The annual student March in March protest has historically been a melting pot for educational advocates to raise their voices to the powers that be in California while drawing attention to adversity affecting the state community colleges and universities. However, this year attendance was at an embarrassing low number. With the passing age of such high profile legislation, Proposition 30 and the Dream Act, this has been a slow year for educational reform.

This poor turnout is a reflection of the declining interest among students, faculty and staff in the current state of education in California. The posters, signs, debates, and forums that were rampant on campuses have dwindled, and this lack of informing the Los Medanos College population, as well student disinterest indicates dangerous times ahead for LMC. The world of the student is in close relationship with the world of those who teach at and manage educational institutions. For schools in California to get better, ease future budget cuts, and offer quality education for future generations, everyone – students and educators alike – must promote events like March in March.

A majority of students attend LMC for two to three years before gaining their certificates, associate degrees, or transferring to other institutions. That gives educators at LMC the opportunity to nurture a new group of students to get involved in educational advocacy and learn how to utilize their voices to make positive changes to the California educational system. In turn, it is the students’ responsibility to take the resources provided and put them to good use.

LMC students need to learn how to make powerful speeches to really make a difference and deliver them at March in March and students also need to know how to properly write and use language, and send letters to your state representatives. If teachers don’t fulfill their responsibilities to teach and inform their students that their voices matter, students can’t fulfill their responsibility to preserve education for their children, or their children’s children, and powerful protests like March in March will continue to see dwindling numbers until it eventually fades into the history books.