Csu Budget Cuts
High Costs for Cutting Education: Opposing the CSU Budget Cuts
I. Introduction It is no secret that California’s state university system is facing cuts across the board as a result of tough economic times. Those who approve of these cuts have valid arguments but fail to look at the negative results from lowering funds for higher education. There will be an increase in people within the lower income earners as a result of these cuts. High school graduates with the potential to attend a university will be intimidated to apply because of high tuition costs. Education will be easily accessible for the wealthy but more difficult for those from lower incomes to attend. Current students are less likely to graduate as costs rise due to budget reduction. A high rate of retiring baby boomers results in an increasingly high demand for professionals; with less college graduates these positions are less likely to be filled. Also, there will be many jobs lost among those who work within the system. Knowing the negative effects of the California State University budget reduction, evidence will be provided throughout this report to address those in favor of Governor Brown’s new balanced budget resulting in $500 million taken away from the CSU system. (California State University Employee Update. 24 September 2012. www.calstate.edu)
II. Arguments Addressed The first argument made in favor of these high cuts is the issue of the free rider. A free rider can be defined as someone who is continuously taking advantage of public goods offered but rarely contributes to help provide these public goods. It is assumed that students are using public funds to get a free-ride. “Why should I have to pay taxes for a university that I do not attend?” This is a question that is asked frequently and brings up the issue of the free-rider. Lack of funding or public support towards education affects the entire community, not just the individual. The benefits of dividing up the costs of higher
I. Introduction It is no secret that California’s state university system is facing cuts across the board as a result of tough economic times. Those who approve of these cuts have valid arguments but fail to look at the negative results from lowering funds for higher education. There will be an increase in people within the lower income earners as a result of these cuts. High school graduates with the potential to attend a university will be intimidated to apply because of high tuition costs. Education will be easily accessible for the wealthy but more difficult for those from lower incomes to attend. Current students are less likely to graduate as costs rise due to budget reduction. A high rate of retiring baby boomers results in an increasingly high demand for professionals; with less college graduates these positions are less likely to be filled. Also, there will be many jobs lost among those who work within the system. Knowing the negative effects of the California State University budget reduction, evidence will be provided throughout this report to address those in favor of Governor Brown’s new balanced budget resulting in $500 million taken away from the CSU system. (California State University Employee Update. 24 September 2012. www.calstate.edu)
II. Arguments Addressed The first argument made in favor of these high cuts is the issue of the free rider. A free rider can be defined as someone who is continuously taking advantage of public goods offered but rarely contributes to help provide these public goods. It is assumed that students are using public funds to get a free-ride. “Why should I have to pay taxes for a university that I do not attend?” This is a question that is asked frequently and brings up the issue of the free-rider. Lack of funding or public support towards education affects the entire community, not just the individual. The benefits of dividing up the costs of higher
Bibliography: Adams, Justin. California State University Should Learn a Lesson from Economics. Fox and Hound Daily. 30 March 2012. www.foxandhounddaily.com. California State Assembly. Are the Governor’s Education Trigger Cuts Necessary?. California Budget Fact Check. arc.asm.ca.gov/budgetfactcheck. California State University. California’s Return on Investment in the CSU. Press Release. 2010. www.calstate.edu. California State University Employee Update. 24 September 2012. www.calstate.edu. Governor 's Budget for California State University Calls for Deep Cuts. Public Affairs of California State University. 10 January 2011. www.calstate.edu. Johnson, Hans. UC and USU Enrollments Fall with Budget Cuts. San Francisco Gate. 22 June 2012. www.sfgate.com. Leauge of Women Voters of California. Temporary Taxes to Fund Education. Guaranteed Local Public Safety Funding. League of Women Voters of California Education Fund. 06 November 2012. www.cavotes.org/vote. Smith, Charlie. Defunding Higher Education. Daily Californian. May 2012. www.ppic.org. Tse, Archie. Weschkul, Ben. Income by Education. New York Times. 2005. www.nytimes.com.