Higher education needs accessibility
Along with campuses across the country, the University of California system has increased student fees, ignoring the importance of an affordable and accessible public education. The UC Board of Regents decided to increase our student fees for the fifth time in the last six years. This upcoming school year, UC students will now pay an additional 7 to 10 percent for fees alone.
For the past several years, students have not seen adequate funding for key programs that increase the ability of students to access higher education. Funding for key programs that aid low-income communities and communities of color are consistently decreased or zero-funded.
Programs such as the Perkins Loans, a low-interest loan program, were proposed to be zero-funded in 2007 after receiving a cut of $6 million dollars the prior year. The Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnerships, a grant program targeted at low-income students, provides a federal match for state investment in need-based grants. Congress has now given slight increases to programs like these, but at the same time the president has threatened to veto any increases to programs that he has not himself proposed.
This is unacceptable and students simply will not stand for it. Congress must stand up in the face of this veto and declare that they are protecting students. Students are currently facing unmanageable debt as we are increasingly taking on more student loans to offset the costs of fees.
The Pell Grant was originally intended to aid in this dilemma by providing a way to assist in paying for a majority of a student’s college education. Twenty years ago this grant covered about 70 percent of the cost of education and now is only covering around 30 percent. Congress must not only rely on loan programs but should also focus on grant aid programs.
UCLA is joining schools from across the country to take part in the U.S. Student Association’s “Don’t Get Burned by Higher Education” summer campaign. We want to show that all federal financial aid programs that help offset the rising costs of higher education need to be increased and preserved.
Education is a right, and as students we should continue to strive for higher education that is accessible and affordable for everyone.
Gregory Cendana
Board of Directors,
United States Student Association