Five UCSD students were arrested for civil disobedience after a rally on May 18 protesting the compact made by UC President Robert C. Dynes, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed, which includes increases in undergraduate and graduate fees and allocates long-term funding to the university. Over 300 students and staff from UCSD, San Diego State University and local community colleges participated in the rally, according to Jessica Lopez, an organizer for the Stop the Cuts Coalition at UCSD, which organized the event.
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After a rally at Price Center Plaza, protesters marched through the intersection of Villa La Jolla and La Jolla Village Drive and stopped traffic for 15 minutes. A select group of coalition members who were prepared to be arrested stood in the center of the intersection when police arrived, according to Chris Sweeten, A.S. commissioner of diversity affairs, who also participated in the rally.
UCSD students Harish Nandagopal, Josh Wilson, Sarah Johnson, Irmary Reyes-Santos and Erica Kermani were arrested along with two other students, one from Southwestern College and one from San Diego State.
“We wanted to show the state Legislature that students aren’t going to sit down while they take our money,” Sweeten said. “We’re willing to go to extremes — and that means missing our classes and getting arrested — to show that we’re a united front and we won’t stop until the rights of students have been met.”
Nandagopal, who was charged with a misdemeanor, said he felt this was their last recourse.
“We tried everything — we tried letter-writing, we tried lobbying,” he said. “The governor turned his back on us, and Dynes and Reed turned their backs on us too. We wanted to send a message that we’re not happy.”
According to the San Diego Police Department, the seven students were arrested for unlawful assembly after refusing to disperse from the middle of the intersection. The arrested students were brought to the police station, cited and released.
“We were lobbying the Legislature, not the police, and we would be blocking traffic, so we wanted to ensure everyone’s safety,” Lopez said. “The police helped us put on a peaceful and safe protest.”
The San Diego Stop the Cuts Coalition, an alliance of individuals and student organizations from San Diego colleges, named the May 18 rally “The Big One.” The rally was scheduled to follow the governor’s announcement of the May budget revision. “The Big One” was part of a statewide effort, with UCLA students leading protests at the governor’s Los Angeles office and more students taking part in a press conference at the Capitol building in Sacramento.
“The statewide effort shows that the students are organized and strong, sending the message that it is up to the Legislature and the administration to come through for their students and not allow public education to come to privatization,” Lopez said.
The rally opened at Price Center Plaza with speeches made by representatives from each of the local colleges, after which the crowd began its march, carrying noise-makers and picket signs, through the Chancellor’s Complex and on to the Villa La Jolla and La Jolla Village Drive intersection.
“I was really disappointed that the administration didn’t come out to voice any support for us,” said Heather Flowe, vice president external of the Graduate Student Association. “[The budget cuts] will not only affect the cost of our education, but will impact the quality of our education as well.”
The “compact” will increase undergraduate student fees 14 percent next year, instead of the 10-percent increase proposed in January, totaling a 33-percent increase in the next three years. Graduate student fees will increase 20 percent next year, with a 10-percent increase each of the following two years.
“The way they’re deciding to save higher education is through raising fees in order to gather funds for future years, so that we are the ones who are suffering,” Lopez said. “The state is moving away from their promise of an affordable and accessible public education, and the lack of the governor’s commitment to that promise is basically saying that it is not their responsibility to raise these funds in the future.”
Eric Ferns, a member of the SDSU Stop the Cuts Coalition, said the cuts would hurt all students in higher education in the state.
“This affects all levels of higher education — the UCs, CSUs and junior colleges,” Ferns said. “Financial aid is going to be cut, which doesn’t make sense because money is being taken from the students, yet tuition fees are going to increase.”
According to Lopez, there are two plans that could serve as alternatives. One scheme, proposed by State Treasurer Phil Angelides, contains plans to close corporate tax loopholes, which will add $400 million to California’s income. Another bill, proposed by Assemblywoman Wilma Chan (D-Oakland), would increase higher education funds by raising taxes for the wealthiest 2 percent of the population.
“There are two proposed plans, but the governor doesn’t want to support raising new revenue, which is funny because raising student fees can be seen as a way of raising student taxes,” Lopez said.
According to Flowe, the governor is not keeping to his campaign promise of balancing the budget without hurting education.
“If you want economic prosperity in the future, you have to invest in higher education now, at all levels — UC, CSUs and junior colleges — because these are your future engineers and teachers and lawyers,” Flowe said.
Nandagopal said that the students will be defended in court by the National Lawyers Guild to try to clear their records.
