Actor Danny Glover supporting SFSU students protesting cuts to ethnic studies

Lyanne Melendez Image
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
SFSUstudents continue hunger strike to protest cuts to ethnic studies
Four students at San Francisco State University are also on hunger strike demanding more resources for the college of ethnic studies.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Four students at San Francisco State University are also on hunger strike demanding more resources for the college of ethnic studies.

On Monday, a few politicians and actor and political activist Danny Glover came to show his support for the four SFSU students who have been on a hunger strike since May 2nd.

Glover was a student protester in 1968 during a five-month long strike, which eventually led to the establishment of the College of Ethnic Studies - the first in the nation.

RELATED: Students protest possible tuition hikes at California State University campuses

"Business will not be done as usual, Business will not be done as usual. We will shut the campus down, get our demands. That's what we have to do," said Glover

The students have a number of demands, but the one that stands out is their request for more funding. They have the faculty's support.

"Wanting more and not having the money as well as underfunded. We are the smallest college at S.F. State University," said Grace Yoo, the Chair of the Asian-American Studies.

Ethnic studies has an annual operational budget of $3.6 million, but in the past, it has received additional funding from different sources to add more classes and professors. The students want the university to increase its budget to $8 million.

READ MORE: New CA state budget may force UC system to raise tuition

"We expect these negotiations to begin May 9 at 8 a.m. and conclude by Wednesday, May 11 at 11 a.m. or our tactics will escalate," said student protester Ahkeel Mestayer.

S.F. State president says he will meet with the students to discuss the funding issue but hinted that raising the college's budget is nearly impossible.

"I would hope Daddy Warbucks would fall out of the sky and offer us a huge gift, but life in the CSU system in California, I think is a series of intelligent compromises," said Leslie Wong, SFSU President.

It's not clear when both sides will sit down to begin the difficult task of compromising.