Cal State Long Beach President F. King Alexander said at the College of Business Administration’s Notable Speakers series Tuesday night that in California higher education, “the balance is screwed up.”
Michael Solt, dean of the CBA, said the college chose Alexander as its speaker due to his educational background, as well as his research on national and international higher education systems.
Alexander began by saying that California has abandoned its master plan for education and is no longer taking responsibility in public higher education of its people by making prices higher and access more difficult.
“We’ve fallen 12th in terms of access,” he said.
Alexander argued that the frustration of the battle between the state and the California State University system is due to a contradiction: The state says it supports education while it increases prices.
“We have adopted what we used to argue against,” Alexander said. “There is 47.7 percent less spending on higher education since 1988.”
According to Alexander, this is mainly because students are targeted by state legislators; they are young and not expected to fight back, partially since they are not educated on the situation and some might not feel they should.
“You’re an easy target,” Alexander said.
Alexander said students who receive financial aid might find it difficult to argue against budget increases when in reality, the government is helping them out.
Alexander acknowledged that the ongoing battle of education is difficult for young people to grasp but that it is vital to research and try to understand so that they can put up an educated fight.
Alexander gave the audience a glimpse into the past as he discussed how the education battle started and progressed over the years. He referred to the G.I. bill of 1944 that provided returning war veterans with a college education.
He said that although they were given the privilege, the government still limited access into college because of an image factor. The government did not want the campuses to look like “hobo junkyards,” he said.
Alexander explained that through his research of international education systems, he has seen other countries using successful systems because they care about the education of their people. He said this is how California was but isn’t anymore.
After the session, Alexander opened the floor for questions. One student asked what students can do now. He replied that they have the power to have their voices heard, to take leadership roles as early as possible and to hold the federal and California state governments accountable. By doing this, students have a chance at building a better economy, he said.
Management major Monica Rangel said she receives financial aid to pay for school but is still affected by the budget cuts in a way.
“I’m somewhat affected,” she said. “My roommates complain,” she said.
Hakim Bimazgane, an international student from Paris, France, who saved money for eight months to attend CSULB, said he does understand what is going on with California’s education. He said the reaction students have had is quite different than the ones students in Paris would have.
“Paris is different. Students in France protest,” he said.
Alexander had to end the session an hour early to catch a flight to Sacramento, where he testified Wednesday against the budget increases on behalf of the CSU system.
He closed the night by saying that if something is not done, the burden of the battle will go to future tax-payers as it gets more intense over the years.
He said, “We’re in a tough battle here.”