What should your State University system do to improve?

<p>The Governor of California and the legislators need to adequately fund our public schools from pre-K through Doctoral programs at the UCs. Although a new UC is opening in Merced there is need to create at least two more to reduce the pressure on the existing Universities. College dorm and apartment space need to be improved quickly. I would suggest a new UC north of San Francisco to reduce the pressure on Berkeley. What could your state do?</p>

<p>Someone suggested in the Plain Dealer that Ohio should merge some colleges to make them more on par with publics like UNC Chappel Hill, UVA or Michigan. That would never happen, but they could REDUCE TUITION! That would be a nice start</p>

<p>I think that California definitely has its state university system in the best order. 6 UCs are ranked in the top 15 nationally. That's pretty darn good.</p>

<p>the UCs have huge student pop.s that affect the towns they are in. The City of Berkeley is threatening to sue UCB over expansion and there is a group forming in Santa Cruz to protest a proposed UCSC Student pop. increase from 15000 to 21000. I know the UCs have to serve a lot of people, but this is a problem for everyone. As a resident of Santa Cruz (not UCSC student) I really don't think this town can handle that many more people.</p>

<p>It's too bad that the UCs are too overcrowded, because they can't cater more to gifted out-of-staters in the same way that UVa, UNC, and UMich do.</p>

<p>They already have a new UC- Merced. However, the kind of students that would go to this new, barely established campus are not the students who go for Berkeley, which is a lot harder to get into than some of the other campuses.</p>

<p>I don't think we need more UC's than the ones we have now (including merced) - I do think, however, that they need to be funded better. The three-tiered college system in CA (the UC's, Cal States, and Community Colleges) works fine. But the problems with funding need to be resolved before any more expansion can take place.</p>

<p>Ahnold needs to pump the UC system with cash and funds like he did his own system with 'roids. Financial aid packages at the UCs should be made more attractive. Decrease the amount of money given to the supposedly ultra poor; like half of them achieve their poverty status with fradulent means anyhow. Give more money to the lower middle class who has to pay a ton of taxes. Increase the oncampus housing and make it more inviting to live in. Reduce tuition or keep it from increasing further; the "fees" are approaching some of the cheaper private schools out there, and privates tend to have much better financial aid packages, too. The Governator needs to keep the UC system top tiered and keep it adequately funded so it can stay competitive with private schools that are beginning to creep in on territory the UCs once dominated.</p>

<p>Funding is important, I would like to see a new UC near Santa Rosa and maybe Redding should have one too. We need to remove the pressure from the existing schools and start preparing for the growth California Universities will experience. I propose a special license for people to drive over 60 mph or a third car tax. </p>

<p>I also would restrict out of state students from getting in state treatment unless they lived and worked in the state for two years prior to taking a course.</p>

<p>Decrease the amount of money given to the supposedly ultra poor; like half of them achieve their poverty status with fradulent means anyhow.</p>

<p>you're kidding right - what exactly do you mean, fraudulent means?</p>

<p>the "fees" are approaching some of the cheaper private schools out there</p>

<p>again, while i agree that fee hikes need to be halted immediately, I would love for you to show me a private school with tuition as low as the UC. The fees here haven't even surpassed the tuition for my high school yet. </p>

<p>And Mr. B, a special license to drive over 60? what exactly would that accomplish and how would it be enforced?
We need realistic goals to find funding for education, and certainly not only higher education - the K-12 system needs major overhaul as well.</p>

<p>I actually think the UCs need to figure out ways to raise money that don't include hand outs from the State. CA is broke and they will all suffer for years to come if there are not other funding sources! They could start by taking many more of the full pay out of State students that are clamoring to get in. This is what other States do (UMich is 40% out of State compared to 3% at the average UC) and the diversity is good. My son's biggest complaint about his good UC is that everyone is from CA.</p>

<p>the UW should have the microbiological terrorism lab they want. They need more dorms too. LOTS more dorms. My friend's been on a waiting list for ages. </p>

<p>and Washington needs a decent public LAC. Evergreen doesn't count. Maybe the UW could open a new residential campus somewhere, sort of like the New School of Florida before it split off. That way, if you discover that lecture halls aren't your thing, or if you find out that you hate a small environment you could just switch campuses and not have to worry about transferring credits or going out of state. </p>

