Thursday, November 19, 2009

This angers me


Today I opened up my LA Times and read the following headline, "UC ready to raise student fees by 32%" Yes that is correct, 32%, not 3% or even 13%, but 32%. That is the most asinine thing I have ever read. Who does that? Great thinking California. Let's make college completely unaffordable to most people and see where that gets us. Is it really disputable that higher education brings with it better jobs and MORE TAX REVENUE FOR THE STATE. One of the things that makes our country so great is the availability of education to all. Education has always been the key to upward mobility in our society. Public institutions such as the UC system represent some of the finest universities in the country(Of course you can read my bias on that one since I did go to UCLA). Congratulations California, we are now turning into an elitist group where only the very richest can afford the luxury of an education. Too bad for everyone else who gets to look forward to low paying jobs because education is not financially possible.
Let's review. In 1999 when I started graduate school at UCLA I paid roughly $4,500 A YEAR for my tuition. So my total tuition for a 2 year program was $9,000. Pretty affordable if you ask me. Now they want to make it so that if I was to go back to that same institution as an undergraduate I would be paying $10,000 a year. Are you kidding me.
Wow, I feel lucky that I got such a good quality cheap education. Too bad for my kids or the rest of you who are under the age of 20.
Don't cut education California, because in the end it's a shot in the foot. (and the head too)

7 comments:

Jill said...

I've heard that college is still free to illegals. Is that right? If it is, then maybe the increase is to help pay for that??

Amy O said...

Send this into the LA Times Amy!! You bring up a lot of great points that a wide audience needs to hear! (Not that you don't get a lot of readers on your blog :)

Emily said...

Unfortunately the state subsides to a degree students in the Cal and UC system.. these hikes are inevitable due to the states horrible mismanagement of its money. Sorry to say, CA is quickly going down the toilet, investing in the future (especially higher education) should be the way to go and not investing in prisons and paying for overly generous welfare benefits.

Soon enough it will be cheaper to go to USC than UCLA!

Emily said...

Oops.. I meant the state mismanages our money.. not its money:)

Nicole said...

I was going to make the same comment as Jill.

AmyJune said...

Jill, from what I understand, Ca is one of 9 states that offers in state tuition (not free)to illegal immigrants if they attended a CA high school for 3 years.

Sarah said...

This is SO disheartening ! I am really scared to think what it is going to cost us in 13 years when our children start college. Wow, you did get a GOOD deal Amy!