Governor vetoes bill to limit tuition fees

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have capped annual increases for fees charged by California’s public universities.

Written by Assemblywoman Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge) and approved by a large majority in the state legislature, the bill would have forbid state universities from raising tuition fees by more than 8 percent in each academic year. The proposal also required that student fees at the University of California not exceed 40 percent of the overall cost of education and set 30 percent as the limit for CSU students.

In addition, the bill charged the state government to “bear the preponderance of responsibility for funding postsecondary education.”

The governor said he could not sign the bill because it was “inconsistent with the student fee policy provisions of the higher education compact” he signed with both university systems last spring.

That decision may force the state to “deny access to higher education for all but the wealthiest Californians,” Liu said in a statement.

Students call for Jon Stewart’s endorsement

Half a dozen college students have launched an online petition calling for “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart to endorse a candidate in the 2004 presidential election.

Admitting that few of the 40 million young voters ever make it to the polls, the petition says that the comedy show host’s endorsement “would further legitimize political participation in the eyes of our generation.” The petition also allows students to add individual comments.

A January poll conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that more than one out of five people between the ages of 18 and 29 rely on comedy shows like the “Daily Show” and “Saturday Night Live” as one of their news sources. The amount was almost equal to the number of respondents who cited daily newspapers and network news.

Students can sign the petition at http://www.dearjonstewart.com.

UCSD to promote disability awareness month

In an effort to commemorate the national Disability Employment Awareness Month, UCSD will host a month of events to bring attention to the issue.

Events will include two performances by Emmy-nominated guitarist Mark Goffeney and other musical guests.

In addition, various student, faculty and staff speakers will discuss disability-related issues and provide information on preventable conditions during scheduled lectures.

Senatorial candidate urges end to education department

As part of his campaign to become Georgia’s representative in the Senate, Libertarian candidate Allen Buckley has called on the federal government to eliminate the Department of Education.

First created in 1979, the department coordinates federal finacial aid and collects statistics including graduation rates, among other tasks.

In a statement, Allen said that the department — with its $63 billion annual budget — “is a natural place to cut the size of the federal government” to reduce the national deficit.

He argued that the department’s existence violated the 10th Amendment, which reserves for the states all powers not vested in the federal government.

Regents approve campus development plan

In her first appearance before the UC Board of Regents, Chancellor Marye Anne Fox received official sanction for UCSD’s Long Range Development Plan.

First released last spring, the plan establishes projections for growh of the campus population and size. It estimates almost 7,000 additional students by 2020 and calls for an increase in parking and open space.

The plan includes input from community groups, San Diego city leaders and county agencies.

UC researchers awarded ‘genius’ grants

The MacArthur Foundation named two UC faculty members among the 23 recipients of its coveted “genius” grant.

Selected for their exceptional creativity and promise, recipients receive $500,000 over a five-year period.

The foundation picked UC San Francisco associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics Joseph DeRisi and UC Berkeley associate professor of history Maria Mavroudi for the award.

With the latest announcement, more than 50 UC faculty have been named recipients since the foundation began the awards in 1981.