The statewide propositions on the ballot for today’s special election would cause further cuts to the entire UC budget and possibly to the university’s academic preparation programs because of recent revisions made by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The governor has specifically targeted programs such as Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement and the Early Academic Outreach Program, said Ricardo Vazquez, a spokesman for the UC Office of the President.
If the measures pass, cuts to EAOP will be determined after the election through negotiations between California legislators and the governor as the state budget is finalized.
Threats to the funding of academic programs have been made in years past, but have been resolved without making cuts, Vazquez said.
However, in 2003, the state slashed half of the academic preparation program’s budget and it has never been restored, said Yvette Gullatt, the interim executive director for education partnerships, which is the department that oversees UC academic preparation programs.
“Additional cuts would be devastating to our communities,” Gullatt said.
The programs receive a total of $19.3 million from the state and $12 million from the University of California each year, Vazquez said. This amount is then split between the various programs, leaving each with a budget from which to provide their students with a variety of academic opportunities.
The programs are designed to provide students in underserved communities the opportunity to meet UC requirements and succeed in college once admitted.
The EAOP operates from every UC campus and services students in sixth through 12th grades.
Students who participate in EAOP perform better academically compared to those who don’t: Thirty-five percent of students involved with the program are UC-eligible, compared to 14.5 percent of non-EAOP students, according to the EAOP Web site.
On a budget of $8.6 million, EAOP provides field trips to places such as museums and planetariums in order to engage students in a variety of academic fields they may not otherwise have access to, Gullatt said.
“Many of our students come with very little social capital or other intellectual opportunities,” Gullatt said.
The proposed budget cuts could mean fewer student field trips, but EAOP is dedicated to maintaining their core services such as college preparation classes, academic counseling and SAT and PSAT preparation, Gullatt said.
“With more and more high school counselors being laid off, we are the constant for the information and planning needed to get to college. Without these programs, you run the risk of students having no information about college at all,” Gullatt said.
MESA is another statewide academic preparation program which serves 18 Los Angeles-area middle and high schools, according to the MESA Web site.
The program is intersegmental, meaning it receives funding from the state and the UC system as well as from the California State University and California Community Colleges systems.
The possible budget cuts would affect each of MESA’s funding sources and could have dramatic impacts on the organization’s ability to serve students, Gullatt said.
Representatives from the academic preparation programs and UCOP both said that the programs are important to the academic development and success of students.
“We think the programs have great value in preparing underprivileged students for college, and we have great hope that this year, too, there will be a resolution,” Vazquez said.