Welch hopes to gather 100 hand-written letters from De Anza students before next Monday, discussing the personal impact of community college budget cuts on their lives. The top three will each get $200 from privately raised funds by a group of five faculty and staff members in the district.

The campaign has netted eight known letters so far, all written by members of De Anza clubs. 'I think people don"t want to write hand-written letters because they can be intimidating,' said Welch. 'Honestly, I think given the state of democracy in America, people are skeptical about why the government would listen to them.'

Hand-written letters carry more weight and are more effective than signed form letters, said Welch. Sending Schwarzenegger a hand-written letter guarantees that someone in his office will open it and read it, he said.

Many of the letters received lauded the value of community college, while others addressed tough financial struggles following De Anza"s increased tuition this quarter. 'I am in school for education and a better life in the future,' wrote student Chun Wai Hung. 'I wake up at 7 a.m. for the first class and get home after 10 p.m. at night. Please don't make my life harder than what it already is.'

Welch expects students from the Automotive Technology program, Child Development Center and Extended Opportunity Program & Services to write letters. Those programs could be cut from the budget next year, Welch said.

The California Association of Community Colleges approached Welch earlier this month with the letter-writing idea. Their goal is for every California community college to send 100 hand-written letters to the governor"s office before a planned protest March 15. With the deadline for sending in letters one week away, Welch implored more students to get involved and send letters.