We as students are at a pivotal moment here in the 2012 election. After years of excessive cuts to higher education California’s school system is at a breaking point. Fees have gone up and resources for students have gone down. In a little less than a decade the cost of higher education has risen to unheard of levels.
For comparisons sake, last year California spent $9.6 Billion on the prison system while the UC and CSU system received $5.7 billion. Something isn’t adding up and as students we must rally together and collectively say,
“Enough is enough.”
This coming election we have an opportunity to pass a prop that will raise funds for higher education. That prop is Prop 30 or known as Governor Browns Tax Initiative. It will raise $210 million dollars for community colleges and make room for an additional 20,000 students throughout the state. If the prop fails it will cut an additional $338 million in funding in the middle of the academic year. What does that mean to us, the student?
Fewer students would be allowed to enroll, course offerings would be slashed even further, and adjunct professors (part time instructors) would be laid off adding even more of a burden to us, the student.
Fellow students every moment is a chance waiting to be taken and we are the change we’ve been waiting for. We are the answers and the solution to this dilemma and the time to take on these problems is now. I encourage you all to register to vote and make sure your voice is heard on November 6. We at the SSCCC will continue to advocate on the students’ behalf, however all of us need to come together and ensure that progress is made and that Prop 30 gets passed.
For those interested in volunteering and advocating for Voter Registration and Prop 30 please email me at:
