‘‘We as students, faculty, and staff should be more of a priority in the state because education drives the community, our resources as a state, our hopes for a future, allows us to progress globally, and it should be available to whomever may so chose in California,’’ said Andie Morhous, President of Ohlone’s Civic Engagement Club. An excellent way to get involved in your immediate environment would be to contribute your time and brain to something you interact with daily, school perhaps? The easiest way to contribute to the vitality of your campus is by joining Ohlone’s Civic Engagement Club. The club puts forth efforts to bring much-needed funding to the California community college system. The cuts that I had touched on in the previous column were due to the budget deficit that our school is facing, these cuts are a means of patching up the fiscal gap. However, the Civic Engagement club spearheaded by Morhous is going beyond Ohlone’s problems and is conducting events to bring home the money; well, bring the ‘‘neighborhood’’ money. According to Morhous, an across-the-board cut by California’s State legislature has taken money from kindergarten through Ph.D level educational institutions, this is what I refer to as the ‘‘neighborhood.’’ Her vision for the Civic Engagement Club is to stand up for schools who are not in as good of a financial condition as Ohlone is, though it may seem implausible to us. Inspired by former Ohlone Professor Matt Freeman’s U.S. Government class, Morhous started working for the Obama campaign. Morhous said,‘‘Community organizing is the best because people don’t really feel like volunteering unless they feel connected.’’ Ohlone is something that we are all connected to. Thus, we should all take a stand.
The best way to do so is to participate in the Civic Engagement Club’s March in March, which will be held on March 22 in Sacramento. The Civic Engagement Club has organized transportation for 500 people to the March in Sacramento and is planning on providing snacks to the attendees. The club is working on asking staff to make March 22 a ‘‘lenient day,’’ so attendees of the march will not miss out on vital information. The buses will be leaving Ohlone around 7 a.m. and returning at 5 p.m. In order to secure transportation you must sign up at www.theasoc.com/march.
By Nazia Mastan
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