— Recently, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed a budget that would severely
limit state funding for the
of
Lawmakers in
who admit that the state’s deficit has
increased to about $14 billion, have said that state spending on academia needs
to change in order to prevent even more fiscal irresponsibility.
Unfortunately, with projected state cuts to the UC system
hovering near $300 million, the viability of offering the current variety and
quality of academic programs in the future is now in question. But the cut in
state support also means that student fees will inevitably balloon once again.
This is precisely why university leaders should start
showing that they care about students by making activity fees required only for
students who actually benefit from their merits.
With education fees increasing seemingly by the day, the
boon of an activity fee lost its persuasion long ago.
While in the beginning of their academic careers students
may have found the prospect of using the school’s resources attractive,
education’s heightened cost has mitigated those prior benefits.
Toward the end of every quarter, students notice that the
bill for the upcoming quarter includes standard expenses such as registration
fees, books and parking. If not waived, there is also a fee for student health
insurance.
But then, from the abyss of monetary figures, there emerges
a set of fees that would appear quite distinctive within the context of a
learning environment.
I’m talking about RUCCI: recreation, university, campus,
college and
It’s reasonable to assume that RUCCI covers the necessary
upkeep expenses for UCSD recreational facilities and entertainment programs.
But should students who never utilize these entities be
obligated to pay up? For some, attending a free-to-UCSD-students Kanye West
concert really isn’t a priority. So should these students still be required to
pony up their monetary resources just to remain on the UCSD roster?
Budget wise, the state is facing red almost across the
board. And with the current fluid condition of the national economy,
fiscal problems stand only to worsen before they improve.
Yet, within the context of rising living costs, a looming
national recession projected at better-than-even odds and now an increase in UC
student fees, it appears as though the educational marginalization of middle-
and lower-income Americans is expanding.
In essence, people pay enough merely to live properly in
and it brings the population no comfort knowing that its offspring will be
forced into deeper debt, courtesy of an educational program that charges fees
beyond its immediate purpose: education.
With costs rising, it is now imperative that administrators
consider sending RUCCI out to pasture, with the intended effort to continue
making UCSD education uniquely affordable relative to this university’s
academic reputation.
Admittedly, the activity fees mentioned only amount to 15
percent of the big kahuna — the education fee.
The ability to afford a couple hundred dollars may be less of an issue
for some students than for others. But, ultimately, the concerns of the latter
set of students are just as important as those of the former.
Note that the idea is not to simply shut down RIMAC Arena,
to stop the yearly Sun God festival or to limit cash for star bands to play at
UCSD. No, the real premise is that activity fees should only be paid by
students who acknowledge that they will participate in UCSD activities.
Furthermore, students who indicate that they will never participate in
fee-based extracurricular events should not be required to pay for RUCCI.
Only then can validation come to an efficient solution to
the subjective problem of activity fees coupled with increased education fees.
Besides, the magnitude of students opting not to pay for
these fees is likely to be small, as the majority of students would probably
realize that they would utilize the recreational facilities at least once
weekly. In short, students who do wish to work out at RIMAC need to know that
they will be paying for their caloric-reduction plan.
As for those more keen upon the Cobb-Douglas function,
they’ll be happier knowing they are not paying for an investment they’ll never
realize.
In terms of enforcement, a sticker could be applied to each
UCSD identification card, which would allow only those students to use RIMAC —
similar to the Parking and Transportation Services sticker allowing students to
travel within a set radius of UCSD. This kind of implementation would be simple
and effective.
Additionally, students who waive their activity fees could
purchase tickets for a specific event they wish attend at the nonaffiliate
rate. This way students are in control of their activity spending and the
university will still take in revenue for its services.
But whatever the program may be, the point is to minimize
the adverse effect that activity fees may have on talented, yet financially
strapped, current and prospective UC students.
as diverse financially per capita as it is with respect to individual talent.
It would be a shame for a university to impede the budding talent by
heightening the importance of financial ability.
Readers can contact Aleks Savovic at [email protected].
