By Greg Marchetto
The UC Regents will vote this Thursday on a bill that would result in indefinite yearly tuition increases if passed. The news comes on the heels of record levels of inflation under the Biden administration, as well as indefinite gas tax increases within the state of California. Despite paying the highest tax rates of any state, California citizens can’t seem to catch a break with increased costs despite paying for the UC system through taxes.
Californians have had to fight for the integrity of the UC system as of late. In November, Proposition 16 attempted to remove California’s ban on affirmative action, which has been in place for 24 years. Despite being an overtly racist policy, most Universities around the country use affirmative action to “diversify” their student body. This practice has led to disproportionate discrimination for certain ethnic groups; the DOJ found last year that Asian and white applicants had a one-eighth to one-fourth chance of being admitted to a similar applicant of African-American descent at Yale University. Additionally, UC admissions abolished consideration of the SAT/ACT standardized testing, which has been a long-standing method to measure a student’s aptitude.
This week, UC-wide policy mandated that all students must be vaccinated before arriving on campus this fall. Besides medical and religious exemptions, the UC system is forcing students to take the non-approved FDA vaccine, not allowing for individual choice.
If this bill were to pass, the cost of UC tuition would expand by $2,500 by 2026. The cost hike comes despite an additional $1.3 billion added to the UC budget. On Thursday, the Regents will have a choice to make, whether or not they will continue to upcharge tax-payers.
Photo via Shutterstock/Stanislavskyi
