Investing in the Future of California

In 2005, CSSA joined the CSU Board of Trustee to co-sponsor legislation that would ease age restrictions in the state financial aid program known as Cal Grants. Specifically, the bill would help more students transferring from community colleges to four-year universities become eligible to receive financial aid. The average age of a community college student is 27, yet the age cap was 24 years old. CSSA worked with Assembly Member Hector De La Torre (D-Southgate) to introduce legislation that would raise the age cap for the Community College Transfer Entitlement Award to 28 years old. To support the bill, students wrote letters; organized press events in Sacramento, Fresno and Los Angeles; submitted letters to the editor; testified in the state legislature; and met with elected officials to ask for support of AB 2813. Students celebrated a tremendous victory when the governor signed the bill in September 2006. The student-led campaign to reform the Cal Grant program is a tremendous illustration of the power students have in the fight for affordable, accessible public higher education. The impact that the student leaders from 2005 had will provide millions of dollars of financial aid for future students, benefiting individuals and building the future of California.

For the last decade, CSSA has produced the premiere student legislative and leadership conference for California State University students. The California Higher Education Student Summit (CHESS) is a catalyst for new students who are just getting involved in student government and an opportunity for experienced leaders to present workshops, plan the event and be recognized by their peers. CHESS annually draws between 200-300 student leaders who attend over 20 workshops, hear from inspiring keynote speakers, learn how to lobby and have the opportunity to immediately apply their new skills by lobbying their state legislators during CSU Student Day at the state capitol. Students had a chance to exhibit their campus pride in the Campus Display competition. Students could also become Certified Student Leaders by completing a series of workshops. The CHESS Conference continues its success and grows stronger every year with the generous support of CSSA Alumni, university presidents and other organizations and individuals that understand the value of investing in the future of California.

The Master Plan for Higher Education, adopted in 1960, established the California State University colleges as the universities that would be accessible to the local communities in the state of California. CSSA identified that the cornerstone of the CSU's mission to access is in danger due to under-enrollment at some campuses, impaction at other CSU campuses and lack of funding overall. Therefore, a resolution was adopted to establish a working and collaborative relationship between campus outreach offices and Associated Student Incorporated, while designating Associated Student Incorporated as the official voice of students on each CSU campus. Work will center on outreach to the local communities to increase the amount of awareness about CSU local admission requirements and increase the enrollment of under-enrolled campuses. This work will assist in continuing CSU diversity and access to future high school and transfer students. The importance of this initiative is in casting a wider net of recruitment and having the student leaders that attend each university use their skills and talents to help draw in the students that will produce the future of California.