By Cristopher Santos
Gov. Jerry Brown has released his budget proposal, which includes a massive $500 million cut to the University of California.
Unfortunately for us, and for Brown as well, this proposal is not much different than those opposed by UC students under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Brown does mention that his reductions are targeted to minimize any fee or enrollment impacts on students.
Nevertheless, his proposal relies heavily on the extension of tax increases through an election in June.
Students should be aware that the potential failure of these tax increases would lead to even deeper cuts that could disproportionately target higher education.
In response to the released budget, UC President Mark Yudof commented on the uncertainty of the proposed budget’s consequences for students. Although he admitted that a preliminary consensus is against another fee increase, he suggested that this might be an option once the full impact of the cut is absorbed.
Let me be clear that the stance of students across the state remains against cuts and further fee increases.
Furthermore, we oppose privatization as a solution to the decrease in investment by the state.
Future steps in this direction would perhaps yield more money for the university, but certainly at the cost of affordability, access and diversity.
The UC prides itself in its commitment to community service. But the best service that we can provide to the youths of California as a public university is access.
Access continues to be threatened by proposals that aim to increase the number of out-of-state students, limiting enrollment growth for California youths. I bring you, the students of UCLA, some ways to get involved.
Some of you might have noticed that the governor’s budget summary is more than 200 pages long.
With this in mind, I understand that you might feel as if you do not have the time to advocate for your education during these tough times.
To address this concern, the Undergraduate Students Association Council will be working to provide education, solutions and ways for you to voice your opinion in the next few days.
While this budget proposal is disheartening, we want you to keep in mind that you can still make a difference in the budget process.
The governor’s proposal will shortly be joined by other proposals from legislators, and Brown will be reviewing his own proposal in May.
Advocating for your education is a daunting experience, but so is being a student at one of the best universities in the world. If anyone can do it, we can.
Santos is the external vice president of the Undergraduate Students Association Council.