SACRAMENTO — It begins with one and ripples through the crowd.
“No budget cuts! No budget cuts!” yells Greg Lopez, student trustee for the Kern Community College District as he jumped onto a rail of Tower Bridge. The energetic crowd of students quickly picks up the chant as they begin their mile-long march to the state Capitol building.
This past Monday, an estimated crowd of 7,000 to 10,000 community college students, employees and supporters marched from Raley Field, down Tower Bridge, and over to the Capitol, under the watchful eye of West Sacramento police to protest proposed budget cuts that would hurt community colleges.
Reportedly one of the largest crowds ever to show support for community colleges, students came from throughout the state to join in Los Rios Community College District’s “Keep the Doors Open” rally.
About 30 students and faculty joined the Associated Students of Bakersfield College at the march, while other faculty and students traveled on their own to attend. Many left at 4:30 or 5 a.m. to arrive in Sacramento for the 10:30 a.m. rally.
Signs, drums, two bagpipes and chants were used to get the message across: Community colleges will not be taken advantage of, according to organizers.
“Community colleges are taking the heaviest hits when they … (are) supporting the lowest economic class of students. Those students need everything that college can provide,” said 20-year-old BC student, Jennifer Hatfield, anthropology major.
Political science major Ash West, 20, also a BC student, takes issue with how Gov. Gray Davis has forgotten his campaign promise of promoting education.
“When he was running his top three priorities were education, education, education.”
People like Republican state Sen. Jeff Denham, spoke at the rally, criticizing the cuts to community colleges.
“You should not have to pay more money for less education,” he said.
Bakersfield College is expected to cut at least $6 million next year as a result of the statewide budget crisis, costing jobs and reducing the number of classes offered.
Enrollment fees are also expected to double to $24 per unit. The $13 raise will not make up for budget cuts. Instead, it will go to the state general fund.
Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante identified with the students, claiming to be as involved in the issue as anyone else. Citing community colleges as an important step to a higher education, he said that the success of the state is intertwined with that of students.
“Your struggle is my struggle. Your fight is my fight,” Bustamante told the crowd.
At least 80 students were allowed into the Capitol to speak with Republican state Sen. Bruce McPherson. One of those was 22-year-old Rafael Galvan, ASBC president.
“We thought we were going to be representing the students that were out there, but (they were) giving us propaganda … playing the blame game,” he said after the meeting.