<p>The massive California higher education system that includes campuses of the University of California, California State University, and community colleges, is under extraordinary pressure due to the state budget cuts. The schools "are already raising fees, dropping courses, slashing enrollment, and compelling employees to take unpaid furlough days. In addition, class sizes are up, library hours are down, and plans for new programs and new schools are on hold."</p>
<p>I can imagine OOS public students hoping that this will make their schools have high reputations. These are hardly horrendous cuts, though; I’ll take a few more years of budget cuts to really pressure the university on all aspects.</p>
<p>“But I look at these trends and ask myself, how long can you reduce course offerings and still hold your head up and say you are still offering students a high-quality education?”</p>
<p>So as a rising high school senior, a person who not only was born in California but has lived in California her whole life, whose parents were born here and lived here their whole lives, and whose maternal AND paternal grandparents moved here as teenagers to start their lives, I have to worry about whether or not the schools I’m applying to will even be AROUND in a couple years?</p>
<p>Does this mean we should apply to more private schools? Or have those been hit just as hard?</p>
<p>The campuses will not close, but the quality of education-especially at the undergraduate level will dramatically decline based on the magnitude of the sudden cuts to the system. </p>
<p>The magnitude of cuts to California’s education system is staggering and counter-productive. Graduation from many majors will be nearly impossible in the previous normative 4 year time frame. In addition, the states economy does not need graduates with high debt-it needs qualified educated entry level individuals who can afford to accept entry level positions!</p>
<p>SSU has dropped tons of classes, laid off several excellent professors, and is not accepting Undergrad transfers. There is also a 16-unit cap on almost all Undergrad students (Hutchins majors, a special program that requires lots of extra classes, get a few more units), and a 17-unit cap on Grad students. Tuition has increased by about $800 per student.</p>
<p>Several classes have been dropped because there were not enough students in the class to merit paying the professor. But all the other classes are full, meaning those students simply lose out.</p>
<p>We get e-mails from the University almost every day explaining to us how the cuts are going to effect us next. If I didn’t need to finish Undergrad ASAP to get to Grad School, I don’t know that I would continue going to SSU. I really do love it there, but I’m afraid for what’s going to get cut next. I’ve been relatively lucky so far…their Psych department (my major) is very strong, so we haven’t had too many cuts.</p>
<p>The cuts to education, all levels, are deep and painful. But education is not being singled out; virtually all services in California are being cut deeply and painfully. Most state workers are now taking 3 unpaid furlough days per month, a 15% pay cut.</p>
<p>I’m no fan of the governator, but we can’t pin this disaster on him. It’s the result of the idiotic initiative system we have out here. The voters have appointed themselves lawmakers, with predictable results. For 30 years, we have consistently voted ourselves all kinds of expensive services, and at the same time we have made it almost impossible for the Assembly to raise the necessary taxes to pay for them. It took the recession to expose the house of cards, but it’s coming down now with a vengeance, and we have no one but ourselves to blame.</p>
<p>This morning’s big news is the big raises many of the higher-ups at UC are getting in the face of all of the budget cuts. Where is the shame? No one else in the real world is getting raises!</p>
<p>There are too many CSU [Cal States schools] in California. They need to close down Cal State Channel Islands, Cal State Humboldt , Cal State Sonoma, California State University Stanislausto to cut costs.</p>
<p>RileyJohn - Elitism gets you nowhere… and if we should close down UCR and UCSC, you might as well close down Davis too, oh and UCSB… </p>
<p>Forbes came out with 2010 ranks a couple days ago, ranking the UC’s as follows: (Public)
Cal - 8
UCLA - 9
UCSD - 15
UCI - 18
UCSB - 35
UCD - 36
UCSC - 39
UCR - 49</p>
<p>mrxalleycat-“Cal State Sonoma” doesn’t exist. Sonoma State, if you please. (not trying to offend)</p>
<p>And I for one would be strongly against closing it down…but I’m biased.</p>
<p>And I’m also curious…what is your reasoning for closing those particular schools? Because they’re smaller? Newer?</p>
<p>Because SSU is an incredible school. We have professors who used to teach at Berkeley, Stanford, etc. but didn’t want to research anymore.</p>
<p>Plus, something else to consider: Close down all those CSUs. Where are all those students going to go? CSULB? When it’s already up over 40k students? Face it, closing them would place more stress on the system, not less.</p>
<p>It definitely WILL place more stress on the system. CSU students who are turned away will either have to move to the community college system (which is having budget stresses of its own), try for a private college (which may not be an option for many prospective CSU students), or forego college altogether. </p>
<p>But unfortunately, there may not be a choice. California is simply out of money.</p>
<p>Cali Trumpet- Basically, if you take forbes ratings seriously, you are at an intelligence level far below anything that I care to argue with.</p>
<p>According to Forbes, Cornell is rated at #207, so honestly, you’re embarrassing yourself. Do you realize students from community colleges only need a 3.0 to use the TAG agreement to gain acceptance at UCR, UCSC, UCM, UCI, and even UCSD. A 3.0 at community college is quite possibly the most ridiculous standard I have ever heard of. Any person, even a lackluster individual can attain a 3.0. Since when is attended a UC a right? Keep UC Berkeley and UCLA reigning supreme, even if it’s at the expense of the Cal States calling themselves UCM, UCR, and UCSC.</p>