CA colleges threaten potential students / no new taxes=fewer students admitted

[tsai3904]

This is pretty outrageous.

Cal State plans to send a letter to applicants saying, in effect, their chances for admission are higher if the tax hike on the Nov. 6 ballot passes. Tax foes say that's illegal.

Hundreds of thousands of applicants to California State University campuses this year will be receiving a warning instead of the typical warm note thanking them for their interest.

The spots they are hoping to fill next year, the prospective students will be cautioned, could evaporate if the governor's push to raise taxes in November fails. The letter also will say no admissions decisions will be made until a few weeks after the election, a departure from the usual policy of notifying applicants beginning in October.

The likely take-away: Vote Yes on Proposition 30 to help boost your prospects.

"Because enrollment capacity is tied to the amount of available state funding, the campuses will be able to admit more applicants if Proposition 30 passes and fewer applicants if the proposition fails," says a draft of a letter to be emailed to applicants at CSU Monterey Bay starting Oct. 1.

If the measure passes, it says, "the CSU budget would be less likely subject to cuts, and potentially could be increased in future years." The missive notes that the Board of Trustees has endorsed Proposition 30 and includes a link to the Yes on 30 campaign.

The next, and final, line of the letter contains the only acknowledgment of arguments against Proposition 30 in the form of a link to the No campaign.

Every CSU campus will send out a similar letter, university officials said. Most of the prospective students are also potential voters, but the officials vehemently denied any political undertones in their message.

More:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...0,982861.story


Proposition 30 is THE top issue every California Democrat will be focusing on in the November ballot. If you are in California, make yourself knowledgeable about the issue and spread the word.

Here are some facts:

-Prop 30 raises taxes on individuals who make more than $250,000 for the next seven years. Individuals who make $500k will pay 10% more in taxes while someone making $1 million will be paying 21.5% more in taxes. The state personal income tax rate is already one of the highest in the nation.

-Prop 30 raises taxes on EVERYONE. It increases the state sales tax by around 3% (depending on what county you are in) for the next four years. The state sales tax rate is already the highest in the nation. Nearly everything you buy in California will be 3% more expensive. How many people have gotten a 3% raise lately?

-Governor Brown decided to tie the tax proposal to school funds. The state can easily prioritize their spending and choose to cut education last but it was the Governor's decision to hold education funds hostage with this proposition.

These tax hikes on our already high personal income tax and state sales tax will drive business out of California and will not structurally fix education.

Here's the legislative analysis of Prop 30:
http://vig.cdn.sos.ca.gov/2012/gener...m-analysis.pdf

Here's the Stop Prop 30 website:
http://www.stopprop30.com/

[thoughtomator]

bend over or we'll take away your debt slavery

[sailingaway]

well, of course. It is always the stuff the people want they say must be cut if they don't get new taxes, never the corporate boondoggles. High speed rail comes to mind.

[alucard13mmfmj]

My tuition a few years ago was paid off by Cal Grant and Pell Grant. I did had leftover after each quarter, which is used to partially pay for 1-2 month of rent.

Screw them. They increase tuition by 8-10% every 1-2 years. Even though tuition increased, its still hard to get into classes you need. Either class gets full or school decides to only hold the class once a year. 150-300 people lecture halls. Didnt have paper to print out fliers/homework/worksheet for students so students gotta pony up.

They make you pay for student activities in advance every quarter, even though you might or might not participate in any.

[Jordan Liberty]

I love California but the state government really needs to get their $#@! together. I'm lucky to have graduated and am out of the CA university system (though I still have those student loans to pay) but I worry for CA's youth because they're giving an arm and leg for a piece of paper that isn't as valuable as it used to be.