Chancellor must fight for low student fees

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Chancellor Albert Carnesale seems to think as long as the cost
of attending UCLA remains cheaper than other universities, students
should recognize the “bargain” they are getting. In a
recent interview with The Bruin, Carnesale acknowledged that he
understands the difficulties increasing fees would bring to
students. But Carnesale neglected to mention how he would lobby in
order to prevent this from happening.

The failure of Gov. Gray Davis and the state to hold up their
end of the bargain in the partnership with the university ““
which calls for an increase in funding by 4 percent a year ““
is at least partially responsible for the UC’s scrapping for
money. Had this guarantee been prioritized and kept, the question
of raising fees may have been avoided. But it wasn’t, and now
we to have become victims of the state’s economic downturn.
The need to reduce non-essential programs is understandable given
the state’s constraints, but raising registration fees is the
place to draw the line. Students can do without certain support
programs, but a fundamental problem exists if they cannot afford to
be here in the first place. It is Carnesale’s job to think
about the long-term future of all aspects of the university;
raising student fees may seem like an unavoidable option given the
need to account for the state budget. But the chancellor must not
forget UCLA is made up of individuals ““ and an increase in
registration fees will hurt many of them.

Even if we are only temporary inhabitants of the campus,
students deserve a chancellor who will go to bat for us when we
need him to. He must use his unique position of power to protect
us, because in the end it’s not about what other schools are
charging. It’s about what we’re charging. And as the
cost of being a student increases, we need all the help we can
get.