With Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sending young Republicans around
the state in an RV and Phil Angelides using his daughters to
recruit student campaigners and woo voters, both gubernatorial
candidates have begun campaigning to college students.
In the weeks leading up to the Nov. 7 election, students should
be searching for candidates who consider the biggest issues
affecting students today: tuition, financial aid and admissions,
said Bill Schiebler, president of the University of California
Student Association.
Though Schwarzenegger and Angelides are proposing possible
solutions to those issues, they have different ways of approaching
the problems.
Schwarzenegger said he will try to keep tuition at its current
rate and Angelides has promised to roll student fees back to 2002
rates, which could save students up to $5,000 a year.
Angelides also guaranteed he would double the number of
counselors at high schools, increase Cal Grants and admit 20,000
more students to state universities.
But though admitting 20,000 more students to state universities
and saving students $5,000 a year seems like quite a pleasing
proposal, some education experts have said it may be more easily
proposed than accomplished. In an interview last spring, Norton
Grubb, a professor of higher education at UC Berkeley, said coming
up with the money to fund such a large fee increase would be a
difficult task.
Angelides’ proposal has also been criticized for its
intent. In a Los Angeles Times article, Schwarzenegger campaign
spokesman Matt David said it was a “tax increase disguised as
a tax cut” because it would require increased taxes
elsewhere.
Schwarzenegger stopped fee increases this year by using money
from increased state revenues to “buy back” the
increases.
Because of better fiscal policies, Schwarzenegger said in a
statement at the end of August “students no longer have to
carry a heavier burden because of California’s bad spending
habits.”
But the chance the fee freeze will last more than this year
relies on the health of state revenues, said Katherine McLane,
spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger.
“The governor is optimistic that, as our revenues grow and
improve, we can take the burden off of our students,” McLane
said.
Fourth-year sociology major Jamie Lane said she wants to hear
less about candidates’ goals and more about how they will
achieve them.
“I do want to see more about what they are planning to do
after they are elected,” Lane said. “It’s
important for them to explain how they will follow through on their
promises.”
Lane said she is also concerned about the burdens put on the
environment.
“I would like to see a governor that champions
environmental issues, looks for sustainable and alternative energy
sources,” Lane said, who has not decided who to vote for
yet.
Both Angelides and Schwarzenegger have committed to improving
the use of solar and hydrogen energy. Angelides has specifically
said he will try to end oil drilling and begin desalination plants
on the California coast.
Last month, Schwarzenegger made California the first state in
the nation to impose a cap on all greenhouse gas emissions. By
2020, the state will have had to reduce the pollutants by
approximately 25 percent.
So far, these decisions and current platforms have gained
Schwarzenegger a sufficient number of followers.
Schwarzenegger held 45 percent of California’s potential
vote compared to 37 percent for Angelides, according to a Field
poll taken in mid-July. Of the Democrats surveyed, only 39 percent
believed Angelides had a chance of winning. Fifteen percent of the
respondents were undecided.
As part of their campaigns, both candidates are venturing into
new technological avenues. For example, Angelides’
27-year-old daughter Megan Garcia has launched an online campaign
geared at students. She encourages them to become campaign team
leaders by starting their own Web pages, adding friends and raising
money for the campaign.
Utilizing a different medium, the Schwarzenegger campaign is
using cell phones as a gateway to the younger demographic. In
addition to calling houses, campaign volunteers are now
text-messaging potential voters.
Schwarzenegger will also have ring tones that supporters can
download from his Web site.
But Schiebler said the most important thing for students to do
is participate in the election.
“College students need to be involved and vote in this
election so that come November 8, we can hold them accountable to
their promises,” he said.