Tuition increases every year, no matter what, and I can not seem to wrap my head around it. What changes so drastically that we need a 10 % increase very year? I think that’s the going annual increase at my school, about 10 %. I still recognize all of the professors, all of the buildings still lean the same way, and the library still smells funny. What changes so much each year that universities need to suck more money out of everyone for tuition? One would think that endowments in the form of hundreds of millions, sometimes even billions (not hundreds), of dollars would be enough to provide a pretty damn decent college experience. I mean, the yearly tuition hikes at my school haven’t left my family of myself penniless, putting on weekly garage sales to pay for my education, but I would really like to know why. Why?
This brings me to what is happening in the state of California, specifically in the University of California Education system. A 32 % increase in tuition is absolutely ridiculous. I understand that the problem of funding doesn’t stem directly from the Universities, but from the state and national government. I understand that we are in a recession and budgets are being cut nationwide. Still, there is no excuse for what is happening in Our higher education system. Before we all know it, four year universities could be unattainable to the majority of the nation. It won’t even have anything to do with being poor. Instead, it will all be about, can I afford the option of paying the tuition at a four year school. It will be even more of a luxury than it is now. Four year universities will be the equivalent of shopping at Whole Foods, while community colleges will represent the Randall’s and Sam’s crowd (no offense to either store, or community colleges). So, I give my full support to all of the students protesting at the Los Angeles, Berkley, Davis, and other University of California campuses, for whatever it is worth, which in this case, is worthless because my opinion doesn’t really provide any monetary relief to those who will be forced to leave school because of the 32% tuition hike. Still though, I feel you.
California’s economy is in some deep shit, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways around this whole tuition deal. I’ll put it this way: If this happened at my university, then I would want to see every budget and expense report to know exactly what the school is spending its money on. What kind of coffee are they putting in the break rooms? Is it Green Mountain, Starbucks, Millstone? If it was, I’d tell everyone to get ready for either some Maxwells or some Folgers. Kiss the creamer goodbye too. I’d be looking at paper plates. Are they the really flimsy ones or those Dixy brand ones with the reinforced edges and ability to hold up porterhouses and baked potatoes and shit? Who’s supplying the cafeteria? What kind of deal are we getting on bulk orders of napkins, bread, and milk? Are we ordering new editions of text books every year? That’s one that really gets to me. If edition 12 is only a page or two different than edition 11, than what is the reason for ordering it, other than the bureaucratic business bullshit of the explanation? Basically, I think that the Education Board in California needs to start pulling receipts on everything. Who paid for the Dean’s Christmas beak trip? Why does my financial aid adviser drive a new beemer? These are some questions that could use answering, because I guarantee that all business-like entities are wasteful in some ways when it comes to budget expenses. After all, people are most definitely wasteful, and we are what makes up businesses. We all learned what the big wigs on wall street were doing with our money, so who’s to say that the fat cats on Hollywood Blvd. aren’t doing the same? There are always luxuries that can be cut out of the system, still leaving one hell of an educational institution.
I know that it isn’t just as easy as demanding to know where your money is going, even though it is more than reasonable. In fact, these west coast students have been doing quite a bit of demanding already, and instead of answers or satisfaction, handcuffs and badges are the only things coming their way. Still, being arrested for protesting is nothing to be ashamed of, especially if it is for a cause that you deem to be worthy. If anything, I would put it on my resume. Say “Ya. I got cuffed. Little time in the big house. Ain’t no thang. Just keepin’ it real.” Plus, we all know that if our parents have been arrested for anything in the past, it was either pot or taking a righteous stand against the man. If your parents did it, then it’s definitely alright. It may not be logical, but at least it would stand up in an argument with, say, your parents.
There are many students in California and across the US that won’t or would not be affected by a 32% tuition raise, or even a 50% tuition raise. Those are also the kids that most likely wouldn’t be affected if they totaled their car with a blood alcohol of .21. Not everyone has the money to throw at all of their money problems. If that were the case, well, that actually doesn’t even make sense. And, we all know that when tuition is raised, then financial aid is affected. Less money is given to those who need it the most and more students are forced to withdrawal their enrollment. It is something that is happening more and more with the current state of our economy. For instance, at Reed College, “known for its free-spirited students”, located in the progressive state of Oregon, “Too many of the students needed financial aid, and the college did not have enough. So the director of financial aid gave the team another task: drop more than 100 needy students before sending out acceptances, and substitute those who could pay full freight.” If that doesn’t completely suck, if that doesn’t completely, or at least partially squash your dreams, if that doesn’t completely light a fire inside of your soul, then I can’t say what would.
I would like to think that most colleges do their best in trying to provide a one of a kind and positive experience for the students, so they can’t always be the ones to blame. You have to trace the problem to the source, which in this case probably had something to do with lost investments and fraudulent CEO’s. What can you do?
