The state government is looking to cross more lines than it's drawn
HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL
Issue date: 6/2/09 Section: Opinion
It's no secret to anyone in the world that California is in deep fiscal trouble--so much so, that some experts have said that in order for this state to keep trudging along, as mangled as it is, we'd need a bailout focused on keeping businesses afloat and whatever is left of our economy intact.
California has worked itself into a position that would require it to first find a solution to this $23.4 billion deficit (and hopefully involves more than just chopping money out of educational budgets) before they can make any major moves because, frankly, there is a lot that needs to be sorted out with little money to do it.
Despite this obvious predicament, state legislators are looking to broaden the horizon of things they're involved in, hoping to absorb UC autonomy and steer the flagship of our education any way they see fit.
As it stands, the UC Regents operate like the board of a company, determining the direction of the university in regards to policy and budget. What the state is looking to do is strip that power from the Regents, shift it over to the state government and have them (that is, the same people running our state, billion dollar deficit and all) represent the voices of students, staff and faculty alike.
The state, however, has not shown us that it's capable of handling the UC system, which is more than just a bag of money to re-direct. Education has taken cut after cut over the past few decades, mostly by the hands of the people who are trying to take control of it now. How can they think--with all their lost money--that they are the cool, collected heads we need to get us through this recession?
The Regents have made some questionable decisions in the past; opting last minute to have a public meeting by phone conference which included hiking student fees up by 9.3 percent in the name of budget constraints, and shelling out pay-raises to people whose six- figure salaries weren't large enough to withstand the crisis.
California has worked itself into a position that would require it to first find a solution to this $23.4 billion deficit (and hopefully involves more than just chopping money out of educational budgets) before they can make any major moves because, frankly, there is a lot that needs to be sorted out with little money to do it.
Despite this obvious predicament, state legislators are looking to broaden the horizon of things they're involved in, hoping to absorb UC autonomy and steer the flagship of our education any way they see fit.
As it stands, the UC Regents operate like the board of a company, determining the direction of the university in regards to policy and budget. What the state is looking to do is strip that power from the Regents, shift it over to the state government and have them (that is, the same people running our state, billion dollar deficit and all) represent the voices of students, staff and faculty alike.
The state, however, has not shown us that it's capable of handling the UC system, which is more than just a bag of money to re-direct. Education has taken cut after cut over the past few decades, mostly by the hands of the people who are trying to take control of it now. How can they think--with all their lost money--that they are the cool, collected heads we need to get us through this recession?
The Regents have made some questionable decisions in the past; opting last minute to have a public meeting by phone conference which included hiking student fees up by 9.3 percent in the name of budget constraints, and shelling out pay-raises to people whose six- figure salaries weren't large enough to withstand the crisis.
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