Click the play button on the video window to the see the storyStudents from Arizona's three state universities held a protest rally Wednesday near the Capitol to protest spending cuts being considered to help erase a state budget shortfall.
University of Arizona student, Rachelle Colavito said to ABC15, "I can barely afford to eat and I really need the money and if I wasn't in school I know I'd probably be homeless."
ASU student Brady Fulton had this to say, "Let us learn and grow up and become the policy makers that learn and are able to implement a better program."
There was no firm crowd estimate for the gathering in and around part of Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, but there appeared to be more than 1,000 students on hand.
And those watching the protests said it was the perfect example of how higher education is working here in the state.
One of those observers, Maesha Brown said to ABC 15, "this is wonderful I love it I'm glad that these students are here to support and keep up with their education."
Several students say they feared that budget cuts would eliminate some classes outright, increase the size of others and result in the firing of faculty members -- all of which makes it harder for students to graduate.
U of A student Geoff Esposito told ABC15, "they would kill our Universities and we can't take it. I'm not saying cuts aren't necessary it's of course a crisis and everybody has to tighten their belts."
The university presidents earlier announced the schools can swallow $100 million of painful budget cuts in an effort to head off deeper reductions proposed by key Republican committee chairmen.
ASU President Michael Crow said this, "these cuts are not minor they are instantaneous they are large scale and they effect everything that we're doing."
But state Treasurer Dean Martin says the cuts are inevitable.
"No one should get an extra share of the cuts but we can't protect just one group because that means everything else gets hit even harder."
But the students say the answer to the state's budget crisis could very well be right there in the crowd.
Students like Colavito, "I want the chance to better myself I want the chance to have social mobility because I think that's the power of America."
As part of an effort to bring as many university students to the rally as possible, student leaders are encouraging professors on campus to either excuse students for the day or offer extra credit to participants.
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