Education demonstration
Students, professors and university employees protest budget cuts at the Capitol
By Kari Westerman
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This article was published on 03.11.10.
 At the Capitol last week, students of all ages gathered to protest massive cuts in the state’s education budget. PHOTO BY WES DAVIS |
Related photo gallery: Education demonstration photos |
For student demonstrators, fee hikes and class cuts were only part of a larger heap of woes. The rising cost of college often means students being forced to work two or three jobs, simply to cover living and escalating school costs.
Alma Lopez, 23, a biology major at Sacramento State, was among those who traveled in a group from the Sac State campus to the demonstration. This semester Lopez is working two jobs while attending CSUS, an improvement from the three she worked last semester.
“I have to repeat some courses next semester because I was working too much to do well, and I couldn’t get into those courses this semester,” Lopez said.
Lopez’s story is similar to many other CSU students who have suffered a fee hike of 182 percent since 2000. James Damiani, 22, sociology and communications major at CSUS, said that since fees increased, his existing budget can no longer cover his expenses.