Nobility is an archaic concept we Americans aren’t very familiar with. The titles of Lord, Duke, Count and Sir don’t exist in our humble attempt at meritocracy. In fact, this country is founded on a Constitution that explicitly forbids the issuing of such appellations.
We live in a system where the status quo is meant to be shaken; where if you put forth the effort, you’ll likely be rewarded. This isn’t a system of free hand outs, it’s just a place where free will works at its best.
Romanticism aside, we at the Daily 49er are deeply disheartened when such ideals are tossed aside. Fee increases and enrollment cuts in the past may have been a simple inconvenience. However, now they are threatening a colossal notion.
Facing sweeping budget cuts, the California State University system will slash enrollment by 40,000 during the next three years. This travesty will start with 10,000 during the upcoming spring and fall semesters.
The colossal notion we are referring to is the idea that any Californian, rich or poor, a child of privilege or an immigrant, has access to education and, ultimately, a chance to better their lives.
In the early 1960s, we acknowledged this. The California Legislature passed the Master Plan for Higher Education. This piece of legislation was founded on the principle that “academic progress should be limited only by individual proficiency,” not income.
The plan, a promise to the people of California, is not to be considered an outdated declaration. It has been revised and improved upon countless times, most recently in 2005.
In fact, in March 2008 Cal State Long Beach President F. King Alexander signed the Long Beach College Promise. This document, a joint commitment by the Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach City College and CSULB, ensures that “higher education is an attainable goal for every student.”
Ironically, the “promise” pledged that LBCC students would have a tuition free first semester starting in 2011. It’s sad to say this well-intentioned idea is becoming laughable.
The CSU has not stopped at raising tuition and slashing enrollment though. Our campus will not grant financial aid for any summer courses.
By cutting financial aid to low-income, first-generation and minority youth, the message our system is moving toward elitism and exclusion is resounding loud and clear.
Those who don’t have the financial resources to attend summer classes slide beneath those who have adequate support. They slip further behind in opportunities to compete in the job market with their peers, who get a jump on them through earlier graduation.
CSULB also will begin toughening admissions standards because of the widespread increase in impacted programs. This is problematic for students coming from inner city schools because they don’t have adequate access to luxuries like tutoring, mentoring and advising. They have less exposure to the academic resources students coming from middle-class K-12 systems are baptized with.
Our country has never adopted the idea of nobility into law. Nevertheless, faced with economic collapse our state is reverting to de facto segregation. Those who can’t afford college are not only being forced to the back of the bus, but are being tossed under the wheels.
As state and federal funding is cut and tuition fees are increased, the CSU is showing a trend of “privatization.” Since 2000, resident undergraduate fees have more than doubled. If this trend continues, how can California legitimately claim it has a “Master Plan,” or even a public university system?
Are we exaggerating? Hell no. The current economic situation is not to be taken lightly. If there is any fiscal issue ever worth fighting for, this is it. If you’re reading this you’re probably one of the lucky ones — you made it in before the collapse. So, do something about it for future students.
Raise your voices. Write letters to your congressional leaders; do something.
The future is bleak and we need solutions that don’t sacrifice our ideals as a state or as a nation. California, in the eyes of the Daily 49er, has always been a mecca of progress. However, in these tough times we have become a national laughing stock — slipping to the bottom in education at nearly every level.
Soon, the titles of Lord, Duke, Count and Sir will replaced with B.S., B.A., M.S., M.A. and PhD. Higher education will become a privilege for the few, and this privilege will carry to their progeny; shattering principles this country was founded on — principles men and women have died to protect.