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Cal Students Lobby Legislature on Tuition Increases
79% rise in ten years means UC education out of reach to many Californians
By Caroline Szymanska
On March 15th, two hundred Cal students made the trek to Sacramento in order to speak one-on-one with legislators and make a difference in higher education. We combined our voices into one and demanded an affordable public education for all students. This is Cal Lobby Day, a glorious celebration of the power of our student activism.
Cal Lobby Day provides all UC students with the opportunity to voice their opinions on higher education to the Senators and Assembly members of California. For years, our education has been pushed aside and ignored, causing student fees to increase by over 79% within the past ten years. No longer will we stand for this injustice! Public education is meant to be affordable for all California residents, yet each year, fees continue to rise.
Unfortunately, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed to raise our educational fees yet again, this time by a whopping 7% for undergraduates and 9% for graduate students. Combined with the cost of food, housing, utilities and books, a UC education reaches over $22,000 a year, making it one of the most expensive public institutions in the country. Asking for another $500 seems ridiculous, especially when the state has the money to pay for it themselves. Legislators do not realize our struggle and it is our duty to inform them. We must voice our concerns so the cost of our education is maintained at reasonable levels for our generation and generations to come.
In addition to lobbying against this fee increase, we asked for an improvement to the state’s Cal Grant B policy. The Cal Grant B is awarded to students in order to pay for all costs not directly associated with the University – books, housing, food, supplies, etc. For the past 20 years, the Cal Grant B has remained at $1,551, barely enough to cover two months rent and two text books. Yet, this award is meant to be sufficient to cover an entire years worth of extra expenses. The Cal Grant B is also meant to provide fee assistance to its recipients, but only does so during a student’s sophomore, junior, and senior year. We believe that these policies are completely outdated, but nothing will change unless we voice our concern.
Though lobbying is the central focus of Cal Lobby Day, it is only one part of the entire event. At noon, we held a rally to bring further attention to our cause. Clad with picket signs and Cal Lobby Day shirts, we continued to voice our concerns while listening to speakers such as Senator Tom Torlakson, Assemblymembers Mark Leno and Fiona Ma, as well as various student leaders.
Through Cal Lobby, we hope that we can make change happen and keep the University of California affordable and accessible for all students. It’s time for us to Stand up and Be Heard.
Caroline Szymanska is the Cal Lobby Corps Deputy Director of the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC). ASUC is the student government representing the students of UC Berkeley. It has historically been the most autonomous student government of any university in the United States, according to the Wikipedia.
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