CSUN University News Clippings

UCI resumes classes today with deep money woes

(September 25, 2009)

By Gary Robbins
Published: 09/24/09

The fall quarter begins today at UC Irvine, where some faculty might stage a one-day walkout. Many professors are upset that furloughs were imposed throughout the University of California system to save money and help the state balance its budget. There’s also a faculty hiring freeze at UCI that’s expected to lead to higher teaching loads and bigger classes, in some areas.

Such changes haven’t solved all of the system’s money problems. The UC says it has a $1 billion budget shortfall that could rise to $1.2 billion next year. That’s why the UC Board of Regents will decide in November whether to increase student fees by 30 percent. Such an increase could raise fees at least $1,344 for undergraduates who are residents of California. And the raise follows a fee hike in May that averages 9.3 percent for undergraduates.

Here are answers to some common questions about the UC’s financial situation.

Q: How likely is it that Regents will raise fees 30 percent?
A: It’s likely, but not guaranteed. UC President Mark Yudof says he supports the “painful” increases as one way of preserving the quality of the system. The Regents will probably approve the idea; they have few other options.

Q: What impact would a 30 percent fee hike have on a school like UCI?

A: The answer isn’t entirely clear. The hike would probably mean that furloughs for faculty and staff would end in September 2010. UCI also might be able to resume hiring faculty and give merit pay increases. But many students would face a large financial burden that’s part of fundamental change in the way the UC operates. A greater percentage of cost is being shifted directly to students, rather than coming from the state. Yudof has said that the UC is becoming less of a “freeway to higher education” than an academic “tollroad” for students.

Q: Will students get additional financial aid to cope with costs?

A: One-third of the proposed fee increase would be devoted to financial aid. UCI Chancellor Michael Drake says, “There is a mitigation plan under which students from families earning less than $60,000 will have no increase.” The family income threshold might rise to $70,000 next year. And Drake says increases in “programs such as the Pell Grants, along with changes in tax credits available to middle class families,” will enable most students who need aid to get at least some help. The UC also wants to provide further relief through additional scholarship money, but its unclear whether the system can raise the funds.

Q: Will UCI students have a harder time getting classes they need?

A: UCI reduced freshmen enrollment by about 500 for the fall. But the university is still likely to have more than 27,000 students, and there will be fewer classes. UCI says it plans to offer roughly 6 percent fewer sections of lower-division general education classes this fall, compared to last year. Its unclear which disciplines will be hit the hardest, but they’re likely to include the humanities and social sciences.

Q: Will it take students longer to get the classes they need to earn a degree?

A: Drake says, “We will do everything we can to get the classes students need to graduate on time.” That’s a pledge, not a guarantee. UCI, like other UC campuses, isn’t fully funded by the state for the number of students it has. And the campus is under growing pressure to add classes because the university’s prestige and more students are applying. That creates a supply-and-demand problem. UCI might not be able to supply all of the classes students demand.

Q: Has the furlough program led to a “brain drain” at UCI? Are lots of talented faculty getting angry and leaving?

A: That’s hard to quantify, but it doesn’t appear that a large number of professors has left due to the system’s financial problems. Drake says, “We always have a certain level of attrition. We have a more difficult time retaining faculty (when the economy is bad.) But the University of California is not the only higher education system that’s facing awful budget cuts. There is less hiring going on, but we’re doing everything we can to support and retain faculty

Publication: Orange County Register