The gateway to education is closing for many community college students, due to budget cuts and higher tuition. To demonstrate how fundamental open access is for community colleges, the Cuesta Art Department is participating in the statewide "Missing Community College Student" art installation project.

According to the Board of Governors (BOG) of the California Community Colleges, a recent study showed that approximately 175,000 community college students had been denied access to classes during fall 2003. To demonstrate this loss, the art department created multiple fiberglass "missing students" from two molds – one male and one female. The "missing students" were displayed on-campus and will be sent to Sacramento the week of March 15. They will installed on the Capitol lawn or on the median strip down Capitol Mall to coincide with the "March in March" rally.