Education in California
From an article covering the UC Fees Increase (Los Angeles Times, 20Nov09, written by Larry Gordon and Amina Khan):
'After two increases by next fall, basic UC undergraduate fees will cost $10,302 a year, plus about $1,000 in extra campus charges. Room, board and books can add another $16,000.
UC President Mark G. Yudof said he wanted Californians to know that plenty of financial aid is available. "If people sit around the dining room table and say we can't afford the University of California, then we are in trouble," he said.'
"Then we are in trouble", Mr Yudolf says? I think he's dreaming... People already WERE sitting around the dining room table saying that they couldn't afford the University of California BEFORE this most recent round of fee hikes. And this fat lazy stupid sonofabitch University President wants us to know that "plenty of financial aid" is available? I'd like some of the drugs he's obviously taking, 'cause it's clearly stuff that will make you see and hear things that do NOT exist.... like a supposed abundance of available financial aid.
The question to also ask-- if by financial aid, Mr Yudolf means lots and lots and lots of (non-existant) student loans.... is a UC education really worth being in debt for the REST OF YOUR LIFE trying to pay it off at that ridiculously high price the Regents want to charge for it AFTER SOAKING UP FUNDS from the taxpaying public that should be going to UC in order to make education affordable?
That too is placing a UC education outside of most people's reach... the idea that am I really going to be able to pay back my loans after college if I had to borrow that much to get through it?
Personally-- I'm REALLY WONDERING, with all of the teacher cuts in the California Education System (not just at the UCs), all of the cuts in teacher pay, how come there haven't been more cuts in administrative and bureaucratic staff? And how come Mr Yudolf and his cronies haven't had major cuts in their salaries? I think that's an obvious step that needs to be taken, rather than putting up with cuts everywhere else while fat cats like Mr Yudolf and his cronies on the Board of Regents continue to enjoy their fat salaries year after year with no cuts and no effects on their job, serving themselves at the public trough while essentially stealing money from the taxpayers by doing such a piss-poor job as stewards of our Universities.
As for California and its Education system in general? We're in deep trouble.... the education system is continuously getting screwed, and it's getting down to the point where we are going to be failing most of the people seeking an education in this state. In about 20 or so years of this-- what kind of shithole is California going to be, with all of our young people entering the work force as ignorant, illiterate uneducated savages-- because that's all our schools will be able to turn out after Herr Groppenfuhrer the Governator has finished raping the K-14 system to fix budget deficits now by killing off California's future?
Basically, in this state, we suck.
BTW-- in the interests of proper disclaimers-- yes, a lot of these problems do personally affect me-- I'm a couple of decades out of high school, working trash jobs and trying to get through college, and finding it harder and harder thanks to the constant increases in Education cost and decreases in Education accessibility. But as someone who is studying history, I'm very concerned about how much of a problem our destruction of the K-12 system is going to cause as well.
'After two increases by next fall, basic UC undergraduate fees will cost $10,302 a year, plus about $1,000 in extra campus charges. Room, board and books can add another $16,000.
UC President Mark G. Yudof said he wanted Californians to know that plenty of financial aid is available. "If people sit around the dining room table and say we can't afford the University of California, then we are in trouble," he said.'
"Then we are in trouble", Mr Yudolf says? I think he's dreaming... People already WERE sitting around the dining room table saying that they couldn't afford the University of California BEFORE this most recent round of fee hikes. And this fat lazy stupid sonofabitch University President wants us to know that "plenty of financial aid" is available? I'd like some of the drugs he's obviously taking, 'cause it's clearly stuff that will make you see and hear things that do NOT exist.... like a supposed abundance of available financial aid.
The question to also ask-- if by financial aid, Mr Yudolf means lots and lots and lots of (non-existant) student loans.... is a UC education really worth being in debt for the REST OF YOUR LIFE trying to pay it off at that ridiculously high price the Regents want to charge for it AFTER SOAKING UP FUNDS from the taxpaying public that should be going to UC in order to make education affordable?
That too is placing a UC education outside of most people's reach... the idea that am I really going to be able to pay back my loans after college if I had to borrow that much to get through it?
Personally-- I'm REALLY WONDERING, with all of the teacher cuts in the California Education System (not just at the UCs), all of the cuts in teacher pay, how come there haven't been more cuts in administrative and bureaucratic staff? And how come Mr Yudolf and his cronies haven't had major cuts in their salaries? I think that's an obvious step that needs to be taken, rather than putting up with cuts everywhere else while fat cats like Mr Yudolf and his cronies on the Board of Regents continue to enjoy their fat salaries year after year with no cuts and no effects on their job, serving themselves at the public trough while essentially stealing money from the taxpayers by doing such a piss-poor job as stewards of our Universities.
As for California and its Education system in general? We're in deep trouble.... the education system is continuously getting screwed, and it's getting down to the point where we are going to be failing most of the people seeking an education in this state. In about 20 or so years of this-- what kind of shithole is California going to be, with all of our young people entering the work force as ignorant, illiterate uneducated savages-- because that's all our schools will be able to turn out after Herr Groppenfuhrer the Governator has finished raping the K-14 system to fix budget deficits now by killing off California's future?
Basically, in this state, we suck.
BTW-- in the interests of proper disclaimers-- yes, a lot of these problems do personally affect me-- I'm a couple of decades out of high school, working trash jobs and trying to get through college, and finding it harder and harder thanks to the constant increases in Education cost and decreases in Education accessibility. But as someone who is studying history, I'm very concerned about how much of a problem our destruction of the K-12 system is going to cause as well.