Assemblymember John Laird remembers well his first visit from a delegation of UC alumni during the university's annual advocacy day in Sacramento.
Laird, D-Santa Cruz, knew exactly what the alumni lobbyists were going to tell him since he'd delivered the same message many times himself.
"I was on the alumni lobby team for 20 years before I was elected to the Legislature," said Laird, a 1972 UC Santa Cruz graduate, who along with Sen. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, has been named 2008 Alumni Associations of the University of California Legislators of the Year.
On his annual pilgrimage to Sacramento before being elected to the Assembly in 2002, Laird enthusiastically told lawmakers the difference a UC education made in his life, the importance of keeping such a life-changing education accessible and affordable and the need to support UC's mission of discovery and innovation.
Laird expects to hear these same messages from this year's crop of alumni advocates, and he'll give some honest advice to his visitors.
"I'm going to tell them I can't consider UC issues in a silo this year," Laird said. "They're going to have to join with advocates in health care, K-12 education and parks. We need to form a coalition. This budget as proposed does not reflect the California we want to see over the next generation."
Speaking up. The budget Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed would slice $417 million from the budget the Regents requested. Given that bleak funding outlook, the 300 alumni and friends who will partake in UC Day on March 4, still can make a difference, organizers say.
"It's very important that we have a day in Sacramento when we show the UC colors," said Donna Blitzer, UC Santa Cruz director of community and government relations. Between 20 and 30 alumni from her campus will attend the daylong event.
"UC is a critical part of California's future," said Blitzer. "An investment in UC is an investment in the state. We hope the legislators will consider the return on their investment."
Green scene. To emphasize the impact the university has on the state, nation and the globe, UC Day will feature a display of UC's cutting edge climate change and alternative energy research. With a slogan of "UC goes green," dozens of research projects will be showcased in a tent on the Capitol lawn.
In addition to the visits with legislators from their home districts, alumni will attend a reception to honor Legislators of the Year awardees Laird and Scott.
Students united. Legislators will get a healthy dose of UC advocacy that week. The University of California Students Association will hold its annual Student Lobby Conference March 1 to 3. More than 340 students are expected to descend on Sacramento. Students will visit with every lawmaker who will take their appointments.
The conference begins with workshops that teach students how to lobby their legislators.
"A lot of people think lobbying is intimidating, especially young students" said Courtney Weaver, legislative director for the student association and a 2006 UC Santa Barbara alumna. "We'll teach them it's not such a scary process. They have the right to go in and fight for their cause."
Still hopeful. The escalating state budget deficit hasn't dampened student optimism.
"Although we are facing a $14.5 dollar budget deficit, there is no slowdown in student activism for higher education issues," said UC Berkeley political science major Maximillian Reyes. "In fact, it has been only making us do more organizing. We know it's going to be an uphill battle to keep the UC a truly public institution, but I believe that students across the state are doing an excellent job of making the public aware about the crisis college students are in and what negative consequences will occur if this trend in fee increases continues."
Learning the ropes. Melissa Atkins, the UC Irvine student legislative liaison, will be attending her first UC Student Lobby Day, but she has been involved in student government since high school. At UC Irvine she teaches a one-unit class in lobbying. Her campus student association is sending 52 students to the three-day event where they will have more instruction in the art of advocacy and lobbying, skills they can carry back to their campuses and communities. Although Atkins will graduate this year, she said she wants to do something to benefit future UC students.
"Our main goal is to insure access and affordability for UC and higher education in general," said Atkins.
The student groups will be asking legislators to freeze fees, Atkins said, but if that isn't possible, they want lawmakers to minimize budget cut impacts by maintaining funding for financial aid, student mental health services, graduate student support and academic preparation.
UC San Francisco pharmacy student Aprille Espinueva points out that the suggested 7 to 10 percent increase in students fees would come on the heels of a 19 percent professional schools fee increase approved in 2007.
"Our goal this year is to protect current and future UC students by getting the legislature to freeze fees and fund enrollment growth for 2008-2009," said Espinueva, who will be one of six UCSF pharmacy and medical doctoral students traveling to Sacramento. "We hope to gain the attention of the current legislators and let them know that we have the strong support of many students across the state who are concerned about their education."
At UC Merced, students share the additional concerns of maintaining support for the UC's newest campus.
"At UC Merced the general socioeconomic status of students is low," said Danielle Traphagen, a junior majoring in political science and literature. "As one main intent of establishing a University of California in the Central Valley was to make a positive impact on the region, the students find it essential to continue support to Merced until it is self-sustaining."
The students want to work collaboratively with their legislators, she said, to preserve state support for public education.
Donna Hemmila is editor of Our University.