Increase in UC Student Fees
Rather than viewing the increase in fees for the University of California as a serious problem, it should be used as an incentive to examine the purpose of higher education and how it is supported by the state of California. With an average annual income of $50,000, the parents of UC students are richer than the average California resident, so the large state subsidy for higher education is an example of a government transfer to the relatively wealthy.
A more equitable approach would set UC tuition at closer to the true cost of education and have a strong, need-based scholarship program to allow lower-income students to meet the increased tuition costs. Current approaches are a piecemeal attempt to solve the immediate problem rather than an attempt to strengthen the education system that is necessary to produce citizens who can solve the problems of our society, both today and in the future.
KEITH PRICE
Los Angeles
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
