The economic downturn has affected everyone, but the University of California took a big hit to an already strained budget. Budget cuts always seem to affect health care (especially mental health and services for children), education (though higher education often skirts by), and corrections facilities. This year, state funding for the University of California was cut by $637 million, a 20% reduction. Furthermore, certain mandatory costs like health benefits, unfunded enrollment, utility costs, and inflation are increasing without compensation by the state. Further cuts may still be in the future as the state is projecting a $7-8 billion budget deficit for 2010-11.
This has sent University officials into a flurry. All employees have a mandated furlough averaging an 8% pay cut, and many may be laid off. However, what has really struck students is a mid-year fee increase; mine are a 24% increase. Overall, the Board of Regents voted to increase undergraduate fees by 32% next fall. Moreover, students are feeling a crunch in terms of educational services such as reduced library hours. Even doing my teaching rotation this month, I've heard how resources that we had in the past are no longer available due to the budget crisis.
I fully appreciate that this is reality and the state cannot run a budget deficit. And since I'm graduating, I'm pretty much out of the woods in terms of tuition and fees. But I cannot help but worry about the effects of this belt tightening on education. I chose UCSF for medical school because of its outstanding educational opportunities, but with the professor furloughs, the decreased student services, the lack of resources, and the overall demoralization of the University, I don't know if the quality of education which has made this place so good is sustainable. I don't have any solutions unfortunately, though I've heard proposals from online courses to dismantling research at other campuses to accepting more out-of-state students who pay more. But the state government must not forget that higher education is a responsibility whose effects are vast and life-changing. The state government must not forget that the University of California is a long term commitment and hamstringing it now for a short term benefit will lead to long term consequences that may be hard to repair.
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Of course fees for the UC system had to be increased. What alternative is there? Prison system waste could be reduced rather than cutting the UC system budget but why would the politicians even consider making any prison budget cuts? Fixing the broken parole revocation system and increasing correctional contract beds rather than building more prison beds would probably save a few billion. But, be serious! A few thousand students and their families have about zero political clout. Correctional employee unions have incredible political clout. If you look at the issue from that perspective, the fee increases make perfect sense.
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