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Volume 30 · Number 1 · Fall 2012

Higher Education: Reactions

Students:

“I know that a lot of my friends have had to increase their (student) loans, and that’s hindering them, because a job is not guaranteed after school.”

— Nneka Umeh, a fourth-year psychology and biology double major from San Leandro.

“It hasn’t affected me very much at all. Before starting college and before each quarter and each year, I applied for a lot of scholarships, and I’ve been able to pay for the vast majority of college on my own. I understand, though, how it affects a lot of people. My advice … is to be better informed about how to pay for college.”

— Thaddeus Leavens, a senior Spanish major from Rocklin.

“Over the years it’s become increasingly difficult [to pay for college] … We need to invest now in higher education. We are the future. We are going to innovate and things will be more productive over time.”

— Sergio Cano, a fourth-year student from Los Angeles majoring in mathematics and economics.

“I favor the state funding of education … I think education is one of the basic rights of human beings, and education is what leads to societal evolvement and development.”

— Cecilia Lugon, an international law student from Brazil.

Alumni:

“I was scared [about rising tuition]. I think the state should really allocate more money to higher education. I had two friends who left UC Davis their freshman year because of the cost of education.”

— Kevin Leung ’12, a civil engineering major from Fremont.

“It feels like students are bearing the brunt of the burden when it comes to higher education.”

— Nefretiri Cooley-Broughton ’96, director of UC Davis Student Affairs marketing and communications.

Parents:

“I’ve had several friends who have had to work second jobs, who have had husbands work second jobs, to educate their children … Most of the ‘dream schools’ in California are UCs, and they’ve worked very hard to get [their children enrolled] there. You feel like you want to give that to your child so badly because they’ve worked so hard. It’s a desperate situation.”

— Julie Leavens-Hupp, parent of Thaddeus Leavens, from Rocklin.

“Every time I see something on the news about more [student fee] hikes, I just cringe. I know we’re going to have to take a lot of cutbacks in our own lives ... in order to reduce that debt for her. The cost of a college education is so tremendous.”

— Tracy Neill, parent of first-year student Ashleigh Heer, from Rocklin.

Faculty:

“Higher education is certainly not the only trouble spot with respect to the effect of funding cuts in California, and the state faces growing problems across a wide spectrum of issues and issue areas. The university needs to respond in both word and deed to demonstrate its historical and continuing contributions to the resolution of these problems.”

— Robert Huckfeldt, professor of political science and the director of the UC Center Sacramento.

“Raising student tuition eventually will ensure that only the affluent — or the very poor through financial aid — will be able to attend.”

— Winder McConnell, professor emeritus of German and former director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at UC Davis.

 

Back to main story, "The Uncertain Fate of Higher Education"

 

| Last updated: Sept. 18, 2012

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