ARCATA -- Students from Humboldt State University and its 22 sister campuses are heading to Sacramento this week to urge legislators to keep higher education affordable.

Eleven HSU students are among 270 California State University students who will be attending the California Higher Education Student Summit, an annual conference hosted by the California State Student Association this weekend.

The conference's purpose is to gain leadership skills and training, but it will coincide with a lobbying effort relating to the state budget.

Caitlin Gill, an HSU student who is the internal vice-chairwoman of the statewide association, said students from each campus have meetings set up with their representatives in the Legislature. Not all of the 270 students attending the conference will also participate in the lobbying. Gill is one of three HSU students who will meet with Assemblywoman Patty Berg and state Sen. Wesley Chesbro.

"It's a chance to show students that their voice does matter," Gill said.

The students' main talking points focus on financial aid and outreach.

The Cal Grant program, which provides financial assistance to needy students, has kept pace with CSU fees for the last few years and must continue to do so, states a fact sheet by the statewide association.

More than 60 percent of HSU students are on financial aid, and that aid being cut at a time when fees are increasing will create a great deal of financial stress for many students, Gill said.

She added that 80 percent of CSU students work, 60 percent full-time. Since the budget cuts are forcing campuses to reduce their class sections, it's harder for these students to fit work and school schedules, she said.

The fact sheet also focuses on outreach such as the Educational Opportunity Program, which helps get low-income and first-generation college students into the university. This program is one of several targeted to be slashed in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget.

The students also hope to alert legislators to the high cost of textbooks, which they say is driven in part by publishers' tendency to sell textbooks only in combination with CD-Roms or other expensive materials.

While the budget situation is bleak, Gill said there's been a great deal of interest and energy put into the efforts. She said more than 500 HSU students signed letters to Chesbro, Berg and Schwarzenegger in the association's first day of local lobbying efforts.