Last Wednesday, students, faculty and administrators came together in hopes of bringing awareness to budget issues. According to fliers circulating campus the previous week, its purpose was to provide the resources and networks necessary for the community to understand and unify in an effort to fight against the budget cuts in public education. A diverse array of speakers and panelists visited and spoke, educating the De Anza community about the budget situation through informative workshops, advocating concerns vocally and communicating artistically through activism inspired artwork.
The event was supported by the De Anza Associated Student Body Senate, Asian Pacific American Students for Leadership, Institute of Community and Civic Engagement, Students for Justice, Multi-Cultural Staff Association, Integral Movement for AB540 Student Success, the Marketing and Communications department, the Black Student Union, Circle K and 4 Elements. The name of the event came from the intention to combine methods of a walkout and a teach-in, calling the event a walk-in.
Before the event began, Chair of Volunteer Committee and WISE 37 Cain Ramirez and DASB Vice President of Campus Relations Mo Shirazi led a chanting crowd of students around the campus center, hoping to gather more people to join them. They successfully turned conference rooms A and B from half to completely full. Speakers included Vice Mayor of Cupertino Gilbert Wong, De Anza Asian American Studies instructor and former Cupertino Mayor Michael Chang, De Anza political science instructor Robert Stockwell, De Anza humanities instructor Jackie Reza, De Anza philosophy instructor Cynthia Kaufman, DASB President Marlo Custodio and Circle K President G Dang.
Ramirez said the event was “exceptional. The large turnout and participation of the students gives me hope for the future of our education.”
Other student-led actions against budget cuts are in the planning stages as well. At a Jan. 12 budget meeting, Ramirez and Lee spoke to inform the community about the march in Sacramento on March 4.
De Anza President Brian Murphy said, “I want a thousand cars. That’s five thousand people in carpools. The students are already putting up the money upfront for ten busses. That’s eighteen thousand dollars of their money. So I think we ought to match it.” Ramirez states that he already has over 150 volunteers for the march, and if President Murphy does get another eighteen thousand dollars for busses and carpools, students wouldn’t have to pay to participate.
