On August 20th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. roughly 60 protesters rallied to voice their discontent towards the recent budget cuts to public higher education at the Balboa Park Presidents Way picnic area. The Region X Student Senate of Community Colleges, in conjunction with Region X ASG and ASO bodies, the American Federation of Teachers, the Save Our Schools Coalition, the Promethean Workers Association, as well as representatives and volunteers numerous other student clubs and organizations planned the rally, the impetus of which was “Stop the Termination of College Education.”

As “The Golden State” continues to deal with the largest accumulated budget deficit in its history, students and employees in the UC, CSU, and California Community College systems are left frustrated, panicking, and reeling in the wake of the precipitated budget cuts.

The nine colleges belonging to the SSCCC Region X were to coordinate the transportation of students from their respective campuses to the rally site. Unfortunately, as the rally coincided with the start of a number of schools’ Thanksgiving breaks, only two buses of the nine expected were able to provide transportation from Miramar and Mesa College.

Colleges that make up Region X are San Diego City College, San Diego Mesa College, San Diego Miramar College, Cuyamaca College, Grossmont College, Imperial Valley College, Mira Costa College, Palomar College and Southwestern College.

Students, teachers, and concerned residents joined in waving posters and signs at motorists while they fed off each other’s energy shouting “What do we want?” and in unison responding, “Education!” “When do we want it?” “Now!”

The Save Our Schools Coalition or the S.O.S. Coalition is an alliance of students and student organizations. International Organizer of the Promethean Workers Association, Sidney Martinez said, “It is this coalition which has grown to encompass students from surrounding colleges and even supporters in other cities in California.”

Students mourned the reduction of classes and teachers as they carried posters of caskets and tombstones engraved with “R.I.P. Education.” A number of students donned “I HEART COMMUNITY COLLEGE” and “Furlough $tate University” t-shirts, while others wore skeleton hoodies and masks symbolizing the death of education.

Students that had their educational goals mapped out and were hoping to meet graduation or transfer requirements are also affected as they Sprint Intersession they planned to enroll in is no longer offered.

Few, if any, departments and individuals will be spared from the devastating effects of the budget cuts. According to counselor and LD specialist Jill Jansen, of the Disability Support Programs and Services Department at Mesa College, “[t]he DSPS department will be reduced by 55 percent from SY 2008-2009 to SY 2010-2011.”

The DSPS department will face losses in their faculty and staff, equipment, and supplies. There will also be a delay in upgrading technology, and all outreach activities have been suspended. Of those cuts, Jansen calls them “drastic” as up-to-date technology is “important for students with disabilities, as many rely on [it].”

“We lost all our adjunct counselors,” says Jansen, “and as a result students with disabilities will face much longer wait times to see a DSPS counselor.”

The budget cuts seem to almost specifically target those most vulnerable as funding has been cut for scholarships, resident student aid, and various programs have less money for more prospective students.

At a crucial time in the state’s economy, the budget cuts have added insult to injury, for as those who were laid off from their jobs return to school to further their education and attain new career skills, the government has chosen to minimize the budget allotted to higher-education, practically setting a cap for student enrollment.

Region X Advocacy Representative Franchesca Gade informed others how desperate some student situations have become. “We have students sleeping out of their cars that don’t have a place to live,” said Gade,” who’ve been laid off, who’ve lost their jobs and are coming back to college to get that education only to turn around and have that door slammed in their face because there is not enough room, or there is not enough classes.”

Gade inspired students and individuals to action telling them “go out and spread the word, let everybody know, raise your voices, make some noise. Write those letters to your legislators, deliver them to your student body president, we’ll deliver them in person for you, you don’t even have to do all the work.”

With 2.9 million students in the California Community College system, the largest in the nation, the CCC accounts for 75 percent of the students enrolled in public higher education, yet only a 40 to 60 turnout was garnered at the Nov. 20 rally. “If every single [student] goes out and votes imagine the change that can make,” one protester shouted.

“Since my first day at Grossmont a few professors were informing us about the budget cuts and some were even joking around about them,” said Michelle Luzano, an 18-year-old freshman, “but it’s a lot different now, everyone seems worried and angry: teachers, students, everyone.”

Luzano lives near Mesa College, but as the classes she was hoping to enroll in this semester were either already full or had been cut, she chose instead to attend classes at Grossmont.

Dan Saldana, a 19-year-old sophomore majoring in International Security and pursuing a minor in Naval Science at Miramar College, was forced to resort to enrolling in two classes at Mesa that were cut from Miramar.

“Like many other people that are going to school,” said Saldana, “I have a job. I drive to school, I drive to work, and now I have to drive to an entirely different campus to take classes that were cut at Miramar because of this whole situation with the budget problem. It’s sad.”

Some health insurance companies require that students be enrolled as full-time students, this semester students were so desperate they enrolled in any class that was still open. Next semester may be presumably more hectic and some may lose their healthcare benefits if they are unable to find classes.

“People are really scrambling for classes next semester,” said Saldana, “No matter where you go, you’ll see that every school is being affected. They raised the fees and we’re paying so much money, but only a handful of the classes I’m required to take are being offered.”

In a speech he made four years ago Governor Schwarzenegger claimed that nothing is more important than education, “because nowhere are our stakes higher; our future depends on the quality of education our children have today.”

Students can remind others of the point Governor Schwarzenegger made by participating in the December mail in. Students are encouraged now more than ever to press their legislators to pass bills to make changes that multiple movements so direly need.

Letters can be turned in to student’s respective ASG office, which will be delivered to the California Legislator. Planning for protests next semester are already underway, for more information on how one can get involved see your ASG office.