Students protest budget cuts

Dozens of PCC students marched through campus Thursday afternoon protesting state budget cuts. Waving signs and shouting encouragements, they asked onlookers to join them in a daylong, statewide demonstration, the March 4 Strike and Day of Action To Defend Public Education. The day held great significance for many PCC students.

"I'm here because I couldn't get the classes I needed this semester," said 24-year-old entomology major Laura Casebier. Despite attempting to register on her priority date, the mandatory chemistry and math classes Casebier needs to transfer to UC Davis were already closed.

Theater arts major Mitchel Zeider, 22, had the present and future in mind when he joined the demonstration.

"I feel strongly [about] the ridiculous cuts. I'm concerned that [in the future] my children won't get the kind of education I did," he said.

Like Casebier, Zeider had difficulty enrolling in classes despite being proactive. His intended classes were not available on his registration date. He was able to add only one English class.

Participants' enthusiastic chants and banners decrying recent state budget cuts were met with honks of support by many commuters as the students marched east on Colorado Boulevard toward the Metro Gold Line's Allen Street station.

They took the train to downtown L.A. and joined a mass march that evening that halted rush hour traffic and drew national attention.

Members of the No Cuts For Pasadena City College Coalition, who handed out free Metro day passes at the station, estimated about 100 PCC students and workers participated in the march in Pasadena. In a gesture of support, the free tickets were provided by PCC's Teachers Association.

In great part, the day's event was an experiment in building solidarity.

"What's going on here is students are organizing and fighting back against the budget cuts," said NCPCCC member Steve Gonzalez. "The budget cuts not only affect college students but also university and high school students, city workers and teachers."

NCPCCC member and PCC history major Mayra Jaimes, 22, clarified further: "The March 4 [event] itself didn't achieve anything [material] but it was a demonstration that we have power in numbers and that we're not just going to let them keep cutting away at [the education budget]. [The state and federal government] need to reprioritize where they're funding money and where they're taking it away. So March 4 was a collection of all kinds of people coming together, taking a stand so they see we're not going to put up with this."

Opinions about the rally on campus were mixed.

PCC sociology major Hector Alvarez, 19, felt some students' behavior during the campus rally left something to be desired.

"I didn't like that people were just walking by us like we were crazy. They should have joined us because it's everybody's problem, not just ours, and we're the ones that are fighting for them," he said.

PCC photography major Adrian Frias, 22, however, felt the campus rally went well. "I thought [the turnout at PCC] was pretty good. A lot of people showed up - from all different races, backgrounds and situations - and supported [the event], Frias said. "Even though some of them had to go to class, they still made the effort to show up. I thought it was a good thing."

Frias is realistic about the need to attract more students to the cause to have an impact on California's education budget. "It will always be better to have more people, so we can impact more PCC [students] and, from there, impact the state," he said. "Students need to know they have more power in numbers. [They] have to be more involved because, in the future, budget cuts are only going to get worse unless we do something about them," he said

Students from PCC, ELAC, LACC, Cal State L.A., Cal State Northridge, Cal Poly as well as other state funded schools joined teachers, parents, high school students and workers in downtown L.A. Police estimated between 2,500 to 3,000 people attended the event.

A rally protesting recent state education budget cuts was held at Pershing Square and featured a speech by PCC's Gonzalez and several other representatives of teachers, students and workers organizations.

Following the rally, demonstrators marched to the Governor's Office at Third Street and Spring Street. On route to it's final destination, the march managed to hold up commuter cars and buses at the intersection of Fourth Street and Broadway Street for more than 30 minutes.