Budget cuts and fee hikes enrage Cal State Northridge Students

March 12, 1:12 PMPolitics in Education ExaminerAna Kasparian

A rusty, unfinished, and depressingly hideous structure stands erect in front of Cal State University Northridge. The construction sight was meant to be the Valley Performing Arts Center, but now looks like an abondoned frame of scrap metal with huge hills of concrete hardened by the rain. The building was expected to bring the University a great deal of money as soon as the project was completed. But as of now, CSUN has no idea if and when the project will be done.

In early January of this year, the center's construction came to an immediate halt after the State Department of Finance ordered the CSU system and other state entities to temporarily stop all state funded construction projects. The budget crsis that California is currently facing has made a huge impact on public schools and universities. CSUN has directed the CSU system to tell contractors to expect at least a 90-day suspension of all projects. So the ugly, half competed stuctures can be found on several public universtiy campuses thoughout the greater Los Angeles County.

Construction projects aren't the only thing getting hit by the budget cuts. So many professors have been laid off that graduate and undergraduate students are crammed into the same classes. In fact, fewer classes are offered in general, and tuition fees have been increased by 10 percent.

On Wednesday dozens of infuriated CSUN students rallied together in protest of the budget cuts and tuition increases. Although hundreds of millions of dollars have been trimmed from the CSU system in recent years, another $50 million could be cut from the budget. Students are demanding that administrators take a stand to prevent future cuts from occuring.

CSUN student Alejandro Hernandez told ABC 7 that "The fees have been increasing, classes have been cut. So what's going to happen? How important is education if they're not willing to put money into it?"
It's hard to say whether or not the protest will make a difference, but this may be the beginning of more frequent organized demonstrations by students who are fed up by paying more for second-rate education.