In an effort to encourage advancement to two- and four-year colleges immediately after high school graduation, state Sen. Jack Scott (D-Pasadena) recently introduced legislation that would guarantee college access to California students who complete pledges to fulfill college requirements.
A.S. Associate Vice President of Diversity Affairs and Student Voice! slate presidential candidate Marco Murillo (center) is one of the leading supporters of the P.U.L.S.E. referendum in this year’s elections. The success of the legislation, Murillo said, is strongly tied to the his slate’s goals of bolstering campus outreach.
Outreach has recently been a tentative priority for California. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has left money for such college-preparation programs out of his budget for three straight years; the practice has forced outreach agencies’ supporters into an annual fight for their cause.
Two such programs managed by the Associated Students at UCSD – the Student Initiated Outreach and Recruitment Commission and the Academic Success Program – are being threatened by impending funding cuts.
In order to offset these deficits, the A.S. Council has proposed the Promoting Understanding and Learning through Service and Education fee referendum. If passed by the majority of undergraduates, P.U.L.S.E would levy an additional quarterly fee of $7 per student to the current $21 A.S. Campus Activity Fee beginning fall quarter of 2007.
SIORC functions to support various outreach programs at local high schools that encourage the recruitment of typically underrepresented populations into higher education. These outreach initiatives include summer programs at UCSD, campus tours and workshops and “”job shadowing,”” through which high school students attend university classes to gain exposure to collegiate life. While SIORC initially received $100,000 from the state at the time of its creation in 1998, the majority of current funds are provided by the A.S. Council.
“”In 2000, the administration noticed that students would enter UCSD and then drop out,”” said Sixth College junior Kevin Mann, a member of both SIORC and A.S.P., as well as a member of the UC Student Association. “”When students come, they find [UCSD] isolated in the La Jolla bubble.””
This isolation often leads to frustration and disinterest, he said. A.S.P. strives to alleviate these issues in multiple ways, such as through its most popular program to date, a book-lending program, which loans used books to students free of charge.
Along with book provision, A.S.P. also offers old exams for review and periodic “”study jams”” with free blue books and food. Although around 1,500 students use this campus resource, A.S.P. remains completely run and funded by students, and without a permanent full-time staff.
If passed, P.U.L.S.E would largely be used to fund the Student Promoted Access Center for Education and Service, an umbrella organization for SIORC and A.S.P.
However, without necessary funding, the space remains unused, and SIORC continues to operate without an office.
“”P.U.L.S.E wants to make the building functional,”” Mann said.
Others are more skeptical of the referendum’s intentions, and argue that it is an immediate and inadequate response to a problem spurred by an overriding lack of statewide legislative support.
Moreover, a referendum in 2001 already succeeded in raising student fees to bolster A.S.P. funding; a large portion of this money was diverted to pay for other campus interests, such as college festivals.
“”A second fee hike demonstrates the A.S. Council’s lack of budget responsibility,”” Earl Warren College freshman Rory McCallion said. “”I’d want to see a more detailed spending plan for the future before agreeing to pay for something that the state should already be funding.””
Such criticisms stem from the burdensome trend in student fee increases over the years, which have ballooned over the past decade.
“”UCSA has been lobbying the government to have education more of a priority, but they aren’t listening,”” Mann said. “”We’re going to a public university but they’re giving less grants, less loans.””
At present, the A.S. Council gives approximately $40,000 a year to SIORC and A.S.P. P.U.L.S.E would guarantee $60,000 to these programs. A referendum like P.U.L.S.E was passed in 1993 at UCLA, and organizations similar to S.P.A.C.E.S. have already been established at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UCLA and UC Santa Cruz.
