SACRAMENTO “”mdash; Over 250 University of California students gathered in the rain Monday afternoon to rally on the north steps of the state capital.
Students went to the capital after participating in a weekend-long University of California Students Association conference to prepare them for both the rally and a day of lobbying state lawmakers.
Students had three goals throughout the day: to gain another student fee buyout, as happened last year; to restore the 2002 level of $33 million in funding for K-12 academic outreach programs; and to urge legislators to pass two bills, AB 175 and AB 302.
AB 175 is a bill sponsored by UCSA that would increase the Cal Grant B cost of living stipend for low income students, and AB 302 is a bill that would change Cal Grant B to cover first-year fees for applicable students.
After two hours of lobbying in the morning, UCSA held a press conference and mock game show outside the capital.
The game show was a play-off of the long-lasting show “The Price is Right.”
Bill Schiebler, UCSA president, called himself “Bob Broker” and hosted “The Price is Wrong,” featuring hand-painted props and students as contestants.
Schiebler opened the game by asking if the price is right or wrong for higher education.
And though UC officials have emphasized that fee increases are necessary to maintain the quality of the system, students present at the rally were not happy about the budgeted 7 percent fee increase for undergraduates and 10 percent increase for graduate and professional students.
In addition to student testimonials about the hardships of student fees, four state Assembly members, two state senators and Lt. Gov. John Garamendi came to speak at the rally in support of the students’ goals.
“(A high cost for education) will erode the future of California,” Garamendi said. “We need to go back to the day when any qualified student could pursue an affordable higher education.”
Christi Suchil, a UCSA board member and UC Santa Cruz student, said she is doing everything she can to pay for college and she still has to take out a loan.
“With a scholarship and current financial aid package I still have two jobs, I’m (a resident assistant) and I take out a loan a year,” she said. “I work over 40 hours a week. … It has limited my ability in schools.”
Sen. Jeff Denham, R-12th District, said he would like to see a fee increase schedule so students know when they will rise and can better plan for their education.
“I think this year will be similar to years past. … The budget is tight and there are those that will try to take this out on students,” he said. “We need to make sure there is a fee schedule so students can plan for the future.”
Student lobbyists had appointments throughout the morning and afternoon with dozens of state lawmakers and legislative staffers, and for students such as James Birks, a second-year psychology student, the conference and lobby visit proved to be a worthwhile challenge.
“It was a really good experience, and the workshops helped,” he said. “Once you get in there and get going it’s not that hard.”
Birks was part of a group that lobbied a legislative staffer, and he said the staffer was receptive to his proposals because she used to be a member of UCSA.
“She agreed with our issues and said her boss would support the bills and academic outreach funding,” he said. “But she was not sure about the fee freeze.”
Lucero Chavez, UCLA undergraduate campus organizing director for UCSA, said she enjoyed the experience because she was able to tell her story.
“It’s good to have my story count for something,” she said. “The fee freeze was difficult to lobby because the money has to come from somewhere, but they were supportive of the $33 million for academic (preparation) programs.”