Editorial: State budget woes warrant enrollment caps

Great strides have been taken at the University of California to
reform admissions policy to make it accessible to more students.
But unless the university wants to teach them in an overcrowded
environment with strained resources, it’s going to have to
find a way to pay for it on its own.

The state, for the most part, is out of the question; it’s
trying to find ways to distribute budget cuts, not dispense
handouts, given its $21 billion deficit for the 2003-2004 fiscal
year. This is not a one-time deal either. Recent estimates predict
the state will face $12-$16 billion deficits for at least the next
five years. The only thing worse than this is the fact that it will
occur alongside the unfolding of Tidal Wave II, the projected
addition of 60,000 students to the UC by the year 2010.

Last year, the UC had to accommodate budget cuts as well ““
it had to downsize by 10 percent, as well as increase fees for
out-of-state students. Among the ideas for helping reduce the
amount of cutting the UC will have to do is the idea of raising
student fees for resident undergraduates as well. Research grant
and student service funding will also likely face cuts. Without the
state’s help, it’s either raise fees or start cutting
from important areas. For example, last year, Davis proposed
cutting $33 million out of outreach programs.

The UC’s dual admissions program ““ which would
guarantee admission to one of the UC campuses to students who are
not in the top 12.5 percent of the state’s high school
graduates but between the top 4 to 12.5 percent of their high
school, on the condition that they complete major requirements at
community colleges ““ is still on hold because there’s
no money to launch it.

The state and the university have worked out a partnership where
the UC gets funding increases as it accepts more students into the
system. Although the state has done what it can to live up to the
agreement, it has only been able to do so partially.

Unless there are multiple David Geffens waiting to be tapped,
the university is on its own. As of now, the state taxpayers only
provide about 25 percent of UC funds. This doesn’t mean the
university is independent of taxpayer responsibilities ““ it
would surely welcome a larger percentage of tax money to meet its
cost. It’s the University of California for a reason.

This sounds easy, but politics make it hard. Lawmakers know
raising taxes and keeping office can be quite at odds with each
other come election time, even though Davis did promise to make
education his top priority.

The university must act on its own.

The financial situation of the state and consequently, the UC,
juxtaposed with its current resources, make the case for a real
solution.

Enrollment caps.

It might seem contradictory to advocate against increases in
student fees on the basis that it might decrease access to
education, and then to advocate for capping enrollment anyway. But
it’s not.

Increasing student fees makes paying for college a lot more
difficult for underprivileged students. But setting enrollment caps
doesn’t ““ it reduces the number of students who can
attend the UC, but it doesn’t subtract from any of the
admissions reform policy changes under comprehensive review that
would still give students from difficult backgrounds a fair
opportunity.

Enrollment caps don’t have to be permanent or equally
enforced on all campuses ““ they’re important right now
given the difficulty the state is facing. And they’re
especially important at the two flagship campuses ““ UCLA and
UC Berkeley ““ facing overcrowding issues that will likely
mean more financial difficulty. Should the regents ever choose to
do this, these factors should be kept in mind.

Until the state can help the UC meet the costs of growth it
can’t pay itself, the university has to take matters into its
own hands now.

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