Read about Diablo III on pg.7
www.theskylineview.com
September 29, 2011
Volume XXX - Issue 3
Read about live musical performance at skyline on pg.3
Read about former skyline basketball player on pg.8
Budget cuts affect transfer students Higher education financial crisis may change Skyline students’ transfer plans By Blair Hardee
The University of California budget crisis could deter California Community College students from transferring there, and is affecting the kind of students the UCs will accept. It’s been a long and difficult road for California higher education institutions, and it appears there will be more struggles ahead. Traditionally, a vast majority of students that transfer into the UC schools are from California Community Colleges. However, with the tuition price hike this year (and more to follow), the University of California system is becoming unattainable for many Skyline students. Skyline students worry about being able to pay their tuition and fees, especially since Skyline implemented its new policy on paying fees before classes start. If this policy carries over to other campuses, there will be serious concerns for students. “This affects me a lot,” said Skyline student Zachary Simon. “Personally, I owe over $600 [to Skyline]… What will happen if I try to transfer to UC Santa Barbara? What if this gets worse?” Already for the fall of 2011, the UCs approved two fee increases. Initially, the budget was set to be raised by 8 percent. But, shortly before the beginning of the fall semester, the Board of Regents voted again to increase the cost by an additional 9.6 percent. The total tuition UC students are paying this year comes out to more than $12,000. When you add books, room and board, and personal expenses, the total cost skyrockets to nearly
Image by Alyssa Koszis //The Skyline View
$30,000 per year. This is certainly not the last time the UCs will raise tuition. Infuriated by the lack of support from the state government, the Board laid out a long-term budget plan that would put the annual fee increase at about16 percent a year. At that rate, students will be paying about $22,000 in tuition by 2015. Combined with all other fees (assuming that those will remain constant, which is highly unlikely), the overall cost would be more than $37,000. “I think that most people in this country and around the world feel that education is a human right,” says Skyline student Micheal Madden. “That’s being chipped away at UC is supposed to be a public education—we’re talking private prices.” USC and Stanford (two of the most expensive private schools in California) cost close to $60,000 a year including all fees and supplies. However, the UC Board of Regents is threatening to continue tuition
government, increases for students would be nonexistent. The scenario in which every student pays the same tuition for four years (or even two) is unfortunately a nearly impossible one. Legislators and even Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom communicated their dissatisfaction with the long-term budget the Board suggested, and urged the UC system to think of other ways to fill the gap in funding. One method may already be in practice. It’s no surprise that California residents make up most of the student body on UC campuses, but since 2009 the number of out-ofstate and international students admitted has markedly increased. One of the most obvious examples of this comes from UC Berkeley. In 2009, only 7.9 percent of the freshman student body was from out of state. In 2010, the percentage of out-of-state students admitted leapt to 18.5 percent, and went even higher (to 21.6 percent) in 2011. Additionally, the percentage of international students
increases, every year until possibly 2015-16. And in addition to these fee increases, classes offered are filling up fast and many students won’t be able to get the ones they need. According to transfer counselor Jacqueline Escobar, the price and short supply of classes are causing many students to consider a private education. The price of the UCs is steadily approaching that of private schools, and Escobar says the size and availability of classes entices many students to look into schools like Santa Clara University and USC. No matter what, the cost of education at the UCs will rise 16 percent per student per year. The hope is that the government will offset that by granting the UCs a percentage of that increase, preferably at least 8 percent. That way, the money out of the students’ pockets would only be 8 percent more than it was before. If, by some unlikely circumstance, the UCs are able to get the entire 16 percent per year from the state
on the campus went from 5.7percent in 2009 to 9.6 percent in 2011. One might wonder why the UCs are suddenly less impenetrable to out-of-staters than they once were. The answer lies in the numbers. Tuition for non-California residents is more than $34,000 (more than $50,000 included fees and expenses), which is a staggering $23,000 more than what Californians pay to attend. While the UCs remain committed to allowing space for transfer students, the statistics clearly show that the UCs are rejecting in-state students in favor of non-residents who will pay more. The budget crisis is making it harder for Californians to complete their educations, for more reasons than one. It’s uncertain now, as it has been, how the crisis will be resolved and what the consequences will be for the higher education system. Time has run out for the budget to be approved, and every institution and program in the state is feeling the heat.
Trustee meeting predicts dire cuts Concerns over district voiced By Matt Pacelli The SMCCCD Board of Trustees adopted the final form of the 2011-2012 district budget in their bi-monthly meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 21. The budget projected a bleak outlook for Skyline College, CSM, and Canada College, all of which are already struggling with program cancellation and rising costs among the current financial situation. The budget projected that future restrictions on programs will be unavoidable in the near future, and basic aid may be required to maintain operation. Among possible scenarios where the district would be subject to cuts is the situation in which the state’s “trigger” systems are enacted. Separated into tiers one and two, the cuts would be triggered if sufficient state
revenue is not generated. Tier one merits a $30 million cut from the district, while tier two would bring a $102 million cut. Board Vice President and Clerk David Mandelkern voiced his concerns over the district’s financial future, questioning the district’s ability to maintain three campuses amid rampant fiscal challenges. “Given the ongoing budget cuts, how is it feasible to keep three functioning campuses, less than one million away from basic aid?” asked Mandelkern to the other board members. “Even a major earthquake could do us in.” Fellow board member and Executive Vice Chancellor Kathy Blackwood fielded his question, feeling that the basic aid would be a useful fallback in keeping the district functioning. “If we have cuts next year, which
taken from
Board of Trustee Members, from left to right:Richard Holober, Dave Mandelkern and Barry Jointer.
we probably will, hopefully the basic aid will help” said Blackwood. “We’re doing well compared to a lot of other districts.” Some programs which have already been marked for discontinuation include CSM’s American Sign Language classes, which CSM President Michael Clair said, “Will be cut [ASL] permanently.” While Skyline’s own sign lan-
guage program remains intact, the campus’s child care program is under threat of discontinuation. The board of trustees will have a special meeting to discuss possible means to avoid cutting the program during their next study session on Oct 12. Despite the dire situation faced by the district, an extension on fee increases was also enacted. Under the revised date, fees will be
SMCCCD Board of Trustees website
increased from $36 to $46 dollars in June of 2012, as opposed to their original start date of January 2012. The final form of the district’s budget is available online on the SMCCD Board of Trustees page, under the Sept. 21 board packet section. Meetings and study sessions are open to the general public, and dates are also available on the website.