Fee increases to offset budget cuts would constrict UC enrollment

The storm of the state’s budget crisis is looming over students’ heads.

In January, Gov. Schwarzenegger released a devastating budget proposal that balanced the state budget deficit of more than $14 billion on the backs of students. The governor proposed increasing undergraduate fees by at least 7.4 percent and graduate fees by 19 percent.

In addition to continuing the fee hikes, he proposed cutting $331.9 million from the budget of the University of California, which could lead to halting enrollment for the UC. Both increasing fees and halting enrollment are bad choices for California’s future.

Students cannot continue to stomach more fee increases.

Since 2001, undergraduate fees have skyrocketed by more than 94 percent, graduate fees by 106 percent and some professional student fees by 160 percent.

When considering the total cost of attendance (including housing, books, etc.), UCs are the most expensive among peer universities.

Each year, more students refrain from applying to the UC because the university costs too much, while current students pile on more hours at work and more loan debt to continue to finance their educations.

In addition to the fee hikes, the governor’s budget could force the UC to halt enrollment growth for next year’s students. This year’s graduating class is the largest California has ever seen. If the UC doesn’t increase the size of its incoming freshman class, thousands of students who were eligible to attend the UC will be turned away.

The California Master Plan promises to allow all eligible students the opportunity to attend a UC, and California needs to keep that promise.

As a first-generation college student who is drastically affected by the ever-increasing cost of attending this university, I understand how detrimental fee increases can be for students who already struggle to pay for their time at UCLA. Fee increases will only impede access for future generations of low-income college students who may be qualified to attend the UC but, because of the cost, may be forced to attend a less prestigious university.

This week the USAC External Vice President’s Office and students state-wide in the UC Student Association will be collecting postcards to send to budget subcommittee chairs Assemblymember Julia Brownley and Senator Jack Scott during budget hearings.

On March 3, we’ll take our protest to the state capitol for the UCSA Student Lobby Day. The state of California needs an accessible and affordable UC system to thrive. Students need the state to freeze fees and to fund enrollment growth for the 2008-2009 school year.