Students Tell Gov. ‘The Price Is Wrong’

University of California students across the state called into the governor’s office last Thursday to express their displeasure with the 2007-2008 budget proposal, which after four straight years of fee increases, proposes yet another tuition hike of seven percent or $435 dollars.
The UC Student Association had anticipated an increase in tuition fees and organized the call-in last week, encouraging students to express their discontent with the slogan, ‘The price is wrong for higher education.’
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed last year to put money into the UC budget in order to ‘buy out’ student fee increases. Despite the legislature’s approval of the proposal, no such buy-out was included in the proposed budget for next year.
UCSA and UC Santa Barbara undergraduate Bill Schiebler held a press conference Thursday at 10 a.m. to express UCSA’s official position.
‘Gov. Schwarzenegger released his 2007-2008 budget proposal, sending a message loud and clear to California’s students and families that higher education is not a priority anymore. Students are left with nothing but a feeling of betrayal by the governor,’ Schiebler said. ‘These universities have consistently seen fee increases over the last five years and it is time for our governor to listen to the voices of California’s families and act to stop the burden on the young and dedicated working students in our state.’
Schiebler also noted UCSA’s disappointment in the proposed budget’s cutting of $19 million in funds toward UC academic preparation programs, aimed at helping disadvantaged youths in California.
California State Universities will experience an increase even greater than that of the UCs