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This
chart shows the amount of money (dollars
in millions) spent on California State University
schools total for the past three years.
Information taken from the Governor's Budget
Highlights for 2004-05: Higher Education.
• Sonya Smith/Online Forty-Niner
Opportunities
abound for California college hopefuls,
academic programs
By
Jeanette Prather
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer
New
money to colleges throughout the state from
legislature could mean a new opportunity
to qualified students interested in higher
education.
Thousands
of applicants who thought their destiny
began at a community college with promises
for enrollment into a university are closer
to reality than they had thought, they just
need to rush the process a bit.
Last
week Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger met with
legislature and agreed to add $90 million
dollars to higher education in California,
which not only opens up more spots for prospective
students, but also restores money to grants,
awards and financial assistance previously
predicted for extinction.
There's
just one catch; besides still being less
money than schools have seen in recent years,
the designated students are pressed for
time. Some have already made their decision
to enroll in a different school or take
free classes at a community college paid
for by their desired university. There are
still, however, 550 interested CSULB students,
according to CSULB's President, Robert Maxson.
"It
was really great to get to send those follow-up
acceptance letters to all those students
who met the requirements," Maxson said.
According
to Janet Parker, assistant director of the
budget for CSULB, the unexpected amount
of money received has allowed over 700 students
who had prepared for community colleges
or other universities to be admitted into
CSULB.
"We
had planned for the worst, but now we plan
for a little less than the worst,"
Parker said.
Originally
the school had forgone an eight percent
budget cut, but now is looking at a six
and a half percent cut instead.
"[The
new money] lessened the pain of cuts so
we could serve more students, but it's still
there," Parker said.
At
CSULB, the additional money reinstated two
percent of the enrollment population, but
there was still a decrease in enrollment
of three percent from previous years.
The
welcomed money has not just effected CSULB
but all CSU's and UC's as well. According
to Clara Potes-Fellow, CSU Spokeswoman,
a predicted minimum of 10,000 new students
(including both transfer and high school)
will be admitted into the spring 2005 semester
at California universities. This is after
a total of 5,300 students were turned away,
according to Diego De Lagarza, Deputy Press
Secretary for Assemblyman Fabian Nunez.
Currently, there are 409,000 students enrolled
in the CSU system.
Although
this recent and unpredicted flow of money
to California colleges is beneficial to
students, Potes-Fellow agreed "that
in comparison to any other years, [this
budget is] the worst."
According
to Deputy Press Secretary, De Lagarza, a
total of $12 million was used to stop the
redirection of students from community colleges
back into the CSU or UC systems.
Another
problem faces both the schools and students
alike: time.
"Unfortunately
we're faced with the trickle-down effect;
the budget was passed so late, that students
had to make their decisions last minute,"
said Joe Cadelago, constituent affairs representative
for Schwarzenneger.
According
to Cadelago, the money was to help the qualified
students get a chance at access into the
schools they wanted, but by now, most have
settled or created a schedule for fall.
Had
California's higher education money not
been given, a 40-year master plan of allowing
all qualified and interested CSU-seekers
into schools would have been broken for
the first time, according to Nick Velasquez,
spokesman for Assemblyman Fabian Nunez.
"Maintaining
commitment to this issue was our number
one concern," Velasquez said. "We
worked for several months with the governor
to achieve this."
Velasquez
also mentioned that the issue of money in
colleges has never gotten so bad that they
were turning students away and redirecting
them to other schools.
"Just
because you were born in a certain year
doesn't mean that you should have to suffer
through this when you've done nothing but
work for it; it's not fair."
Since
CSU's and UC's did receive money for incoming
students and are expecting a significant
enrollment amount, there are issues such
as lack of parking, faculty and classes
to worry current students.
"There
should be the same number of incoming students
as last year, so parking, class availability
and faculty should be about the same as
last year," Maxson said.
Associated
Student President, Mike Johnson, says that
the new money is terrific to students in
receiving a second chance at their first
choice school, but not about the way the
politics went about delivering it.
"I'm
pleased that we're able to accept additional
students," Johnson said. "However
I wish the politics of the situation happened
in a more timely manner."
However,
there is one unanimous agreement throughout
all students, politicians, and educational
providers. Spokesman, Nick Velasquez, said
it best, "Inverting students into colleges
and higher education is investing in tomorrow;
it's critical to get these students in!"
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