The iconic Ché Café, located on the southern edge of campus in the eucalyptus groves, is currently in danger of shutting down due to a $12,000 budgetary shortfall. The students and volunteers running the cafe — a well-known sanctuary for radical political beliefs — are beginning to confront the harsh reality of tough economic times. Coming up with creative solutions to solve budgetary problems is essential to running a business, and this year, the leaders of the Ché will have to prove that they have what it takes to keep the venue open.

Established in 1980 as a nonprofit student and volunteer-run co-operative, the Ché remains a historically unique spot on campus today. The café, run by a “non-hierarchical worker’s collective,” serves all-vegan fare and hosts music and poetry performances at least once a week. Several years ago, the cafe experienced a brief insurance lapse, and just last year, the Ché lost its 501(c)(3) federal nonprofit status, losing several tax exemptions. On top of all of that, a $5,000 PA system was stolen last year. Now, after serving as a symbol of underground music for over two decades, the survival of the Ché is threatened.

The university requires co-ops on campus to provide an insurance policy as a condition of operation. The cafe currently finds itself in danger of not being able to come up with the $12,000 due in March for the renewal of its insurance policy.

As grim as its financial situation seems, the cafe’s supporters are not giving up yet — a strong sign of hope for the co-op’s survival. A series of fundraising events have been scheduled to try to save the venue. Musician Jess Kranzler, who first performed in the Ché when he was in high school, said that he will be performing Jan. 6-8 to try to raise money for it. Kranzler, who now attends school in New York, has also set up a fundraising site at checafebenefit.tumblr.com, which has already raised nearly $1,000 and started a string of blog posts in support of the co-op. The dedication of Kranzler and others to the cafe could go a long way to help save the venue if the underground music community continues to respond to the rallying call.

In fact, recent backing from UCSD administrators shows that they remain committed to the survival of the co-op. Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Life Gary Ratcliff oversees the Ché and other co-ops on campus, making sure they pay rent and stay on top of their insurance policies.

“UCSD’s iconic Ché Café faces possible shut down,” Ratcliff said in a Sept. 19 article in the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I am hoping they can work it all out. I really am. There’s a certain spirit to their approach.”

With university administrators on its side, the collective’s support — at least for the next several months — seems assured.

Numerous money-starved student organizations have already learned to cope with budget cuts. Last year, the Associated Students of UCSD reduced the funding of student-run media organizations from $45,000 to $38,000, a 24-percent decrease. Media organizations on campus such as the California Review and the Muir Quarterly have been forced to find alternative ways to raise money or reduce costs, namely cutting printing costs by publishing online.

Raising $12,000 by March 2012 will be no easy task for the Ché, but running a business is never simple. Ratcliff explained that co-ops help students “get first-hand experience in running a nonprofit enterprise.” While the cafe’s financial crunch undoubtedly looks ugly, its leaders have a chance — now more than ever before — to put their innovative entrepreneurial ideas to the test to try to raise enough money to keep the co-op going.

Budget cuts and lack of funding for student organizations may eventually take their victims. But if there’s any advice the leaders of the Ché need now, it’s that when students care, they have a chance to save the organizations and institutions that truly matter to them. And if any organization is able to rise up and inspire a revolution of student expression, it would be the Ché.

Readers can contact Arik Burakovsky at [email protected].