Good morning everyone,

I come to you all with great urgency. As you all may have heard, there is an economic crisis at both the national and state levels. This economic recession has greatly affected students so severely that many of our fellow classmates here at UCLA are currently struggling to find a way to finance their education and to make ends meet for their basic necessities. Because this recession has led to various budget cuts in various sectors of life, our economy is failing to provide an adequate amount of jobs that will help thousands of people sustain themselves and their families. I personally have learned to my dismay that this recession has impacted some of our very own kababayan, our fellow Filipino classmates, so much that they have become homeless or pressured to leave school for more affordable academic pursuits.

This financial crisis is real and threatens our community's ability to access and successfully complete higher education at reputable 4-yr universities like UCLA.

Do you (or anyone you know) receive Cal-Grants and rely on this free money to fund your education?
If so, this financial crisis will greatly affect you and those you care about because there has been a cut in Cal-Grants A and B for the upcoming school year. In fact, IOU's will be issued to you instead of your Cal-Grant next year (an IOU which may or may NOT even be repaid). If you, your friends, or family can no longer reap the benefits of a Cal-Grant, how will that affect your ability to go to college?

Were you part of the top 12% of your class who was guaranteed admittance to a UC?
If so, the current financial crisis may jeopardize the future admittance of the top 12% of the incoming class next year because the UC Regents (the governing body of the UCs) have decided to SLASH enrollment across ALL UCs by 2,300 students.

Also, all CSU's will encounter a cut of 10,000 students.

It is an abomination that more that 12,300 students who would usually be eligible for access to higher education will no longer be guaranteed this right. Also, the cut in state financial aid such as Cal-Grants will greatly affect many students' ability to afford higher education. This may force many ambitious and talented individuals to go to great lengths to support their education, lengths that may also be at the expense of their academic performance. Although many of us have come to college to help fulfill our families' American Dream, the effects of this financial crisis may have turned our college education into a Dream Deferred.

As students, we have great power to change the power structures that have created these conditions for our communities. Because we fund our education through taxes and tuition, we have a right to hold our elected officials and university administration accountable to serving the needs of OUR UNIVERSITY. With that said, please join Samahang Pilipino in a rally to speak out against these measures and to hear the voices and stories of our fellow classmates. We will meet promptly at Meyerhoff Park (near the Kerckhoff steps) at 12 noon TODAY (February 12, 2009).

One Family,
Emily Bautista
Samahang Pilipino President