UC Berkeley Faculty Association

From CUCFA President Bob Meister:

SUPPORT ACCESSIBLE HIGH QUALITY PUBLIC EDUCATION IN CALIFORNIA

California’s public higher education is at a turning point due to the

state’s systematic defunding of the Community College, Cal State, and

University of California systems. Most immediately, the University of

California Regents will vote at their November 17-19 meeting on a

proposal to increase student fees by 32% over the next year. This fee

increase would be in addition to the 9.3% increase that took effect at

the beginning of the 2009/2010 academic year. UC student fees have more

than doubled in the last decade, and with the proposed increase the cost

to attend the UC will have tripled since 2000/2001. Meanwhile, in all

three systems, class sizes are increasing, programs and departments are

at risk, and student debt is rising. As student fees increase, students

receive a lower quality education for a higher price.

The Santa Cruz Faculty Association has created three petitions. One is

addressed to the UC Regents and demands that they vote against the

proposed student fee hikes and that they aggressively pursue the

restoration of public funding to the levels laid out in the 1960

California Master Plan for Higher Education. A second is addressed to

California state legislators and demands that they vote to restore state

funding of public higher education in California to the levels laid out

in the 1960 California Master Plan for Higher Education. A third,

addressed to the Governor, demands that he submit a budget that restores

state funding of public higher education in California to the levels

laid out in the Master Plan.

The Regents meeting is Nov. 17-19. The battle over public higher

education is NOW! We need your signatures NOW!

After signing the three petitions below, forward this message to your

friends, parents, colleagues, neighbors, to the cashier in the grocery

store, tell everyone you know that we need to act now to restore

quality, affordable and accessible public education to the State of

California.

Tell the UC Regents to stop the fee hikes:

http://checkingeducation.com/petition/ucregents

Tell your Legislator to restore state funding for public higher

education: http://checkingeducation.com/petition/legislators

Tell the Governor to restore state funding for public higher education:

http://checkingeducation.com/petition/governor

Filed under: Documents by DW