CSULB students speak out against speech-regulating policy, rising tuition costs
During its weekly meetings, Students for Quality Education work to spread its message and teach other students about where their tuition money is going.
Last week, 10 students at Cal State Long Beach met to express concern over a new policy concerning on-campus protest guidelines and their contention that the Board of Trustees is not accurately depicting the needs of the California State University system.
During the Sept. 18 meeting, the students, who were part of the organization Students for Quality Education, said they are not pleased with the further restrictions of the administration’s Time, Place and Manner policy, saying it encroaches on students' right to free speech.
“The Time, Place and Manner Policy is upsetting, it’s discouraging,” said SQE member Alyssa Davis. “That’s not to say that we’re going to accept it, we won’t stay silent. We’re going to fight against it, whether it’s through SQE meetings or through the Cal State Long Beach Divest Coalition. We’re going to find a way around this, we’re not just going to let it happen.”
Many students involved with SQE are also part of the Students for Justice in Palestine, a group that has held multiple protests on campus in order to bring attention to university partners like defense contractor Boeing that have vested interests in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
“These rules are strictly used for their bias to consider what is free speech and what isn’t based solely on what issues we’re advocating for,” SQE member Luis Ortiz said. “It is clearly targeted towards students that support Palestinian liberation. It is clearly targeted towards students who want to see that tuition dollars do not go to a genocide.”
CSULB officials have been adamant that the policy is neutral and not in response to any one group. Five professors, however, have already made claims that they are being targeted with the policy after their participation in pro-Palestine rallies.
SQE also advocated for a Board of Trustees that is more reflective of the CSU system. Because the majority of members have a background in law, television or real estate, as opposed to education, the SQE said it cannot adequately address the needs of students. The SQE also wants more student representation on the board, as there are currently only two student trustees out of 20 members.
In talking about the Board of Trustees, some students voiced their concerns about the recent tuition hike.
“SQE wants to see a CSU that is built for all students, accessible to all students,” said Ortiz. “We want to make sure that we are investing in the people that come here; that they have great resources, great mental health resources and not go into debt.”
“But when they pay thousands of dollars for tuition or hundreds of dollars for parking and attend classes full-time, they can’t work, and when they do work, their grades suffer.”
The student organization participated in a walkout on Feb. 28 against the tuition hikes.
Members of SQE wanted more resources provided to students on campus instead of increasing the salaries of the CSU presidents and the chancellor. In 2024, the salaries for CSULB President Jane Close Conoley and CSU Chancellor Mildred García were $498,296 and $795,000 (with $80,000 in deferred compensation), respectively
Conoley's 2024 salary marks a nearly 4% year-over-year increase, while García received a 27% bump from her predecessor. Conoley's housing is also provided by the university and García receives a $96,000 housing stipend.
Grades were not the only concern, as students said a 6% increase in tuition each year until 2029 would make education inaccessible entirely for some students.
“We want to make sure that current students and future generations are able to get an education and make sure that it’s accessible to everybody because education is a right,” said a member of SQE who asked to be referred to only as Stella. “Tuition hikes reduce access to things like that, they make it so that current students can no longer afford to continue their education and get their degree. We’re fighting against things like that.”
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