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Schwarzenegger
restores some hope to universities
Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger has decided to bestow
upon the California State University system
$40.3 million to increase enrollment and
fund programs.
What
we seem to have forgotten is that funding
was cut from the colleges last year and
that students last year were force to pay
a 40 percent budget hike.
Where
was this education-friendly governor last
year when students paid tuition hikes, numerous
classes were cut and academic programs such
as the Educational Opportunity Program have
faced possible elimination?
The
$40.3 million given to higher education
is actually the state returning some of
the money it so easily took away from education
and the state is being praised immensely
for it.
The
images of about 25 peole holding signs that
said, "Promises kept" that praised
the newly approved budget are slightly reminiscent
of the rally held against budget cuts. Many
of you remember the "Walk Out, Teach
In" that prompted a large crowd to
gather and march around campus in protest
of the budget cuts.
The
crowd demonstrated its views loudly by stomping
through hallways and buildings asking students
to leave class to join the protest. The
budget still shrunk, but the students did
get the word out that they do pay attention
to these issues and they were not happy.
Despite
Schwarzenegger's "promise kept"
that was celebrated on Friday it should
be kept in mind that the university is still
having to cut funding for a few more years
before they might get full funding returned.
The way the deficit is looking now, it will
be a long time before that happens.
It
is certainly nice that the current state
administration is giving some money back
to the schools but education has taken a
hard hit and continues to bleed as the state
attempts to lessen the deficit.
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