Over 100 students, faculty, staff and alumni of California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) gathered for National Day of Action for Higher Education, voicing concerns over increasing tuition costs, administrative privatization and threats to academic freedom.
The demand for stronger faculty-student solidarity was one of the top priorities for every speaker, with several emphasizing the importance of collaboration to protect both students’ and educators’ rights.
“I think it’s important to support the faculty, who are also standing along with students and their demands,” said Emilia Perez, a ceramic art student at CSULB.
Perez expressed the restrictions that come from not funding higher education, noting that the issue affects both students and faculty and why they felt it was important to go out to support CSULB’s CFA members.
“It feels important to stand up for higher education…because [higher education] means knowledge, it means access to resources,” Perez said.
According to CFA member and Assistant Sociology Professor Rob Chala, there is a disconnect between administration, faculty and students, specifically with CSULB President Jane Conoley.
Currently, CSULB is searching for a new president, as Conoley will retire at the end of the academic year.
CFA members say they hope the next president fits the needs and values of the faculty and students of their campus. Chala describes this search as “fundamental” to future relations between administration and faculty.
“For us, we need much more of a voice, because the president is a public face of the university, the person who’s going to stand up to the federal administration, [the] person who’s going to be the leader within the CSU system…” Chala said.
One of the key themes from the protest was the threat to faculty autonomy and academic freedom. Department Chair of Gender Studies Lori Baralt spoke in front of the crowd advocating for CSU administration to stand up to federal interference and protect educational autonomy.
“We want to call on the chancellor and the whole CSU and say we are not making deals with the federal government,” Baralt said. “This is our university, not the chancellor’s university, not Trump university.”
Trump signed an executive order in March that started the dismantling of the Department of Education (DOE). Since then, 1,300 employees from the DOE have been laid off; most of those were union members.
James Sazo, a CSULB alumnus and executive director of Long Beach Forward, expressed the importance of alumni involvement in advocating for change and to show his support for the current students and faculty.
Sazo graduated in 2013 and reflected on how the university shaped his worldview, particularly during the Great Recession.
“When I came here as a student, this was at the height of the Great Recession, and so we were on the front lines of all of the tuition hikes,” Sazo said.
For Sazo, the privatization – meaning the university is relying more on the public sector for resources – of education continues to be a pressing issue, even after graduating over 10 years ago.
Sazo also expressed his concern about the corporatization of higher education. He is hopeful that the new generation of students, many of whom are organizing and taking action, will continue to fight for a more just educational system.
“If we’re not investing in education at all levels, including higher education, then we’re not going to be able to address the pressing issues in society,” Sazo said.
During a recent demonstration, CFA Long Beach President Claire Garrido-Ortega emphasized the importance of unity, free expression and culture on campus.
“We define the terms of our solidarity,” Garrido-Ortega said. “Not just for our campus culture, where students, staff, faculty have the right to speak, act and be heard.”
