SMC Students Lend a Hand to 'Hands Across California'

On Sunday afternoon, supporters took part in "Hands Across California," an effort to raise awareness and funds for student scholarships amid severe budget cuts impacting community colleges statewide. The event was organized by the Foundation for California Community Colleges.

From about 1:50 to 2:10 p.m., SMC students, administrators and other supporters formed a human chain that stretched for about two blocks in front of the campus. Other chains were anticipated throughout Los Angeles, as well as in San Diego, the Inland Empire, the Central Valley, Sacramento, San Francisco and Orange County.

Mayor and Board of Trustees Member were among the roughly 60 participants who joined hands in front of SMC. Coordinators said there may have been additional participants at the .

"Once I heard about this, I was really excited about a chance to get my students involved in helping promote the word about community colleges and raise money for scholarships," SMC Professor Rosalyn Kahn told Santa Monica Patch. "I know the future is not looking bright with higher tuition and less availability. Here's a way to help out."

The turnout in Santa Monica was lower than expected. The chain had been expected to run along Pico Blvd. from Ocean Ave. to 20th, and south on 20th via a route that was supposed to connect SMC to West Los Angeles College in Culver City.

Throughout Los Angeles, celebrities and elected officials had committed to participate at various locations. , Quincy Jones, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Mark Harmon and George Lopez were among the high-profile individuals who had committed.

"Hands Across California," which organizers had said would involve about 1 million people and represent nearly all of the state's 112 community colleges, fell a month before the 25th anniversary of "Hands Across America." That human chain, which involved about 6.5 million people, stretched for thousands of miles across the continental United States and raised awareness about poverty.

"Hands Across California" was also designed to raise funds for the California Community Colleges Scholarship Endowment, which would in turn provide scholarships to students at SMC and other community colleges in the state. "Hands Across California" organizers hoped to raise $100 million for scholarships that would help 5,000 or more students.

SMC participants held signs requesting that donations be made through FirstGiving.com, or by contributing $10 by texting "HANDS" to 27722.

The Bernard Osher Foundation, which supports higher education and the arts, committed to a 50-percent match of all donations. The CCCSE was created three years ago through a $25 million gift from the foundation, which has promised an additional $25 million grant if California community colleges raise twice that much for the endowment by June.

Stephen Olsen, an SMC student, received $1,000 through the foundation's Osher Scholars Endowment Fund scholarship after achieving a 4.0 grade point average.

"My scholarship paid for all of my text books for the year and then some," he told Santa Monica Patch on Sunday afternoon. "[The scholarship] inspires me to make something of myself and donate at least as much back into the pool of students who need these scholarships."

[Read more about Olsen's story, and how SMC has "humbled" him, right here.]

Corporate partners for “Hands Across California” included AT&T, Clear Channel, Southern California Edison, UPS and Yahoo!

Last month, SMC students also voiced their opposition to the incoming budget cuts by taking place in the "March in March" in Sacramento. In Gov. Jerry Brown's , funding for community colleges would be cut by 5 percent, and community-college classes would cost $36 per unit instead of $26. SMC's Associated Students—the college's student government—said a worst-case scenario would see the figure rise to $66 per unit. The group also said SMC's winter session might be eliminated and the summer session could be reduced by one-third.

In with Santa Monica Patch, SMC President Dr. Chui Tsang said the school is facing an $11 million deficit in 2011-12. The school plans to freeze all current salaries and reduce course offerings, among other measures.

California community colleges serve almost 3 million students annually and comprise the country's biggest system of higher education.