Step 2 of the coalition "CSU is the Solution"

Alliance for the CSU and the California Faculty Association have been engaged in "Step 2" in protesting the $386 million budget cuts from the CSU system, according to the Daily 49er.

Booths set up over the weekend and today at CSULB, just one campus out of the 23 CSU's that have been implementing the coalition, "CSU is the Solution," had students signing fax memos to send to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office in Sacramento.

A total of 1,018 faxes were sent from CSULB alone from a booth at Kaleidoscope and today in front of Brotman Hall, according to Tom Pinkava, a regional field representative for CFA.

"We're basically trying to jam up his fax machines," Pinkava said.

The coalition is making waves throughout California, "People have been getting a few hundred faxes a day," said Lydia Sondhi, a family and consumer science associate professor and the Long Beach chapter president of CFA. "We've got thousands of signatures being collected statewide."

Photo from Daily49er.com

CSULB "elects" Obama as President

The Political Science Student Association conducted a mini-elections for U.S. President during Earth Week.

Results were as follows:

Barack Obama - 82%
John McCain - 9%
Hillary Clinton - 4%
Ron Paul - 4%

*Go to: WWW.VOTESMART.ORG for more information on all of the presidential candidates*

Statewide protests fight for lower tution costs

In Sacramento, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and San Diego students organized protests on Monday, according to the Daily 49er, who covered every protest.

2,500 students showed up on capitol hill, while the other areas did not see a massive amount of protesters (ranging from 30 to 50 people in other areas). Their words were supported and received by many who watched. In Santa Barbara on-going drivers honked while cruising by the determined rally participants to show their support for students and the importance of education and its availability.

"We are a part of history in the making," said Carina Vega, the Student Senate for California Community Colleges Region 6 representative and organizer of the Santa Barbara protest. "What do we need to do now? Vote!"

The protests were organized statewide by the coalition, Students for California's Future.

Below is a video from the Daily49er at Sacramento.

Links to each of the protests throughout California:

Santa Barbara

Los Angeles

Sacramento

Riverside

San Diego

Photos from Daily49er.com

ASI Elections go online TODAY!

According to the Daily 49er, this years elections for ASI president, vice president, senate members, and treasurer are all being voted for online this year.

Voter turnout in past elections have been meager. In 2007 the voter turnout was around 1,250, not nearly the 10 percent that most campuses see in student government voter turnout rates, according to Kim Hinckson, ASI Assistant Director of Student Involvement and Leadership.

Going online has also cut election costs in half. According to Hinckson, the average cost using poll booths cost approximately $10,000 a year because of the cost of paper and in order to pay poll workers. The online elections, however, have cost ASI half as much at $5,000.
(Photo below from csulb.edu)

"We've tried to funnel a lot of money into advertising," Hinckson said.

Whether the strategy works on bringing more students to the ballots, will only truly be seen after using the strategy for several years, Hinckson said. Most, including ASI candidates are banking on an increase in voter turnout.

*For more information on the candidates and their platforms: click here!*

Hate Crime and Speech Forum at CSULB

Though the spotlight was focused on CSULB psychology professor, Kevin MacDonald, the panelists at the Campus Forum on Hate Speech, Hate Crimes and Far Right Movements on Monday focused on hate crimes and speech as a whole in the United States, particularly southern California, according to the Daily 49er.

"Celebrating diversity is such a strong message," said Randy Blazak, director of Hate Crimes Research Network, "It's more than tolerance."

The only comments thus far made by President F. King Alexander on allegations made by several departments that MacDonald is an anti-Semite was in an April 11 e-mail statement sent to the Daily 49er:

"Despite the fact that I personally disagree and even find deplorable some beliefs and opinions expressed by a few individuals on our campus, particularly those ideas that are hurtful of certain groups, I believe as Thomas Jefferson stated that 'errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it' ... Universities should also be firmly committed, even at times when it is against popular opinion, to freedom of thought and when we act to restrict opinions from the far right or the far left, then it will not be long before we can no longer call ourselves a university."

The number of hate groups has increased from 602 to 888, since 2000, according to the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, represented by Heidi Beirich at the Forum.

Kevin O'Grady (picture left) from the Anti-Defamation League noted that one of the challenges in tracking hate crimes and speech are the, "existence of lone wolves - the individual white supremacists and skinheads."

Photo from Daily49er.com

Former U.N. Ambassador Speaks at CSULB

According to the Daily 49er, former US Ambassador for United Nations spoke to CSULB students and faculty on his escape from Cambodia during the time Khmer Rouge, the communist rebel group. Sichan Siv also promoted his book, "Golden Bones," which describes his experience in fuller detail.

Siv, the only survivor out of his 15 other family members, served as deputy assistant to George Bush from 1989 to 1992 and as the UN Ambassador from 2001 to 2006. By the time he arrived to United States, Siv had $2 in his pocket.

"I was exhausted, but I was full of hope," Siv said.

"By the early '70s I began to see so much death and destruction," Siv said. "I saw a lot of markets where civilian lives were lost."

(from U.S. Department of State)

Bringing Siv to Long Beach was important for the Cambodian Student Society because of the Cambodian New Year. Karen Quintiliani, assistant professor for the department of anthropology, stated that Siv helped the Cambodian society in southern California by "putting Long Beach on the map in a whole new way." His name helped establish Cambodia Town in Long Beach, which is home to the largest Cambodian community outside Southeast Asia.

"Golden Bones" will be released July 1.

Click here for more information on the history of Cambodia and the occupation by the Khmer Rouge.

College Affordability Act of 2008

Some California legislators, students and parent volunteers at 30 CSU's and UC's are pushing the College Affordability Act of 2008, AB 2372, according to the Daily 49er. Joe Coto (D-San Jose), an assembly member, authored the bill that could potentially freeze tuition costs for the next five years if the bill is passed through legislation.

"This proposal adds—beginning in 2009—a new 1 percent surcharge on personal income above $1 million. This would establish a top state income tax bracket of 11.3 percent. It directs 60 percent of the new income tax revenues to the two university systems for undergraduate education. This proposal also freezes CSU resident undergraduate fees at their 2008-09 level for five years. After that period, the proposal would limit subsequent fee increases to no more than the annual percentage change in the California Consumer Price Index," according to the Legislative Analyst's Office.

A student-led organization, Tuition Relief Now, has had a similar initiative by getting signatures in what would hopefully end up on ballot. Chris Vaeth, the campaign director, said that when "collecting signatures to qualify for the ballot, student leaders are frequently asked why they are not instead pursuing a legislative route. AB 2372 is our answer."


Campaign video from Tuition Relief Now website.