Students, faculty passionate at fee increase rally

A 95-degree day is enough to get anyone worked up.

A 95-degree day while rallying about rising student fees and professor pay cuts is enough to get everyone who attended worked up.

Roughly 200 students, professors and faculty showed up to protest the rising fees and slashing salaries outside the library at Sacramento State University.

The rally opened with a couple of protest songs from teachers and faculty signing protests songs as if they were protesting the Vietnam War. It is not quite that serious, but it is an issue worth fighting for, nonetheless.

This rally had a little bit of everything: TV cameras, singing, signs and slogans. The particular slogan of choice was, "They say cut back, we say FIGHT BACK!"

The California State University system raised fees twice from the end of the spring 2009 semester to the beginning of the 2009 fall semester – a span of three months. Tuition for the fall semester is $511 more than last semester. Not only did tuition increase, the quantity of education decreased – by about 10 percent.

Because of the state's money epidemic, teachers and faculty are forced into taking furlough days. Incidentally, furlough will be the buzz word of the year throughout the CSU system, if not the rest of the impoverished state. While some students may invite the extra days of no class, some are peeved about not getting enough instruction.

Paying more and getting less – not exactly an uncommon occurrence. One might expect that from a fancy-shmancy restaurant, but not something as important and essential as higher education.

It's no secret that California is broke, despite having the 10^th-largest economy in the world, according to the CIA World Factbook. In fact, California once had the fifth-largest economy in the world. State employees are taking furlough days as well, but why does it have to extend the education system?

Students pay good money for a college education and the rising fees make it more difficult for said students to get an education. With higher tuition fees come more student loans which results in more money out of our pockets in the long run.

But hey, no one cares about education in this country, right? Our education system is top notch compared to countries like Japan, the United Kingdom and Finland (which one of these is not like the other?). Or not.

The only way students and faculty can make a difference is by holding these rallies and the soon-to-come marches on the Capitol.

Is taxing oil companies, which are seeing record profits and have been for quite some time, the answer? Perhaps. It might not be feasible, but we all know the companies are not hurting for money. This was an option that was echoed many times throughout the rally.

Much like Mother Nature did to the attendees on that early September day, it is time to turn up the heat on the legislature and compel it to take money from another institution. Education is far too important to have multiple increases and to be furloughed.

Fight back!