With the economy struggling, legislators and administrators are looking to streamline budgets wherever they can. To college students, that could mean budget cuts and tuition hikes.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed plan cuts $2.5 billion from education. Additional proposals would raise tuition to $26 dollars a unit, effective January 1, 2009. This would increase again to $30 a unit in the Fall 2009 semester.

These budget manipulations impact approximately 2.5 million junior college students statewide, a student body second only K-12 students (6 million), and greater than CSU and UC combined (600 thousand). Yet K-12 and CCC education face the greatest cuts: K-12: $2.2025 billion; CCC: $334.2 million; CSU $66.3 million; UC $65.902 million.

Fresno City College Associated Student Government (ASG) is spearheading an on campus effort to protest such tactics. Organized by Brandon Sisk, ASG legislative vice president, and Sergey Salochov ASG senator, ASG has initiated a letter writing campaign to start student body’s easiest means of speaking out. From their website, links have been created to make it easy to download pre-generated letters with blanks for a students to fill in their name, and representative. The site also provides a link to a database where users can search out their representative based upon by entering their zip code. The plan is to get students to complete the letter and email them back to ASG. They will print the letter out on letterhead and mail/fax them to the appropriate offices.

Sisk mentions an attempt in 2003 by Governor Gray Davis to increase tuition from $11/unit.

“10 thousand students showed up [to protest]. It was eventually raised but it wasn’t a significant hike.”

Sisk stresses to that legislation listens to the student body more than students realize.

“What is really important is that there are officials in the assembly against the governors proposed budget cuts. Its really significant because students are not the only ones fighting the battle.”