By snoadmin
It is worrisome to think of each campus in the UC system having complete autonomy. If they did, each UC campus could set their own tuition, how many out of state students they could enroll, control some investments and approve new campus construction.
A new proposal released by UC Berkeley leaders is pushing for the ten UC campuses to have complete autonomy.
Under the proposal, the Board of Regents would still maintain power over admission standards, state funding and top appointments but each campus would gain more control over their own matters.
The plan would work in favor of the more popular UC schools. More sought after schools like UC Berkeley and UCLA could charge higher tuition towards California applicants without the worry of missing out on top students.
If they wanted, UC campuses could start accepting more out-of-state applicants than Californians because they have to pay more tuition as it is.
Accepting more out-of-state students would benefit campuses that are strapped for money due to the poor state of the economy, but it would be unfair for California students who want to go to school locally.
Under this proposal, the UC system could see their income skyrocket. Even with the economic crisis, students still want to come to California for an education.
With the extra money, the UC campuses would be able to buy new equipment and provide students with top professors. All of those would be great for the universities, but not all students would benefit.
As much as these institutions deserve to have better financial stability, it shouldn’t come at the cost of the students.
The annual cost of a UC is currently between $25,000 to $30,000. Under the autonomy plan, each campus could choose whether to raise this rate.
This may not affect rich students, whose parents will still be able to fork over the extra cash for their child’s education.
Also, it may not affect lower income students who will receive grants to pay of the extra tuition.
The people mostly affected will be middle-class students. Their parents make too much money to get financial aid, but they do not make enough money to pay for a college education annually.
This will deter many middle-class students-who have been longing to go to a UC-because it’s too expensive. It will not be worth racking up the extra cash in student loans that middle-class students will have to pay off later.
Since more middle-class students would be seeking other options, the UC campuses could see a drastic change in their diversity. There would be an influx in rich students and lower-income students, as well as out-of-state students.
Complete autonomy is a tempting option. If UC campuses become autonomous they should make sure as many students as possible benefit.
Having varying standards could hurt middle-class students looking to gain acceptance into the UC system. Having too many variables among the UC campuses could change the way students are admitted into these schools. In this economic climate, universities should focus on opening their doors to as many students as possible.
