death of a dream

In another life, I would never be an actress.

Not that I haven't had my fantasies of the Broadway life, but doomed as I am with a breathy singing voice, a poor memory, and a tendency to blush at random, I haven't got a snowball's chance in hell.

I get my little shots at the big time through my advocacy work for the university. Yesterday, scores of students walked out of classes or held demonstrations to protest fee increases and budget cuts to higher education. In Sacramento, on the lawn of the Capitol, about 120 students held a mock funeral for the untimely death of the California Dream (in the Governator sense), and yours truly was (what do you call the emcee of a funeral service?) the one who set the tone for the event. Previous ideas had been, um, a bit more violent -- I asserted that tombstones marking the death of Californians' dreams would be morbid, yes, but perhaps more effective than a bloodbath. All in all, I think the press conference/event came off remarkably well; the coffin barely made it, and CSU San Marcos brought their Cougar mascot (where was Oski, you ask?), but the point was made. And as you'll see below, the AP picked up the story (Michelle calls to say, "Gimme a quote, Jen -- and, hey, are you going to be Student Regent next year?!?") and it went national (it's surreal to think that someone in London or Oaklahoma City heard my quote).

Silly? Yes. How silly did I feel when I saw the UC Provost walk past as we set up the tombstones? Quite, but it didn't stop me from running to her for a quick chat. But you never know what good a silly act might do. At least I got to stretch my acting wings.

And I didn't blush.


Students march, hold mock funeral to protest funding cuts
By MICHELLE LOCKE, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
(04-20) 16:19 PDT Berkeley, Calif. (AP) --

College students marched and rallied at campuses across the state and held a mock funeral Wednesday on the steps of the state Capitol to protest cuts in higher education funding. The event, organized by leaders in all three of California's public higher education systems, was timed to coincide with a legislative hearing on education finances.

"Years and years of successive budget cuts have made it harder and harder for Californians to achieve the educational opportunity that they deserve and that made California strong in the first place," said Jennifer Lilla, a student at UC San Francisco and president of UC's student association.

The protest drew students from the 10-campus University of California as well as the 23-campus California State University system and the community college system, which serves 2.5 million students. Among other events, students marched in Berkeley, rallied in San Jose and paraded a student in a coffin in Sacramento to demonstrate their contention that the state is forsaking its long tradition of ensuring access to college. At the Sacramento protest, about 100 student "mourners" dressed in black bemoaned what they called the death of the California dream; some set out tombstones reading "R.I.P. Student Access."

UC student fees have increased about 60 percent over the past decade. They rose from about $5,200 (including miscellaneous campus fees) in 2002-03, to the present total of about $6,700 for a student with a full-time class load. CSU, which has 400,000 students and is the nation's largest four-year public university system, also saw a 60 percent fee increase over the last decade. As at UC, fees are going up again this year, to about $3,100 including miscellaneous campus fees. Meanwhile, community college, once free, has gone from $11 a unit two years ago to $26.

The fee hikes are part of a six-year pact worked out last year between the CSU and UC systems and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Universities agreed to make cuts and raise fees in exchange for increases in funding starting this year. Critics say school officials should have fought for more funding. But administrators say the pact was a realistic path out of financial chaos that will help them repair the damage of several years of cuts. California's college officials say their prices are still a bargain compared to similar institutions in other states. But students say that doesn't account for the high cost of living in California.

Jason Spencer, a Cal State Sonoma student, who helped organize the protests Wednesday said money invested in higher education reaps a multiple-fold return to state finances by way of higher-wage earning college graduates and economic growth. "Higher education is an investment in our future," he said.