In the fight over the proposed tuition increase, the state seems to have chosen the path of direct intervention. First, in December, there was bipartisan support for Senate Constitutional Amendment 1, which grants the state unprecedented legislative oversight of the UC. The bill strips the UC of its autonomy from the state, allowing the state […]
Author Archives: Travis Fife
Travis Fife: Education for student-athletes must be prioritized over financial gain
Make no mistake, college sports are a business, and business has never been better. ESPN has an unfathomable 12-year, $7.3 billion contract to broadcast the BCS national championship playoff. UCLA men’s basketball coach Steve Alford makes $2.6 million as his base salary. The Pac-12 made $6 million just for having a team in the playoffs. […]
Travis Fife: Additional funds necessary to close projected degree gap in California
Degrees are the bridge to California’s future, but we are starting to run out of planks. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, the state will need at least one million more college degree holders than currently projected by 2025. These findings were supported by another group, California Competes, which found California will need […]
Travis Fife: EVP should focus on financial transparency of UC, not Gov. Jerry Brown
As students at the University of California, we stand in a difficult middle ground between two massive institutions that determine our financial fate. On the one hand, we have UC leadership: UC President Janet Napolitano just executed a bold political move by passing a tuition increase plan in spite of a whole host of student […]
Travis Fife: Lack of transparency in proposed tuition plan leaves students in dark
University of California President Janet Napolitano and Gov. Jerry Brown are engaged in a chess match for funding and have taken to using students as pawns. Recent highlights of the match include Brown vetoing $50 million in additional funds for the UC system at the end of September. The UC Regents spent September lobbying for […]
Travis Fife: Defending Maher’s right to speech conflicts with tolerant discourse
Bill Maher, who hosts a political comedy show every Friday on HBO, has spent his career arguing against institutionalized religions. He is a polarizing champion of liberal values and has committed to speak at UC Berkeley’s December commencement ceremony. But over the last few weeks he has come under fire for his comments about Islam […]
Travis Fife: Focus on scores, AP classes in EAOP, ‘All In’ partnership ineffective
There’s a tendency, when thinking about college admissions, to see Advanced Placement classes and high standardized test scores as a silver bullet – get a high SAT score and the world is at your fingertips. Complete the trifecta with a high SAT score, challenging AP classes and an impressive GPA, and universities will come knocking […]