Student Association Takes Yudof's Offer to March on Capitol - Daily Nexus:
"There is an old adage that says, “If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.” The Regents and the state legislature have been following this model for years, but reacting to budget cuts by raising fees has only brought more budget cuts. These fee increases have only been met with more state budget cuts and cannot be a solution for the problem of accelerated state divestment from higher education. Higher education is in a crisis, and if we keep trying old solutions we’ll stay stuck in this crisis with the same old problems."
In the last 20 years, the state has cut funding in half for the UC. In the last 10 years, the UC Regents have doubled student fees. Currently, we are facing a 30 percent fee increase that would put fee levels above $10,000. This will bar low- and middle-income students from the UC system from affording or even applying to the UC. The state has broken its promise to fund enrollment growth of 2.5 percent for the UC; it’s already overenrolled by 14,000 students. The state and the UC have abandoned the Master Plan and its commitment to provide a space for the top 12 percent of California’s graduating seniors.
To address the nearly $1 billion state divestment from higher education, the UC reduced faculty and staff salaries by implementing a furlough program. However, in the last decade, we have seen the number of administrators in the UC and their collective salaries double. We are seeing a serious lack of vision and priorities from UC officials and the state legislature.
"There is an old adage that says, “If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.” The Regents and the state legislature have been following this model for years, but reacting to budget cuts by raising fees has only brought more budget cuts. These fee increases have only been met with more state budget cuts and cannot be a solution for the problem of accelerated state divestment from higher education. Higher education is in a crisis, and if we keep trying old solutions we’ll stay stuck in this crisis with the same old problems."
In the last 20 years, the state has cut funding in half for the UC. In the last 10 years, the UC Regents have doubled student fees. Currently, we are facing a 30 percent fee increase that would put fee levels above $10,000. This will bar low- and middle-income students from the UC system from affording or even applying to the UC. The state has broken its promise to fund enrollment growth of 2.5 percent for the UC; it’s already overenrolled by 14,000 students. The state and the UC have abandoned the Master Plan and its commitment to provide a space for the top 12 percent of California’s graduating seniors.
To address the nearly $1 billion state divestment from higher education, the UC reduced faculty and staff salaries by implementing a furlough program. However, in the last decade, we have seen the number of administrators in the UC and their collective salaries double. We are seeing a serious lack of vision and priorities from UC officials and the state legislature.