<p>oh I know I can dream.</p>

<p>yeah kirmum, I agree that the UC should start letting in more out of state students - if anything, for diversity of the student body. However, there is that pesky CA master plan for education that says that students that meet minimum eligibility requirements are guaranteed acceptance to one UC (which the UC hasn't even been keeping this past year due to budget). So I think those requirements should be significantly raised or done away with altogether - that alone would decrease the burden on the system immensely.</p>

<p>i definitely don't agree with the uc's letting in more out of state students. they seem funded well enough, and the main problem seems to be overcrowding. why let more out of state students take the spots of the students the UC's are supposed to serve- california's.</p>

<p>Kansas needs more funding. Tons.</p>

<p>And they should stop accepting Missouri residents.</p>

<p>Well Ace, UC tuition has gone up over 50% in the past 5 years and will continue. California is flat broke and the UCs are feeling it. Many kids are being priced out. The avenrage middle class kid graduates with tens of thousands of dollars in loans. Far more than at most private schools. Buildings are not being maintained. Classes are being cut. It's now hard to graduate in even 5 years for most. All of that coupled with the desirability of diversity means CA will need to consider some compromise sooner or later.</p>

<p>People who don't like the idea of a public university expanding shouldn't live near public universities (especially those geniuses in Berkeley who complain about stadium lighting after buying a house RIGHT NEXT TO THE FOOTBALL STADIUM). Without UC, Berkeley would be another Oakland...only without a port and probably more crime. But of course, the poor residents of Berkeley (many of them Cal graduates) need something to be angry about. </p>

<p>I think CA should definately budget more funds for schools (as far as the budget shortage, I think there are a few prison guards who could live with a salary cut); however, community colleges (which, lets face it, serve a MUCH greater proportion of the population than UC) should come first. I do agree with letting in a higher proportion of out of state students.</p>

<p>"Decrease the amount of money given to the supposedly ultra poor; like half of them achieve their poverty status with fradulent means anyhow."</p>

<p>half is exaggeration but i do know several friends who look extremely poor on paper because their parents work overseas, all their money are in overseas bank accounts, etc. yet they live in million dollar houses and go to good schools and have the money to afford private tutors and sat prep school and extracurriculars and nice cars. </p>

<p>on another note, i think berkeley and ucla should let more out-of-state applicants in because they are part of a rare breed of colleges: a state school that is respected as one of the top-25 national universities.</p>

<p>California's real property tax laws need revision. Long term property owners only pay a fraction of their share. Stop giving million dollar tax rebates to companies that don't pay taxes.</p>

<p>Bring the top taxpayers back in line with what they paid under Gov. Reagan. Tax the indian gaming casinos, or build toll booths leading up to them.</p>

<p>Quit subsidizing construction in mudslide and fire prone areas.</p>

<p>Cost of education is insignificant compared to the cost of ignorance...look at what we spend on prisons.</p>

<p>We should try to provide space for out of state and country students by increasing our UC's by at least two beyond Merced. </p>

<p>I personally believe that no one should be getting in the UC's from out of state until instate qualifying residents are given a more affordable opportunity. I would like a two year residency requirement OR the child of a parent that is employed in the state.</p>

<p>Student loans should have interest forgiveness for students who stay in the state. It's late and I think I wanted to vent. Our Governor is screwing up the education programs in this state.</p>

<p>are there that many applicants who are of high caliber who are getting rejected from UCR and UCSC that we need more UC's? or should we increase the number of cal states instead, since education is much more affordable with CSUs</p>

<p>Okay, I may have exaggerated when i said half the students are using fradulent means to get their poverty status. I don't know the exact figure because if someone actually did know the actual figure for it, all these kids would get in pretty big trouble with the federal government for tax fraud. It's not too hard to do it; just own your own business and don't report all the revenue/income. I know people who take it to the extreme (well maybe not them personally, but their parents do it). I see kids at school who get free lunch and fee waivers, but they dress in brand new nikes every other week with their throwback bball jersey driving in pumped up cars. An acquaintance of mine actually puts the money he gets from financial aid for his university tuition into his car (he got caught and some of the aid was rescinded lol). Another student at my high school claims on his finaid form that his family of 4 or 5 makes just 6K a year in income (he obviously faked it; he described the process to me haha). Just some unbelievable stories, I tell ya.</p>