SMC Students Join Rally Protesting Cuts

By Jonathan Arkin
Contributing Writer

March 29 -- Escorted by police in riot gear and with helicopters hovering overhead, an estimated 4,000 community college students -- including several hundred from Santa Monica College -- marched through Downtown Los Angeles Friday to protest looming tuition hikes and budget cuts.

Angry protesters shouted slogans -- "Save our schools" and "Keep the doors open" (the rally's unofficial mantra) -- as they marched about one mile through the mostly deserted streets and past Gov. Gray Davis' offices, where students, administrators and politicians were meeting to discuss ways to avert $520-million-worth of budget cuts.

Photo by Jonathan Arkin

"I'm trying to get an education because working at McDonald's or Jack-in-the-Box is not going to give me a disposable income where I can support my (four) children," said Quiontessa Riddick, 35, a Southwest College student majoring in sociology and two other subjects.

The proposed cuts -- which come on top of $141 million cut this year -- are likely causing every institution in the Los Angeles Community College District to scale back financial assistance programs by reducing hours, to lay off staff and to reassign counselors.

At Santa Monica College, the Board of Trustees earlier this month voted to eliminate ten programs -- including architecture, fashion and interior design, public safety, recreation, tourism and transportation technology -- to brace for a historic $15 million blow anticipated in the next fiscal year.

The cuts, which include laying off 13 full-time instructors and eliminating 13 administrators, are expected to save the school about $2 million.

Chason Smith, SMC's Associated Students president-elect, spoke to the crowd in Pershing Square before the march and asked them to examine their priorities.

"I am angry, people," said a hoarse Smith. "We cannot let this happen. I worked hard to get here, and won't let Gray Davis take it away from me."

Tragan Campdell, Smith's opponent in the race for student president, spoke on behalf of gay students, saying he had found a comfortable, tolerant and nourishing home amid counseling programs at the community college level that will face cuts.

"This is not fair, this is not just," said Campdell. "This is not what California stands for. This is not what I stand for. We need to send a message to Gray Davis that we will not stand for these budget cuts."

A spokeswoman for the governor countered arguments that the tuition hikes would force needy students out of the system. “Needy students in California do not and will not pay fees,” said Hilary McLean. “There is a rich menu of financial aid programs.

“Even with the fee increases,” McLean added, “California’s community colleges remain the most affordable in the country.”

Lawmakers and administrators have noted that needy students would be eligible for Federal Pell Grants, which would be proportionately raised to counter the proposed tuition hikes.

Although much of the rally's energy was focused on Gov. Davis and his fiscal policy, some politicians who spoke at the event pointed to other causes of the problems, and offered some possible solutions.

"Before we decimate the community college budget," said newly-elected City Council member Antonio Villaraigosa, speaking offstage, "we have to close every tax loophole, bite the bullet and raise the revenues we need. (There are) certain tax deductions we can't continue to support."

Villagraosa proposed two taxes to generate revenue -- "an upper-income tax on the wealthy and a five-cent 'tippler's' tax on alcohol" -- that could be redirected to save community college programs.

Mary Spangler, the president of Los Angeles Community College, suggested “regionalizing” programs by combining the efforts of several campuses to continue specific programs, such as nursing.

"This has all happened so quickly that we haven't had a lot of time to work on all the possibilities, but we have begun to talk about 'regionalizing' programs, especially the more expensive ones,” Spangler said. “The disadvantages to this, though, raise other issues."

The move, for instance, could threaten the autonomy of individual colleges and the pride in their own programs and could eventually disrupt students' lives, Spangler said.

However, Spandler and other presidents present at the rally -- including SMC's Dr. Piedad F. Robertson -- have been discussing such options seriously, and it is likely that such ideas will be raised at upcoming board of trustees and academic senate meetings at the LACCD colleges.

Accompanied by a large truck driven by the El Monte Teamsters union, Rev. Zedar Broddous, the president of the San Fernando Valley chapter of the NAACP, led the march with a single megaphone.

"What do we want? When do we want it?" he asked.

"Education!" and "Now!" were the deafening replies.

Wire reports contributed to this article.