全英文帖期待回复 a UC Berkeley student comment on Sep 24th Walk out

helenjihang2003UID: 2250035

Hey eveyone, this is my first post in Gters. I'm currently a sophomore at UC Berkeley, and I really want to report on the Faculty Walkout on Sep 24th 09 since it is such a crucial event not only for Berkeley students and faculty but also for UC-bound campuses overall. I would really appreciate to hear any comments regarding to this post. Thank you all.

Who will accept the fact that attending one of the University of California schools could cost more than $10,000 next year just for tuition? The U.C. Regents will sit down calmly to talk about a possible increase for the upcoming spring term and next fall ignoring the fact that some students and their parents say they can't afford to pay an extra $2,000 to $3,000. Then what about the tuition to international students?

The tuition is already as high as 28000 dollars per year, so what’s the difference between UC system and other prestigious Ivy League schools in terms of tuition? Does this money hike really substantiate “expedient” learning and researching environment for students?

President Yudof’s speech about potential 32% increase in tuition, and certainly irritated a large number of students and parents. In consequence, on Sep 24th, 09, cameras, UCPD officers and thousands of red armbands, an estimated 5,000 members of UC Berkeley and neighboring communities demonstrated on campus in a strong showing of opposition to the state's disinvestment in the University of California. Some of the former faculty members gave speech on Lower Sproul about their disappointment about the administrative office of UC system. Most of them won compassion and understanding from students who were listening to their speeches by receiving continuous loud exclamations and applause from them.

The reckless fee increase, along with the destructive cuts already being felt on campuses across the state, undermines the benefits from both students and faculty. In reality in a recession higher education should be expanding its offerings, hiring more professors and letting in more students in, instead of moving away incentives for students to continue stay on the campus. I heard another international student at Lower Sproul “If UC increases the tuition, there’s no point for me to stay at Berkeley. Why not going to Harvard? “The term in Economics “Substitution effect” is showing more clearly than ever before. If the education offered cannot match the tuition paid, why not choose a perfect substitute, which is “private schools” in this case. Same for faculty, if UC System cannot keep those elite in their field, how long would reputation for strong in research keep? This protest is just the opening shot in a long battle to save not only higher education in California, but the state's future.

Without question, witnesses and walkout participants could sense enthusiasm and excitement among rally-goers, made up of students, faculty and workers. UC Berkeley had the highest number of protesters system wide. And in these regards, it was undoubtedly a success.

What else can we do as students? We could ONLY protest, and aggregate our strength to fight against harm of our own interest. Luckily, much of our interest is bond with faculties’, and therefore, we are able to be powerful to stand on the opposite side to the Regents. Since education is so essential, why do we doubt that “if once California put more money on prison than on education, we can clearly say that California has no future.”

It is people’s university, and I really hope UC Berkeley would maintain its reputation as impartial and beneficial for her own students and faculty members and thus attract more outstanding international students like you all to apply to Berkeley.

helenjihang2003UID: 2250035

we should really look at the financial aspects of UC system.

水狐狸UID: 2283710

what about in-state tuition?

水狐狸UID: 2283710

UCs are state-funded and they couldn't care less about international students.

Given the tough economic situation, almost every school is or thinking about tuition and fees increase. However, a sudden 10k increment is still crazy since most school keep the rate of increase somewhere less than 10 percents.

Personally, I would suggest you transfer out.

jiang08UID: 2391146

too long...