CSULA STUDENTS ORGANIZE RALLY TO COUNTER LOSS OF REPRESENTATION IN DISCUSSIONS TO CONVERT UNIVERSITY INTO A SEMESTER SYSTEM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 16, 2009
Event: CSULA Student Rally
Contact Person: Carlos Lopez-Jimenez
Company Name: California State University, Los Angeles
Telephone Number: (310) 384-7254
Email Address: clopezj@calstatela.edu
Web site address: www.csulaleadership.webs.c

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CSULA STUDENTS ORGANIZE RALLY TO COUNTER LOSS OF REPRESENTATION IN DISCUSSIONS TO CONVERT UNIVERSITY INTO A SEMESTER SYSTEM

Los Angeles, CA, Monday, February 16, 2009 — On Wednesday, February 18, 2009, students of California State University, Los Angeles, will congregate on the campus’ main walkway at 12 noon to protest the proposed university conversion to a semester system from its traditional quarter system.

This rally is a student-organized response to the series of discussions that have taken on the CSULA campus where the majority sentiment of the student community has been voiced as being against the conversion; however, on January 13, 2008 the university’s Academic Senate announced the final results of the advisory vote to the President on whether or not to proceed with the preliminary planning of a possible conversion to a semester system. The Senate voted in an overwhelming 30-17 in favor of proceeding with the said planning. The Academic Senate is the official representative body of University faculty which speaks on its behalf on matters within its purview, such as policy on curricula, promotion, retention and tenure matters, and other matters that affect faculty.

Estimates for the costs of such a conversion have ranged from anywhere from $ 1 million to an alarming $18.3 million based on comparisons of other universities that have undergone similar conversions.

In an official statement issued by the Associated Students Inc., the student government on the campus, stated that no decision has been made yet on whether the conversion will occur.

"… this is still up to the president of the University to decide" the statement said

With recent budget cuts and fee increases that have drastically affected the quality and accessibility of higher education in California, students are expressing concern over the possible costs of the conversion. The planned demonstration intends to meet outside the office of CSULA President James M. Rosser on the afternoon to collectively express their concerns and frustrations with the lack of student representation in the University’s policy making process and with the proposed conversion.