As part of a UC system-wide event called “Terminate the Terminator,” California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides came to speak at UCLA on Tuesday.

Ushered in by the sounds of cheering students and the music of the Black Eyed Peas, a relaxed and smiling Angelides made his way through the Kerckhoff Grand Salon toward a stage set up in front of a crowd of enthusiastic supporters.

While Angelides addressed several issues in his speech, including the environment, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s alleged use of $100 million of special interest money, and California’s health care, he focused mainly on higher education.

After being presented with a UCLA jersey by Bruin Democrats President Gabe Rose, Angelides began his speech by stressing how important the next 28 days are for his campaign.

He encouraged students to be vocal about issues that mattered to them between Tuesday and election day.

“I want you to join me and say we want more opportunities to go to our state colleges and universities,” he said.

Because of high fee rates, Angelides acknowledged higher education is not necessarily financially accessible to all students.

Gregory Cendana, Undergraduate Students Association Council internal vice president, said he strongly agreed. With already $18,000 in student loans and working up to 20 hours a week, Cendana said he struggles to pay for school.

“Affordability affects accessibility, especially for students of color,” said Cendana, a Latino student.

Angelides said he would like to do something about the affordability of a college education.

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If elected, he said he plans to roll back fees to what they were in 2003, which would be an almost $5,000 decrease for students. He also said he is determined to better financial aid by increasing the minimum income at which students can begin receiving financial aid. He said he would also like to replenish funds of higher education outreach programs, especially those targeted at low-income minority students.

Angelides said he believes his opponent, Schwarzenegger, has little vision and has not spoken at length regarding what he will do about the rising cost of higher education in California.

“I’m always on the side of students,” Angelides said.

But Schwarzenegger’s supporters feel otherwise. In statements in response to Angelides’ speech, Amanda Fulkerson, a spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger, said Angelides lacks credibility when discussing increased college fees because he has not been as vocal as some might have hoped.

“When tuition sky-rocketed, Angelides said nothing, did nothing,” Fulkerson said in reference to protests and press conferences by Democratic leaders opposing increased college tuition fees, from which Angelides was noticeably absent in 2003.

Fulkerson added that Schwarzenegger has worked hard to help California students go to college. She said when the Governor took office, he inherited an enormous debt, including tuition fees that had increased by 45 percent under former Gov. Gray Davis. According to Fulkerson, Schwarzenegger worked hard to stop fee hikes at the UC and prevented an eight percent increase that would have occurred this year.

But some UCLA students remain doubtful based on the fees they have been paying in the past few years.

“(Schwarzenegger) told us education is important, but every time the budget gets cut ... higher education gets put on the chopping block. It’s us who are being priced out of schools,” Rose said.

Attending the event as a volunteer with the Angelides campaign, recent UC Santa Barbara alumnus James C. Romero said he believes Angelides is who students have been hoping for.

“I believe in his fight for students,” he said. “Every hardworking student ... deserves to get an education at a world-class university.”