Education

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― Students and faculty members rallied at California State University campuses in the Bay Area and statewide Wednesday to protest proposed state budget cuts that could result in thousands of students being turned away next year.
 
Higher education leaders warned as many as 10,000 students potentially may be prevented from entering state universities unless a solution is found to California's financial crisis,

At a CSU trustees meeting in Long Beach on Wednesday, a proposal was discussed to limit enrollment at all 23 campuses next fall, capping admissions systemwide at about 450,000.

This would be the first time CSU, the nation's largest four-year system, has not found a place for everyone who meets admission requirements.

But administrators said they have to do something or risk being overwhelmed by students they don't have the resources to teach.

"Quality is all we have," said Chancellor Charles Reed. "We have got to guarantee the people of California that when ... students get their diploma they have a quality education. They can join the work force. They can get a job; they can contribute to their community because they are well-educated."

The budget outlook is just as dim at the University of California system.

UC regents meeting in San Francisco on Wednesday gave tentative approval to a declaration saying they will have to curtail enrollment next fall if they don't get enough state funding.

"We have to make some tough decisions," said Regent Judith Hopkinson.
Both systems left the door open for student fee increases.

Students vigorously oppose more cuts.

As CSU students rallied at campuses around the state Wednesday,
demanding that funding be restored, UC regents heard from a number of speakers upset about the budget and police were called to clear the room when some refused to sit down after public comment time ran out.

The CSU and UC systems were already looking at sharp funding cuts in the state budget recently passed by lawmakers.

When that budget fell apart due to lower-than-predicted revenues, they were faced with additional reductions. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing a $66.3 million midyear cut for CSU and a $65.5 million cut for UC.

The 10-campus UC is now enrolling about 10,000 more students than the state is funding. The UC state budget request for 2009-10 includes funds for enrollment growth this year (which was not funded) and next year. Without that funding, administrators said, they won't be able to expand enrollment to meet freshmen demand.

"I think it's time for this board to take a very firm stand that additional cuts in education are not appropriate," said Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, who attended a rally outside the UC regents meeting.

The lieutenant governor serves as both a UC regent and a CSU trustee.

CSU trustees have approved a $5.1 billion budget request for 2009-10, which consists of $3.5 billion in state funding and $1.6 billion in student fee revenue.

Among other things, the proposed budget asks for about $89 million to avoid a student fee increase of about 10 percent. If that isn't provided, trustees will have to look at raising fees.

The cost to attend CSU now averages $3,048, plus an average of $801 in campus fees.

CSU administrators were urging students to apply to their local campus before the early deadline of Nov. 30 to improve their chances of acceptance.

At UC, the regents' finance committee on Wednesday approved an operating budget request that would be $815 million more than current core operating funds of $5.4 billion. That includes asking for 17 percent more in state funds and a potential student fee increase of 9.4 percent.

However, the board did not vote to set fees and won't do so until after the governor releases his proposed budget early next year.

It now costs about $8,000 a year to go to UC, including the main
fee and campus fees. 

Garamendi said that if the UC system keeps raising tuition, it would turn into the equivalent of a private school. And he contended that cutting the number of students admitted to CSU campuses would reduce hurt the state's future workforce.

The California Faculty Association and the State Employees Trade Council joined Garamendi as he made his remarks at the rally outside the regents meeting.

In the Bay Area, student rallies also took place Wednesday at Cal State-East Bay in Hayward, San Francisco State University and San Jose State University.

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