On election night, things weren’t looking good for
California Proposition 30, the temporary sales tax increase to prevent further
public higher-education cuts. Sometime around 11:30 p.m. the numbers shifted in its
favor and ultimately Prop. 30 prevailed. 

Three weeks before the election when the measure was
slipping behind in polls, City College’s graphic design department took matters
into their own hands. They created voteyeson30.com, a website with
student-designed posters in support of Prop. 30.

When Candice López, AIGA Fellow and City College
graphic design professor, told her students about the proposition they
immediately wanted to do something to help it pass.

Student Ariel Freaner created the website almost
overnight, and students began submitting posters that emphasize the importance
of protecting public higher-education from further budget cuts.

“People just started printing out the posters and
putting them up. The leader of the American Federation of Teachers, Jim Mahler,
sent an email out to faculty telling them about this, and then I just started
seeing them around,” said López, “We created them because we thought that that
would be a way for people to get the graphics they needed.” 

López credits the website’s popularity to
Mahler’s support as well as Facebook, which she believes is an effective way of
generating student interest. 

Rick Wagner, a graphic design student and visual
communications major, is one of 26 students who created an image for the
website. He said that even though his education wasn’t at risk since he will be
graduating soon, he felt compelled to participate because he wanted there to be
classes for future students. He even wrote an email to the education reporter
at the U-T, but received no response, which he found disappointing.

“Its amazing and wonderful that voters in
California realized how important this is, that it plays into being able to
have new businesses start and people build things in the future,” Wagner said.

Rafael Jiménez,
graphic design student, contributed his poster because for him, Prop. 30 was
personal. He had learned about the weight of Prop. 30 from his brother’s
girlfriend, a local teacher, and was concerned about the future of her career
as well as his own pursuit of a degree.

Now that Prop. 30
has passed, Jiménez feels
relieved.

“I’m
stoked,” he said, “I can actually look forward to next semester without
worrying about losing my classes or whether I’ll see some of my professors
again.”

Graphic
design student Zane Hunker had a very humble view of his own poster
contribution. He said he took the time to participate because he believes we
have to invest in our future.