In this economy, students are placed in a precarious position. Some say it is best that we are in school since we have an opportunity to ride out the recession before we are actually pressured with the worries of finding a job, paying a mortgage and supporting a family.
But the worries that we deal with are simultaneously financial and personal, like the thought of what if something happens to our parents. For instance, what if our parents lose their jobs or our financial aid gets cut? But also, we think, what if my classes are cut, what if already difficult to get into classes become increasingly harder to get into? Not only are we worrying about whether we can afford our education, but also whether or not we will be receiving a quality education.
In a situation where we have to use IOUs and where the state legislature can hardly pass a budget, it may seem difficult to assume that we can find money anywhere for education. One might wonder why it is so important to keep education funded. The main reason is that one of the most important aspects of our society is education; so it is then pertinent that we fund a proper educational system. A well-educated society leads to more affluent citizens and a better economy. But more importantly, a well-funded educational system provides an opportunity for all to succeed. Rather than cutting funds for something so important to the future success of our society, we should take measures to protect it from harm in economic situations such as the one that we are in.
While schools may still be able to continue with limited funding and survive without maintained levels of funding from the government; decreased funding can have negative impacts on the higher educational system. For students who are not privy to full-scholarship education, it can even cause students to not attend college, or at least the college of their choice.
So far at UCLA, we have not felt too harshly the cutting of funds for universities, but this is not true of students everywhere. At certain community and state colleges, on the other hand, important programs have had to be cut in order to balance their budgets.
Cal Poly Pomona, a state-funded school approximately 35 miles east of Los Angeles, had to go so far as to cut funding for its summer school altogether, leaving students in need of those few extra classes stuck until fall quarter. One student at Cal Poly Pomona, Kelsie Spellman, a second-year theater student, expressed disapproval with her school’s cutting of summer classes.
“Having summer classes cut left me thoroughly disappointed in the educational system,” she said, adding jokingly, “They should cut children’s sports programs … Most of those kids aren’t very good anyway.”
In all seriousness, however, California needs to be more willing to cut programs that are not as necessary as education.
One area where cuts could be made in order to maintain funding for financial aid, classes and educational programs is state-funded science initiatives. Stem cell research, for instance, received $3 billion from a proposition passed in California in 2005. While funding for the sciences is important, it is something that I feel would be better dealt with at the federal level of government, which has more money to spend. By funding at the federal level, research that would benefit the nation would also be paid for by the nation. Coming at a time when certain states, such as our own, are faced with such financial crises, we must be even more careful with how we spend our money. When we cannot even take care of problems facing us, continuing unnecessary funding that empties our already drained coffers seems to be unwise. As important as science research is, keeping students enrolled at universities, keeping our K-12 education system, and maintaining our roads and infrastructure far outweigh the possible benefits of science research.
California is facing financial difficulty and it is something we all must learn to live with. While each and every one of us must make sacrifices, we should emphasize that there is one thing that cannot afford to see superfluous cuts. Education, which is so important to the future of our country by providing an equal opportunity for all, should be allowed to thrive even in difficult times.
E-mail Feeney at dfeeney@media.ucla.edu.