Increased enrollment necessitates increased attention, funding

By Kevin Sabo | Special to the Daily Cal

In a system composed of almost a quarter million students and on the verge of adding thousands more, it is easy to feel like just a number. That is why I spoke with concern last week when the UC Board of Regents heard a proposal to enroll an additional 10,000 in-state undergraduate students over the next four years and 600 graduate students by the 2016-17 school year. This level of accelerated growth deserves a careful approach.

This move, approved by the regents, is happening within a larger context of Californians and our elected officials demanding more seats at the university be opened for students who graduate and transfer from California high schools and community colleges. The state promised a $25 million funding increase if the system can increase in-state undergraduate enrollment by 5,000 by fall 2016. On the surface, this is a win for California, its residents and the UC system. More students can access a world-class education, while the university serves its public mission and collects much-needed revenue. But I have to ask: Will all of these new students have everything they need to succeed?

I hope that in budgets and negotiations, our administrators and elected officials do not forget the details that matter to students. It will be a long time before I forget the stories told to me by UC Santa Cruz students living in their cars and the forest around campus, by UC Merced students lining up for meetings with counselors driven in from other campuses after this month’s tragedy and by UC Berkeley students sitting on the floor in Wheeler Hall because of packed or broken desks. Our housing, mental health services and classrooms are already stretching to accommodate students who cannot afford or cannot access on-campus services. A budget that fails to address these issues will only diminish the quality of the education we receive.

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[Source]: Daily Californian