Students Protest for Day of Action to Defend Public Education

Close to a thousand students and faculty member with banners and signs marched to E. James Brotman Hall from the top of campus for the Day of Action to Defend Public Higher Education.

The march is in protest to the student fees that have risen 45 percent since 2007. As well class sizes are bigger and the Student-to-Faculty ratios are growing. Faculty and students are angered also about the 1.4 billion cut from CSU budget in the past two years and the shortage of classes offered.

Walking up to the starting point of the march you could hear speakers shouting, “Movements start small and end big.”

Painted signs were everywhere saying, no more apathy, don’t be a douche, together, or more class fewer prisons. Some screamed, “stop the cuts” while they danced in the drum circle to the band playing.

After hundreds had amassed at the top of CSULB on the grass area speakers came on to preach about the school system’s latest budget cut and how California needs to push hard to keep schools safe and public. They speakers also talked about the CSU plan to cut enrollment by 40,000 students and how student fees are up 182 percent since 2000.

One drummer, Johnny Shams, was walking to up to the grass area out of curiosity saying, “I’m contemplating ditching class.”

Behind the speaker podium supporters were selling T-shirts to help raise awareness.

Once the speakers finished they called upon the student and faculty to march down to Brotman Hall.

Daniel Ramirez a marcher said, “Education is important why mess with it.”

Once the stream of people had made it to the Brotman Hall they circled around the huge fountain where speakers talked more, “Public education is a right and central to a flourishing democracy and so is free speech.”

Face-painted students continued to scream as they poured into Brotman hall.

One student, Brandon Johnson said, “Education is the future why we throwing it in the trash.”

Huge banners almost shouted, “Deprive our schools deprive our minds.”

The march ended peacefully with the students and faculty chanting, “The people united will never be defeated.”