For many high school students, the University of California (UC) system offers the perfect option for higher education. The UC system’s appeal, aside from the sunny California weather, lies in the competitive education it offers for in−state tuition fees at a fraction of the cost of a private university for California locals. In light of the recent economic crisis, however, the ability of the UC system to continue to offer financially appealing education is uncertain.
In November, University of California’s Board of Regents voted to raise tuition by 32 percent in response to a $637 million cut in state funding, resulting in a series of protests that are still ongoing months after the cuts took effect.
While the hike of student fees has been at the epicenter of student protests, other serious measures have been taken to cut costs. This past summer, 2,000 UC staff and faculty members were laid off. The rest of the staff and faculty are required to take furlough days — or short, unpaid leaves of absence. This has resulted in pay cuts of up to 10 percent, according to a press release issued last July by the Office of the President of the University of California. Class sizes are expected to increase as a result of the layoffs, and programs and classes are being cut.
“Mostly liberal arts related majors have been hit, like philosophy majors,” Jihan Batuman, a sophomore at UC Davis, said. “Those are the ones that are being cut the most.”
According to Batuman, the tuition increase has had a palpable effect on the UC campuses. “A friend of mine’s boyfriend couldn’t come back due to the fee increase; he couldn’t afford to be here anymore,” he said. “We all had to spend more money. Some students had to get jobs … Almost everybody knows someone who is being affected by this.”
These changes have been met by protests at the various campuses. UC Berkeley, known for its history of activism — most notably the Free Speech Movement in 1964 and 1965, a response to the university restricting on−campus political activities — has been bustling with student outrage.
