CLARIFICATION, Nov. 17, 5:03 p.m.:
Associated Students President Amanda Flavin was reported as having said students can “use of the rooms available to them to communicate their thoughts,” but rather said “they can use one of the avenues available to them” to demonstrate effectively.
Flavin said SQE was not mocking Associated Students’ elections or comparing them to the CSU’s search process.
Representatives from the student group were unavailable at the time of this posting, but are being contacted for further details.
EDITED:
Students for Quality Education (SQE) held a mock demonstration of the CSU’s presidential selection process Wednesday in front of the Oviatt Library.
A crowd of about a dozen students mocked the CSU’s search and screen process that will choose CSUN’s next president.
A panel of three students sat at a table behind signs that read the names of CSU Chancellor Charles Reed, board of trustees member Herbert Carter and A.S. President Amanda Flavin.
“We are just trying to make that buzz and to start that noise to awake the community, because it will only get worse,” said student organizer Cathie Pacheco.
Flavin joined the crowd, but expressed disappointment with how the organization was protesting.
“I think it is really sad, I think it is a two way street,” Flavin said. “If they feel the need to communicate with me, I have an office. It’s always open and I’m always open to students’ inputs.”
Flavin said she was not sure how mocking the A.S. body election is an effective way to convey disappointment with the CSU’s presidential selection process, which has never included a public election.
“If they really have interesting, changing things they can use one of the avenues available to them to communicate their thoughts instead of protesting in the middle of campus where students walk by and have no idea what’s going on,” Flavin added.
The protest came the same day as the CSU board of trustees approved a 9 percent tuition increase for Fall 2012, and a week after CSUN announced a 15-unit cap for Spring 2012.
The CSU system has endured tuition increases for the past five years, and faculty and staff have not received raises for four of those years, according to CSUN Foundation Vice President Vance Peterson.
“Faculty working condition is student learning condition,” said Ashley Luke, an SQE organizer.
Graphic design major Alejandro Hernandez said he is tired of “hustling” to achieve the minimum level of education.
Because of inadequate funding for the music program, art major Edgar Ramos said his dream to become a high school band teacher is shattered because of the lack of funding.
“I’ve applied to the program three times and was rejected because of insufficient funds available to the program,” Ramos said.
He said he had to go through therapy to help him deal with the distress and disappointment.
