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The
Skyline View The Voice of Skyline College, San Bruno, California
Volume XXXXIII
February 26, 2015
Happy Lunar New Year
www.theskylineview.com
Sexual assault bill introduced New bill addresses off-campus assaults and their offenders. by Laurel B. Lujan TSV staff writer
Max Maller/The Skyline View
Skyline students enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of Chinese New Year. Skyline student, Christopher Lawrence, dons a traditional dragon costume for the ceremonies. Read the full story on page 5.
UC tuition hike postponed by Max Maller TSV staff writer
The University of California system will not increase its tuition this summer, according to UC President Janet Napolitano in an announcement on Feb. 18. Napolitano and the UC Board of Regents have faced increasing ire since their announcement in November that UC tuition would go up by five percent per year starting this year. Last week’s unexpected delay is designed to appease current and prospective students, who perceive the increases as an affront. “We are doing this as a good faith gesture, optimistic that the ongoing negotiations will bear fruit,” Napolitano said in her address, which took place at the University of Southern California. “It is our conviction that all parties engaged in these negotiations want tuition to be as low as possible, and as predictable as possible.” In April, Gov. Jerry Brown promised to invest more revenue from the state’s general fund in helping the UC system cover costs, as long as the UC agreed not to
increase tuition. Brown has been locked in negotiations with UC leadership for months over the proposed tuition spike. “We continue to work closely with the University of California and the legislature on a budget proposal that reduces the university’s cost structure, while increasing access and quality,” Brown’s spokesman, Evan Westrup, said. Despite cooperation at high levels, there has been no significant referendum to involve students in the proposal for fee increases. On Feb. 8, the University of California Student Association passed a symbolic vote of no confidence in Brown. The unanimous vote was indicative of the overwhelming tension that persists between students, Napolitano, and the Governor. Students currently pay 6 percent more of the system’s core budget than the state does. According to the UC Berkeley student newspaper, The Daily Californian, if the state contributed more significantly to education, it would make the planned tuition increases unnecessary.
Speaking to USC students, Napolitano noted that state funding for the UC system remains the same in constant dollars as it was in 1997, despite an increase of 75,000 students to the system’s registry. “That’s the statistical equivalent of adding an additional UCLA and UC Berkeley into the mix without receiving a dime more from the state,” she said. Many Skyline students hope to transfer their Associate degrees to the UC system. Increasingly, people are struggling to reconcile their educational desires with economic realities. “I was thinking about if I do get into Berkeley,” Lovepreet Sangha, a third-year computer science major, said. “Berkeley’s expensive. Not only that, but the cost of living there is really expensive too, compared to schools like Davis or Riverside or Merced. So that does make an impact. If we’re not able to pay for (tuition and cost of living), we pretty much can’t go to the school of our choice, because it’s too expensive or we can’t afford to live there.”
On Feb. 6, California Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson introduced a bill that could authorize California community colleges to discipline students with suspension or expulsion for offcampus conduct. These conducts include sexual assault, sexual harassment, arson, stalking, hazing, physical/domestic abuse and other serious violations. The bill is intended to give the victims of these assaults a peace of mind and to enforce good behavior on and off campus. It is also meant to grant California Community colleges the ability to enact the same disciplinary action for serious offenses offcampus as schools in the CSU and UC systems. “A lot of times, victims are not heard,” ESOL professor Serena Chu-Mraz said. “Sexual assault has been a serious issue on college campuses and this bill
would promote more awareness.” Giving a voice to the victims and potential victims is what is driving the bill. However, there are concerns of it being too harsh. “I could see both sides,” biology technician Kylin Johnson said. “Obviously you want justice to be served, but I don’t think you should take away education because it prolongs the cycle. That (bill) shouldn’t be a punishment, since violence breeds violence. They won’t have an opportunity to change themselves.” According to Crisis Connection Inc., 75 percent of rapes in colleges happen off campus, and 90 percent of those on campus involve perpetrators who were known by the victims. There is an existing law that prohibits a community college student from being removed, suspended or expelled, unless the conduct for which the student is being disciplined is related to college activity or attendance.
Textbook prices lead to struggles by Laurel B. Lujan TSV staff writer
Students in college have turned to cheaper ways to attain required materials by buying them used, getting them online via sites like Amazon or purchasing them from other students. However, when all else fails, some students have turned to pirating books. According to the Government Accountability Office studies it is shown that from 2002-2012 the prices of textbooks have skyrocketed to 82 percent from their original price. Just as pirating hurts the musicians and the artists who have had their work pirated, authors of books and required texts are going through the same thing today. Although profits are not being made, students are getting their required materials in order to pass their classes. When asked about the moral-
ity of pirating textbooks, Skyline student Oscar Cortez spoke about the financial circumstances of students. “Legally no… but considering that half of the school is broke or at least the students are, and it is one way to get the resources we need to become successful,” said Cortez about whether it is right to pirate textbooks. As for the local Skyline bookstore, it is connected to the café, the print shop, it makes its sales through books, merchandise (such as clothing), binders and various other products. It may seem that it affects the store by itself but it actually affects the school as a whole. “It doesn’t hurt us” says Kevin Chak, the Skyline book store manager. “It hurts students for clubs and activities which profit from the
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