Rally focuses on funding woes

Chico State students and faculty are collaborating to protest the decreases in state funding for higher education through the Action Rally for Chico State at 11 a.m. Wednesday (March 10) in the Student Services Plaza.

The rally will give students a chance to share how the quality and affordability of their education has been compromised by political leaders’ actions, said Luis Muñoz, one of the organizers. It follows the larger “Mobilize for Education” campaign today (March 4) not only at dozens of other CSU schools but also at campuses across the nation.

As a Chico State student and director of MEChA, the on-campus Chicano group, Muñoz (pictured) organized a smaller protest about the decreased budget of the California State University system in November. He expects that the upcoming event will make a larger impact by uniting a wider range of Chico State’s population. As of press time, the rally’s Facebook page had more than 1,300 members.

“Students need to put aside our own pursuits and start looking at the broader picture,” Muñoz said. “This will empower a lot of students who care about these issues but don’t know what channel to use to express their concerns.”