In an effort to support a buyout of next year’s 7 to 10 percent student fee hike and increase funding for academic-preparation programs, student leaders urged UCLA students on Bruin Walk this week to call and write state legislators.
The campaign, organized by the University of California Students Association, is part of a week-long effort taking place on every University of California campus.
Phone calls and letters were sent to legislators all over the state, but many were focused on legislators who lead education and budget committees in Sacramento, said Liz Hall, executive director of UCSA.
Among these legislators were Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles and State Sen. Denise Ducheny, D-San Diego.
Laird and Ducheny are chairs of state budget committees and Nunez is the speaker of the state Assembly.
Despite a state budget shortfall that Gov. Schwarzenegger’s office said will make these requests unlikely, UCSA members said they are hoping it will be feasible by the time the next state budget revision is released on May 14.
“From what we’ve been hearing from the Assembly, it sounds like (a buyout) is still on the table,” Hall said. “I still think we have a shot, especially if students put the pressure on this week.”
A representative from Nunez’s office confirmed that a buyout was under consideration, but said there are several challenges when determining next year’s budget.
“We’re facing cuts to the poor, to the elderly and to transportation, so we need to look at everything in balance,” Richard Stapler, a spokesman for Nunez’s office, said.
UCSA members said they are also fighting against drastic cuts to academic-preparation programs such as the Early Academic Outreach Program, in which UC students mentor high school students who want to go to college.
Since 2001, funding for such programs has been cut from $82 million to $19.3 million.
Lorena Ventura, a third-year sociology student who participated in EAOP while at Morningside High School in Inglewood, said she is concerned about how this will affect minority access to universities.
“If academic-preparation programs aren’t funded, there won’t be as much diversity, especially because there is no affirmative action,” Ventura said.
Last year, fee increases proposed by the UC Regents were successfully bought out because enough money had been allocated in the budget to cover the cost of what would have been fee increases for students.
Hall said she did not know whether Schwarzenegger’s platform supported the buyout last year because it was an election year, but she believes “he’s turned his back on students so far this year.”
A buyout was possible last year because of “sufficient general funds” that are not available in the budget this year, said H.D. Palmer, deputy director of the state Department of Finance.
Because of the budget shortfall, there will much harder decisions to make this year, Palmer said.
“There is never a guaranteed buyout, but back in 2004, the governor signed a compact that at least put a cap on how much we can increase student fees. That didn’t exist before Schwarzenegger,” Palmer said. “So that gives a certain sense of stability. … Before Schwarzenegger, students were reeling from 40 percent increases.”
But UCSA maintains that accessibility and affordability in the UC system is decreasing because of the Legislature.
“Our elected representatives must increase academic-preparation programs and buy out the UC fee increase if they want to make the UC accessible and affordable,” Cindy Mosqueda, a UCSA board member and UCLA education doctoral student, said in a statement.