Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger coming to CSUN, an initiative to revamp the CSUN football program, and tuition relief for Cal State University and University of California students were just a few of the issues discussed during the Associated Students Senate meeting on Tuesday.
The A.S. Senate assembled at the University Student Union’s Grand Salon to discuss many vital issues, such as tuition, a visit by the resident governor, minor recognition on diplomas, possible future uses of student identification cards and a mention to the football program.
“So the 20th of February, the Governator is going to be here,” said University Advisor, Tom Piernik. “It’s quite an honor that he chose our campus, in partly because of our volunteer program and service learning program.”
Schwarzenegger will be speaking at CSUN at the Plaza del Sol on Feb. 20. A time has yet to be set for the speaking engagement, but it will possibly be between the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Senator Amanda Lynch set in motion initiatives to see that the football program at CSUN will not be totally forgotten. Brought up as legislative referral, Lynch was the sole instigator into the notion of restarting and maintaining the football program.
“I think it’s a good proposal,” said A.S. President Adam Haverstock. “She didn’t say we need a football team by any means necessary, she said we need to do a feasibility study to determine whether or not it’s going to be reasonable to do.”
The issue of paramount importance of the meeting revolved around the Tuition Relief Now campaign. Brought up initially during an open forum by student organizer Laura Robedo, TRF also received a legislative referral by Haverstock.
An organization run by students that has two organizers per CSU and UC campus, the TRF campaign is seeking roughly 40,000 signatures through a petition initiative to freeze the increase of the tuition rate for all CSU and UC campuses that will last for the next five years.
“Our goal for this campus is 10,000 signatures from registered voters,” said Robedo. “So that we can get up to the ballot initiative in November, so that California voters can decide if they want to freeze tuition for the next five years and after that it can only go up to the rate of inflation, which is two percent.”
The TRF was an issue of much concern amongst the student administrators, so much so that there is a rally planned to bring light to that very subject.
“We’re planning a rally in Sacramento at the doorsteps,” said Dina Cavettes, head of A.S. legislative affairs. “We’re in a good position right now, everyone is willing to work together in the CSU as a family because we’re all being effected.”
According to Cavettes, the CSU system is about to face a $312 million deficit without taking into account the tuition increase for the student of California universities.
