meeting.
“The CSU system had to make some very tough choices,” Fallis said, “We hope to get back on track and recover funds for higher education. The budget gap has had a huge impact on the system.”
Although the tone of the funeral farce was rather depressing, a new era of hope emerged out of the event with creating a new sense of common purpose among the participants.
Lillian Taiz, professor of history at CSU Los Angeles and President of Ca Faculty Association spoke reminding the optimistic supporters, “We know that the next generation of students and faculty can count on all of us here today to make a difference for them in the future.”
The following pictures are from yesterday’s ceremony at CSU headquarters in downtown Long Beach. All photos by Jenny DuBois.
Click here for our July interview with CSULB President F. King Alexander.
