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Profiles: CSU Hunger Strikers Speak

Profiles: CSU Hunger Strikers Speak

Photo: Students for Quality Education rally at San Francisco State University in March.

Last Friday, after three days leading a hunger strike against student debt, a small group from Students for Quality Education (SQE) met with California State University Chancellor Charles Reed, Christine Helwick, Esq., and systemwide police chief Nate Johnson at CSU headquarters in Long Beach. Reed stated he had 45 minutes to listen to their concerns. One by one, students presented and discussed their demands, which included a five-year moratorium on student fee hikes; an elimination of all 23 campus presidents' housing and car allowances; an immediate end to cuts in classes and student services; and an extension of freedom of speech areas to include entire campuses.

"No, I will not meet your demands. You are focusing on the wrong people,” Reed responded. He continued, “I don’t particularly like the decision to raise tuition. But the reason we’ve had to raise tuition is because the legislators and the governor hasn’t given us the money to offer the classes and sections you want.” Yet, in the summer of 2011, Reed agreed to loan $700 million to the State of California just days after CSU’s budget was cut by $650 million.

During the meeting, it was clear what mattered most to Chancellor Reed. It wasn’t the students' personal stories of their sacrifices that affected him. It was the demand to eliminate the presidents’ housing and car allowances. “I stick to my commitment to our presidents. The welfare of the campus starts with the presidents,” Reed said. In response, Yesenia Ramirez, a social work student from CSU Los Angeles, said: “Students are paying more but getting less. What about your commitment and the mission of the CSU to provide affordable, accessible, and quality education to students?”

“Everyone has made sacrifices,” Reed replied, and shared an anecdote about how presidents' wives have made the biggest sacrifice of all. “Presidents' wives had to leave their job, figure out how to live on one income, and attend events with presidents nightly,” Reed explained, to which David Inga of CSU Fullerton interrupted: “You’re talking about one income of nearly $300,000 plus home and car allowances. It is clear you have a tremendous disconnect with the reality of the CSU student.”

A recent survey found that the traditional CSU student is no longer necessarily 18 to 22 years old; rather, nearly one-quarter have dependents, three out of four have jobs, and almost 18 percent work more than 30 hours per week.

As a result of Friday's impasse with the chancellor, Students for Quality Education decided to continue the hunger strike. On Wednesday this week, Reed and CSU Chair Robert Linschied are meeting with the rest of the Trustees—but again, their agenda remains the discussion of executive pay. “Why aren’t they discussing ways to advocate for more funding, or how to increase the amount of classes offered or to [present] alternative revenue sources,” asked Lex, a student from CSU Fullerton.

The hunger striking students said they hope Governor Jerry Brown, Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom and other state legislators join them and supporters at Wednesday’s Board of Trustees meeting to demand that Chancellor Reed and Chair Linschied finally put students first.

The following are comments from some of the hunger strikers who explain why they're doing what they're doing:

Donnie Bessom Age: 27 CSU Long Beach Major: Political Science

"I was the first in my immediate family to graduate college. I'm pursuing my graduate degree because I would like to pursue a career in academia. I'm going on a hunger strike for several reasons. First and foremost, I am hunger striking for my nieces and nephews. Three years ago my brother committed suicide because of debt, leaving three of the most beautiful children in the world without a father. I think it's important to fight for our future generations because one day they will ask us what we did to help build a better society. Secondly, I am hunger striking for my fellow classmates. I can't tell you how many students I know that have dropped out because they couldn't afford to pay the tuition hikes. I hope to force our administration to realize that they need to share the sacrifice. They are not immune to the crisis. I hope to strengthen my mind and body through this experience. I've never done something like this before so I'm excited for the journey.

Matthew Delgado Age: 20 CSU Northridge Major: Photojournalism and English

Education is a valuable tool to survive in world of living day by day trying to meet ends with enough food on the table to feed your starving family. As the elitist privatize our education so only the few are allowed to obtain knowledge and power to keep down the rest who will perish in the gutters, we are the children of a coming revolution and through the hardships of education we will prevail. Education is everything. I am doing this for the kids who are denied education by the State. An affordable solution to obtain for students of lower social economic background has been stripped by the big fat cats as they increase their own wealth off the backs of the working class, who endured long hours for little pay and yet are barely to able to send their children to school. I am doing this to show the CSU Board of Trustees that we the students will no longer be denied our classes, our right to education, and our future! I hope for ALL of our demands to met by the Board of Trustees.

Natalie Dorado Age: 25 CSU San Bernardino Major: Economics; Minor: Latin American Studies

I became involved with Students for Quality Education after hearing a lecture by a professor about the current crisis in the CSU system. I remember very clearly the passion and empowerment that learning that information that day gave me, but I also remember the disappointment and frustration that I felt when I learned of our current administration and our elected officials' policies. I realized many students are ignorant of these issues due to the struggle of our daily lives but it is though that ignorance and passive complacency that we are being taken advantage of. Students have increasingly become a commodity. After learning this, I began the long journey toward discovering my political voice in education through the organization of petitions, teach-in, rallies, and marches. I do not stand alone in this; I stand with students statewide and nationwide in the quest for a quality and affordable education. Time and time again, we have put all our heart and energy into each of these actions and time and time again we see our voices go unheard. Enough is enough. I have had enough of seeing those in my generation become demoralized by the suppression of our voices and I refuse to comply any longer. This is why I have chosen to follow in the great Gandhi’s footsteps and hunger strike with my fellow warriors for education. This is an extreme act, but it is an extremely nonviolent way to fight the injustice our generation is being faced with.

John Garcia Age: 21 CSU Dominguez Hills Major: Chicana/o Studies, English (language and linguistics)

As business seeks to make a profit from our once public universities, we see access to educational opportunities denied to thousands of students every year. Although administrative salaries and executive compensation have continued to skyrocket, tuition has continued to soar every year and oftentimes every semester. As it stands, it currently costs over $6,000 a year for a student to attend a public university. Tuition will go up by over $500 starting next semester as it was approved by our Board of Trustees this past November; a board which is composed of corporate business interests, not the public’s interest. Nonetheless, the decisions our Chancellor continues to make will be (and are) detrimental to students, especially those of the working class. The ideology that free public education is not of value for a society continues to harm students and our communities. I have chosen to partake in this hunger strike to bring to reality and awareness the significance of these issues which are largely ideological, not economical. I don’t do this for myself, but for my community which deserves to pay a lower tuition than when I began, not twice the amount.

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