2008 Woodie Awards
Prop 92 could mean lower tuition at Mesa
Leah Levin
Issue date: 11/13/07 Section: News
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In the coming elections in February, Proposition 92 is on the ballot. If the vote passes it will allow community colleges lower their unit price and will guarantee their system of funding will be independent from state politics. It also limits the rise in future fees to the cost of living, and requires that students be notified before fees rise, which means no more mid-year surprises for students.
In 2003-04 The California State Legislature had doubled community college students fees as well as cut the state's contribution for the colleges. That meant students would be paying more to attend classes at community colleges.
The budget battle for community colleges had began in 1979 with Proposition 13. This imposed important limits on property taxes that community colleges' primary sources of funding. The result was in 2004 305,000 fewer students were enrolled in California community colleges when the tuition went up that year.
Masih Ebrahim who is one of the senators on the student government on Mesa said how important for students to register to vote for Prop 92. The Associated Student Government at Mesa had booths all around Mesa on Nov. 5-8 to encourage students to register to vote. Californians have till Jan. 22, 2008, to register to vote for the primary elections in February.
Even though the booths are gone, this doesn't mean people can't register to vote in the election this February.
The objective for community college is to be able to give every Californian an opportunity to receive a degree with no financial worries. Two-thirds of CSU graduates and one-third of UC graduates begin their college careers at a community college.
Community colleges have been beneficial for students by helping them transfer to a four-year university and provide instruction in basics skills people might lack. The goal of Prop 92 is to help these students and be able to guarantee stability in future community college funding.
"It would be a great idea to vote for it, I would vote for it," said Mesa student Roya Rasoulzadeh.
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