The UC Student Association descended on the state capital last week with hopes of convincing legislators to freeze tuition at California’s public universities.
A total of 35 UCSD representatives joined the delegation Feb. 2 for the annual Student Lobby Conference, where students asked state lawmakers to support the College Affordability Act.
If approved, the bill would implement a five-year tuition freeze at California colleges and garner revenue for UC and CSU campuses by placing an additional 1 percent tax on state residents earning over $1 million annually.
After an initial five-year freeze, the act would prevent student fees from increasing at a rate greater than inflation, as measured by the California Consumer Price Index.
Any additional revenue acquired from the tax would cover enrollment costs and fund student services.
Students in the delegation also lobbied legislators to buy back over $274 million in cuts to the UC system, including funding for Cal Grants.
‘We spoke to all our legislators in San Diego County,’ A.S. Council Vice President of External Affairs Lisa Chen said. ‘A lot of lawmakers really understand the importance of higher education.’
Though committee hearings will begin next month, Chen said that consideration of the bill could last as long as one year.
Assemblymen Curren D. Price (D-Inglewood) and Warren T. Furutani (D-South Los Angeles County) introduced the bill at a press conference on March 2.
‘We want to put some check on the spiraling costs of college that is making college unaffordable,’ Price said. ‘This was a reasonably measured step to make some incremental changes.’
Price, recognized by UCSA as a two-time Legislator of the Year for his ongoing efforts to make higher education more affordable, said that rising costs discourage students who lack the funds to attend college. ‘[High tuition] locks whole generations of otherwise qualified students out of a college education,’ he said.
Students within the delegation said that lawmakers expressed varied responses to the College Affordability Act. According to UC Santa Barbara senior and co-delegation leader Jaclyn Feldsgein, many Republican lawmakers who voiced opposition to the bill were concerned by the proposed ‘millionaire tax.’
Under campaign theme ‘Keep the Promise Alive,’ students called attention to the state government’s failure to adhere to the California Master Plan for Higher Education and provide a tuition-free higher-education system for all Californians. They also staged a symbolic ‘funeral’ for the Master Plan, respresenting the death of college affordability and emphasizing the need for diversity and accessibility within the state’s educational institutions.
The Affordability Act was drafted in response to the continued decline in state funding for California’s public universities. Several months after the text of the act was completed, the Legislature approved its 2009-10 budget package, which eliminated’ $115 million from the UC operating budget and stretched the university’s total projected deficit to $450 million.
UC Santa Barbara sophomore Casey Capachi, another delegation leader, said the bill is important to securing the future recovery of California’s damaged economy.
‘It is a long-term solution, and that is what we’re looking for,’ she said. ‘If you do the work and take the test and you want to go to college, then the state should be able to fund you.’
UCSA was founded in 1971 and represents the official voice of more than 200,000 undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students at the 10 UC campuses.
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