March for Higher Education Platform

1. UCSA supports a $1 billion increase funding for Higher Education in the 2010-2011 Budget, devoting a portion of the additional funding to rollback the fee increases slated to be implemented July 2010. We urge decision makers to press the “reset button,” rolling back fees to 2001 levels.  

2. UCSA supports increasing higher education by reducing prison spending through comprehensive prison reform. California cannot continue to spend more per prisoner than it does per student. Nor should it continue to offer the youth of this state more opportunity to enter the prison system than the higher education system. The time is now to reverse this trend and increase access to higher education for our state’s young people.

3. UCSA supports Assembly Bill 656. The passage of this piece of legislation is vital for the future of this state in that it would bring new revenue to help alleviate the threats to Higher Education. Further, UCSA is seeking strategic revenue raising proposals that will increase funding to higher education and other core budget areas.

4. UCSA supports maintaining the core promises of the 1960 Master Plan in the revision currently in progress, specifically: that California's public higher education institutions should be tuition-free, that their student bodies reflect the diversity of the state of California, and that every Californian have the opportunity to pursue a higher education.

5. UCSA supports protecting the current structure and funding of the California Grant Program. This program is vital to providing an accessible and affordable avenue towards higher education, especially for families who come from low income and historically underrepresented communities. The program's funding secures and solidifies opportunity while bringing out the best in California.