The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

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Students for Quality Education to make documentary about budget cuts

The CSUN group, Students for Quality Education, is filming a documentary on campus about how budget cuts have directly affected the community.

The documentary, filmed in Jerome Richfield Hall, features the testimonies of students and professors, according to CTVA senior Eduardo Zamora, one of the filmmakers.

Students interested in being filmed were invited last Wednesday and Friday, via Facebook. Many students came on Friday morning to share their stories, but left after the filmmakers were no where to be found. SQE came later in the day, Zamora said.

“We had a good turnout. I think we had about 50 different students come and share their stories with us last week,” he said. “Next week we’re going to get testimonies from the professors.”

“The film is being created in an effort to promote the March 1 Actions in Defense of Publication Education, or more commonly referred to as “Occupy Education,” said SQE organizer Edgar Ramos.

“It will be a day of action nation-wide and 18 different campuses will be taking part in this day including CSUN,” he said. “We expect the film to be released hopefully a week before that.”

According to the Occupy Education website, although the event will be recognized nationally, it is up to each participating school and organization to determine what local and regional action they take (walkouts, strikes, marches etc.).

The event is a branch of the Occupy Wall street movement and supports the 99 percent who are against financial greed and corruption, the event website states.

Students who have had no choice but to push back their graduation dates due to budget cuts jumped at the opportunity to share their stories, such as Angel Hernandez, a double major in Chicana/o and Pan-African studies major who is in his fifth year at CSUN.

“From Spring 2008 to Fall 2009 I was sort of forced to come to school part-time and that delayed my graduation date. It was in direct relation to budget cuts and how they cut down on courses made available,” Hernandez said. “I’ll be done Spring 2013 so it will have taken me six years to get my bachelor’s when I could have obtained it in four.”

SQE meet every Monday at 4 p.m. in Sierra Hall 276, according to group’s Facebook page.

“We want to inform our CSUN community, as well as our neighboring businesses, about the quality of education that we’re receiving right now and how the budget cuts are affecting us and the greater community in general,” Zamora said. “We want the students to really take action to make sure we maintain quality of our education and our learning environment.”

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