Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Todd Wilson Scott Deitrich, junior civil engineering major, fills out a fax form. [Click to enlarge]

Sacramento State students, faculty and staff phoned and faxed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office today to protest proposed budget cuts to the California State University system.

The Alliance for the CSU set up tables in the library quad and at the Riverfront Center with cell phones and fax sheets as part of the alliance's "'Governor can you hear us now?' call and fax days" effort to fight the $386 million proposed cuts to the system.

Each of the CSU's 23 campuses are taking a day to flood the governor's office with phone calls and faxes.

Members of the campus community were provided with fax sheets to fill out and a script to use to make a cell phone call to the governor's office. After fax forms are filled out they are collected by alliance members and sent to the governor.

Sac State's goal is to send more than 1,200 faxes, the record sent by CSU Fullerton on its call and fax day, said Kevin Wehr, professor of sociology.

Joseph Small, president of the Sac State chapter of CSU Employees Union, worked the table in the library quad trying to get students and faculty to take part in the effort. Faculty and staff are using vacation time and lunch hours to work at the tables, Small said.

Scott Dietrich, junior civil engineering major, who filled out a fax form, said he was taking part because he does not want to see student fees raised.

"It's hard enough working part-time and going to school full-time," Dietrich said. "I would have to work more hours to pay for the tuition increase."

Todd Wilson can be reached at twilson@statehornet.com.

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