Cal State Campus

* Re “Cal State Campus Backers Run Into 1st Setback,” April 12.

As a resident of Ventura County and a retired college educator, I have been keenly aware of the need for a state university in this county.

Many of our graduating high school students fail to go to college, or attend a community college for only two years. One reason for this is that, outside of the [Cal State Northridge] satellite campus in Ventura, there is no nearby campus of the Cal State University system.

I have visited the Camarillo State Hospital and I believe it is a perfect setting for a state university. It is my understanding that both the initial cost and the subsequent financing of the new university will be considerably less than that of most other new universities. This is so because it is much, much cheaper to convert an existing campus than to build one from the ground up.

Moreover, the plan devised by President Handel Evans and his advisors whereby the university would generate much of the revenue required to run it would, over the long run, save California taxpayers millions of dollars.

What I find most surprising is that the local government committee has stalled the project. Can’t they see that the [Cal State Channel Islands] plan could become a model for financing colleges and universities in the future? Are they against saving the taxpayers millions of dollars?

I hope that the committee will see the light and let this new university get going.

RICHARD E. GOODMAN

Member, CSUCI Ad Hoc

Advisory Committee

Camarillo