A funeral was held today for the arts and sports departments at Malcolm X Plaza during the noon hour.

In the middle of a speech by David Abella, vice president of external affairs, about 20 students walked a procession from the Creative Arts building to the plaza. A coffin stayed in the middle of the plaza while students held up headstones reading “R.I.P dance” and “R.I.P. education.”

The demonstration was part of the first of two rallies against the referendums, which could increase fees $138 a semester if the requests of Academic Affairs, athletics, the Career Center and Student Health Services are granted. The second rally will be March 3 -- same time, same place.

Club members, student government and students took turns at the microphone and voiced opinion about the referendums voted on today and March 3. Free black T-shirts with the word “endangered” on the front and "Save the CSU" on the back were given away.

Mike Abts and Asher Lyons, theater arts majors, gave eulogies to arts and athletics.

“Today is a sad day,” Lyons told the crowd. “Dance has been here since the beginning. Dance is ancient. How do you take away something ancient? What are we saying about humanity when we are eliminating things that are ancient and true to our souls?”

Lyons led a rally last week for the dance department, which according to protesters will be cut despite a fee increase.

Later in the hour another student sang a personalized rendition of “Amazing Grace” which turned into “Amazing State.”

Some students were dissatisfied with both options of the referendums.

“If you vote yes or no, you will be affected,” said Ernesto Cuahtemoc, an ethnic studies major. “The budget crisis should not be a student problem.”

Some students think they should not have to vote yes for a program that they do not use, such as athletics. But some athletes note they do more than play.

“Half the sports teams will be cut,” said Stephanie Pierini, 21, a kinesiology major. Pierini and fellow softball teammate, Danielle Russo, stood in the middle of the plaza and handed informational flyers about sports before the rally. “For softball, we put back into the community. We have food drives and read to kids.”

Poll workers in the student center, outside the business and HSS building said about more than 60 students voted within the first hours of open polls.

Natalie Batista, ASI president, said she was pleased to hear it sounded like more students started to vote than in the last ASI election, where about 2,000 students total voted.

“This is guaranteed to get people to vote,” Batista said, referring to six campus polling places instead of the one polling table inside the student center. “I am pleased many people are voting. People do care.”

During the rally, Bastista asked the crowd to sing along to a mock version of a Bob Seger tune. “Give me the fees boy, and list them out / I wanna tell state what I’m all about / Vote today / Vote today,” Batista and crowd members sang.

“I’m glad they’re having us vote,” said Jessica Braun, 25, psychology major. Braun voted yes for the academic instructional fee and career center. “What’s the point of paying less and not getting classes?” she said. “The job market is bad, and we need all the help we can get.”