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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The State Hornet - The March in March State Hornet coverage

The State Hornet - The March in March State Hornet coverage

The March in March State Hornet coverage

On Monday, students from across the state marched from Raley Field to the Capitol to protest against fee increases and budget cuts to higher education. According to California Highway Patrol, nearly 3,000 students participated in the protest.
Newest student trustee inspired by grassroots effort
By Kristine Guerra
The march to the Capitol on Monday reminded student trustee Nicole Anderson of why she joined student government.

“I think it was just seeing the passion behind it all and all the students out there together. I hadn’t really seen any sort of grassroots organizing in a while,” said Anderson, junior international relations major and one of two students appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees.

Anderson was part of the first batch of students who took the bus from Sacramento State to Raley Field, where nearly 3,000 protesters from other universities and colleges were waiting to march to the Capitol.

She said being on the Board of Trustees sometimes hinders her from realizing what students actually experience. Seeing her fellow students at the rally, hearing their chants and listening to their personal stories gave her a different perspective of how budget cuts are actually affecting students.

“One of the problems as a trustee is looking at the general picture … sometimes you forget to listen to the individual voices,” Anderson said. “Here at the rally, you listen to what students are saying directly.”

At the beginning of the protest, students were playing gongs and tambourines. Others showed up with skull face paints to depict what they call the “death of higher education.”

Familiar chants, like “Students, united, will never be divided,” “Education is a right,” and “Yes we can,” were heard throughout the protest. A few students expressed their animosity toward Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, holding up signs that say “Terminator terminates school, police, health.”

Assemblyman Marty Block, D-San Diego, was one of the few legislators who came out to join the students.

“If Congress was brave enough to support health care, then the