Students Faculty Staff United, an SF State-based coalition that organizes against cuts to higher education in California, conducted a SF State General Assembly meeting Feb. 17 to discuss the upcoming day of statewide action for public education.

On March 4, rallies, demonstrations and teach-ins will be held throughout California to unite supporters of public education from pre-kindergarten to the university level.

"We're having this meeting to build and broaden the efforts towards March 4," Queer Association Director Spencer Young, 23, said. "This is just the beginning."

Although SFSUnited is not officially recognized by SF State, it is comprised of students and faculty from a wide range of on-campus organizations who combined their efforts after the Business building was occupied in December 2009.

"The only reason we have SFSUnited is because faculty came out that day and it forged an alliance," SFSUnited member Akasha Perez, 20, said.

"There was a lot of frustration that it happened around finals," she said. "But I think it's important to remember that because of that, it generated buzz and a lot of great partnerships were created."

"(We hope) to have the students' voices be heard by the administration and let them know we care about our education," sophomore Amrit Dhaliwal said. "We deserve quality education at a price we can afford, emphasis on the quality."

SFSUnited distributed a list of SF State-specific demands at the assembly which included ending furloughs, reinstating faculty and staff who have been laid off and creating budget transparency within the university.

"We're trying as a group not to alienate certain proposals," Perez said. "You don't have to be militant, you can be here to organize and take minutes. Not everyone is into the yelling, screaming, locking themselves into the Business building thing."

Those who attended the assembly were asked to break into small groups by college where they developed ideas to promote and support the day of action.

Some of the proposals discussed during the assembly were ultimately put to a vote, including whether students should occupy 19th and Holloway and to begin picketing at 8 a.m. on March 4, both of which passed.

"I'm passionate about working with these people because I'm passionate about education," SF State sophomore Victor Garcia said. "I don't believe schools should be excluding people and making it harder for people to better themselves through education."

SFSUnited will hold general assemblies Feb. 23 and March 3 in the Rosa Parks Conference Center from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.