ASI calls on students to aid in protest
Published: Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Updated: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
 "Photo: State Hornet")
State Hornet
This word cloud represents the topics addressed in the State of the Student address. The size and color of the words indicate those most commonly used and emphasized by ASI president Roberto Torres in his speech.
Students were urged to get involved to help prevent more budget cuts by Associated Students Inc. President Roberto Torres at the annual State of the Students Address on Thursday.
Nearly 80 students attended this year’s spring address, compared with the audience of five that attended the last address this past fall.
“We need students to get involved through ASI and the lobby corps are a very effective way of doing that,” Torres said. “ASI is only as strong as the students involved.”
Torres highlighted lobbying efforts to encourage more student involvement such as the ASI Strike Force and the California Higher Education Student Summit, which will take place in April.
The ASI Strike Force is used by ASI to help train students on how to lobby effectively. As members of the Strike Force, students will also be educated on state politics.
“Joining this committee would give you greater insight on how decisions are made within the state and within the CSU,” Torres said about the lobby corps.
The California Higher Education Student Summit, also known as CHESS, will also give students a “crash course” in lobbying and leaning about the issues that affect higher education. Students will also be able to use the skills they’ve learned during the summit in practice at the Capitol for California State University Student Advocacy Day.
According to the California State Student Association, the statewide organization of which ASI is a part, the goal of the summit is to allow students to “learn by personal experiences and become certified student leaders.”
Students from every CSU will be participating in the summit, with Sacramento State’s ASI sponsoring around 40 to attend.
Torres also said student involvement is the key in making statewide events, such as the March 4 protest, more successful.
Torres also said student involvement is the key in making statewide events, such as the March 4 protest, more successful.
On March 4, the state Capitol saw a crowd of more than 1,000 protestors expressing their frustrations over the budget cuts affecting higher education. At the same time, more protests were taking place on various CSU and University of California campuses throughout the state. The California Faculty Association estimates that more than 35,000 people