photo credit: Sonoma State University
Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park

Starting Monday, SSU students say they will be demonstrating against budget cuts and what they say is a lack of transparency from the administration.

Josue Benjamin Chávez Villegas is an intern with the Students for Quality Education organization.

"Students are super frustrated, confused, and exhausted of the current administration's process to, quote unquote, balance a budget when we, quote unquote, like don't have money,” said Chávez Villegas.

He says students have many concerns.

"We're concerned about the cuts to academic programs, the full cut of athletics and the lack of intentional and transparent public process that the administration has been lacking and engaging with us, with proposing these budget cuts,” Chávez Villegas said.

Chávez Villegas says students are planning a sit-in at SSU next week. He says the Students for Quality Education organization is working with the California Faculty Association to organize the protests.

"SQE works with the California Faculty Association, we're funded by them,” said Chávez Villegas. “It's an organizing internship. We are partnered with CFA and we work amongst the executive boards at each campus across the CSU."

Students are calling for a more transparent and student-centered approach to budgeting at Sonoma State University.

"Students, faculty, you know, we're, we're not backing down,” Chávez Villegas said. “We're really serious about making real change and putting on that pressure because it's just unacceptable. We attend the people's university system and yet it's behaving in a way where it doesn't center students, people, and faculty. It's just embarrassing."

Across the state, CSU students and faculty are planning the week of action to protest what they say is financial mismanagement, targeted crackdowns on student activists, and threats to academic freedom and diversity initiatives.