Students Protest Cuts in Education Funds

January 5, 2010

San Diego City College students yesterday staged a rally in downtown San Diego to protest the statewide erosion in higher education funding.

The afternoon event drew more than 75 students, according to organizers. It followed a morning sit-in at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Front Street office.

Larissa Dorman, a spokeswoman for the group, said about 10 students occupied the governor’s small San Diego office starting about 9 a.m. They were allowed to speak by telephone with a governor’s aide in Sacramento, but they left about 12:30 p.m. after being threatened with arrest by law enforcement officials, according to Dorman.

Andrea McCarthy, a deputy press secretary, said the governor continues to favor tax and budget reforms to protect vital programs like education. “The governor understands how difficult these cuts are, but government can only spend the money it has,” she said.

The students are upset over the cancellation of intersession classes, courses that are normally offered between the fall and spring semesters. In recent months, the state has imposed massive cuts throughout its three-tier system of higher education, which includes community colleges.