January: UC Regents

Illustration: Helga Salinas

The UC Board of Regents recently voted to raise tuition for the second time in two years. Now the average student will see a rate hike of almost $900 a year, making UC tuition three times higher than it was a decade ago.

Recent estimates indicate the UC will lose $500 million in funding. The UC system is looking for all possible ways to decrease spending. Many sacrifices must be made in a recession, but the one thing that’s never sacrificed is the salary of our UC officials.

The UC Board of Regents recently approved over $150,000 in pay raises , reducing the already shrinking state contributions to the university. In the last two years there have been rate increases for executives, and at the same time they announce furlough days for other faculty and staff.

With salaries ranging from $200,000-$900,000, the regents should be able to do just fine in this economic climate. But recently, 36 regents threatened to sue the UC system because they have not received a raise in their benefits as promised in 1999.
Thank you, regents. You are the perfect example of hypocrisy in our system.

Anyone can understand the need to take care of one’s family. But when some of you are making more than the president of the United States, and the average American is in debt for student loans and is unable to find a job, it’s pretty difficult to feel sorry for you.

Honestly, students should be asking you for college loans. Come on, a year’s tuition at a UC isn’t even 10% of your monthly income. You know, in these hard times, we all need to make sacrifices.