VC turns out for rally supporting Proposition 92

By Millicent Failano and Michelle Nelson

VCNC reporters

About 25 people turned out at Ventura College Jan. 16 for a press conference in support of Proposition 92, a Feb. 5 ballot initiative that proposes, among other things, to lower the community college tuition fee to $15 per semester.

“A lot of colleges are organizing rallies and press conferences across the state” in support of the proposition, said Paula Munoz, EOPS coordinator at Ventura College. Not everyone thinks it’s a good idea, however. At least one official worries that the measure could hurt state universities.

Oxnard College will hold a Prop. 92 event from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. Feb. 4.

Oxnard College’s Associated Student Government is sponsoring the event as part of the speaker series ASG Live! “We will have an expert's point of view to inform our students at Oxnard College about voting and primarily about Proposition 92, since it affects the community college students,” ASG President Sergio Lagunas said.

Jim Hensley, president of the Greater Oxnard Organization of Democrats and a League of United Latin American Citizens member, is scheduled to speak. “He will not only talk about Prop. 92 but also about voting and the other propositions on the ballot,” Lagunas said.

About 2.5 million students receive education through the California Community College system. The system’s budget is tied into the budget for K-12 education.

The proposition’s main focus is to separate the K-12 and community college minimum education funding. Also, the proposition seeks to lower the tuition fee from $20 per semester to $15, which supporters say will increase the availability of classes and increase student enrollment for certification programs.

Munoz coordinated the VC press conference, which featured guest speakers such as Ventura County Community College District trustees Larry Miller and Steve Blum. KEYT and KCLU Radio broadcasted the event.

Munoz said about 10 students participated.  “We were hoping we could have gotten students,” she said. Andrea Adlman, Ventura College mathematics professor, said it was hard getting the word out so people would attend. “It is against school policy to use e-mail for political purposes,” Adlman explained.

Munoz said the community college system offers students several advantages. “We provide the least expensive education and the most citizens who will become taxpayers,” she said. Passing Proposition 92 means a chance for everyone to receive a college education, Munoz said.

On the other hand, Dian Hasson, California Teacher’s Association board director for higher education, worries that passing Proposition 92 will affect California State University schools.

While Hasson said she is a strong supporter of the community college system, she said that the initiative is coming at a very bad time, due to the statewide budget crunch. With so little money to go around, that means even less will go to the CSUs, she said.

“Since 2002, tuition has gone up over 100 percent,” Hasson said.

She also dislikes one of the proposition’s features. If the proposition is approved, any future amendments will require a “yes” vote from at least four-fifths of the voters.

“It’s a very undemocratic approach,” Hasson said.

“We want [transfer students] to be able to graduate in a decent amount of time,” Hasson said. “But CSU can’t guarantee classes” if they have to be cut due to lack of funding, she said. Hasson said that she would like to see a more “comprehensive funding plan” that would include the CSUs.

Adlman encourages students to vote. “You had to be 21 to vote in my generation,” she said, adding that during the Vietnam War men were being drafted to fight for the country at 18, but they were not allowed to vote. “There was a big movement to lower the voting age to 18, and no one is voting,” Adlman said.

“Regardless of what side you’re on this time, get out there and vote.”

More information about Proposition 92 and other initiatives is available at www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov.