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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Planned teach-in to be rescheduled

A teach-in aimed at educating students about how the budget cuts are affecting them was cancelled Monday afternoon, due to late planning and a lack of approval signatures, said William Watkins, vice president of Student Affairs.

The teach-in had been promoted for a week and a half with fliers handed out and posted around campus, but campus officials require at least a two-week notice to approve an on-campus event. The event has been postponed to a later date yet to be determined, said Enrique Galan, senior Chicano/a studies and political science major, the main organizer of the event.

Galan said all but two of the required signatures were received by Friday. The two missing signatures were due to the needed individuals not being on campus when the organizers were securing signatures, he said.

On Monday, minutes before the teach-in was scheduled to begin, the last two people did not approve the event due to late planning, Galan said.

Watkins said there is a specific process for gaining use of the space in front of the Oviatt Library, and the process was not completed on time. Because of the short notice, the event was not authorized, he said.

“Now they are going to plan the event again and get more organized so it is successful,” Watkins said.

Watkins said the event has the potential to be successful with the right planning, and could attract a large turnout.

There was also confusion as to who was sponsoring the event, because the A.S. board did not approve it, Galan said.

Galan instead decided to organize the event with the help of members from other organizations, he said.

“The event was meant to educate students and encourage student activism and involvement to protect our school,” Galan said. “A lot of people on campus don’t realize how important it is. People don’t realize they’re being affected.”

Students are paying more money for their education, but are not getting anything in return, Galan said. Instead, they are getting more things taken away, he said.

“We’re paying more for less,” Galan said.

When important classes are not available because they were cut or are full, a lot of students simply dismiss it as if it were expected, when they should be doing something about it, Galan said.

Tuition increases over the past two years have forced many students to change their college plans, possibly delaying their graduation dates, Galan said.

Many students have had to take second jobs, take time off, drop out, or go to community colleges, and people need to know this is happening, he said.

One thing the teach-in is meant to do is encourage students to write personal testimonials and hand them out to the California Assembly, Galan said.

Selene Salas, junior Chicano/a studies and liberal studies major, and A.S. Humanities II senator, also helped plan the event and said that for the past four years, she has been involved in coordinating events like this teach-in, and has never encountered these problems.

“I’ve done things one day in advance and gotten all signatures one day before, and it was all approved,” Salas said. “We’re just trying to educate. I feel it (is) a good cause.”

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