Political science major Caitlyn Whitney thinks it's a disgrace that students cannot afford college.
"We deserve to have an affordable education system," Whitney said. "Why don't we?"
But instead of just grumbling to herself and fellow students, she is doing something about it. Whitney is the lead organizer for Students and Families for Tuition Relief Now at Cal State Fullerton.
The group is sponsoring California's first-ever student-led ballot initiative, already filed with the attorney general. Whitney said she connected with to the group through the various student organizations she is already involved with.
"I was really excited that someone was taking action," Whitney said. "It's a great way to bring the focus back on education instead of the schools. I think it's an extraordinary step. I'm so happy to be part of a solution."
The proposition calls for a freeze on tuition for five years for resident undergraduates in both the UCs and CSUs. Future tuition increases would not be allowed to exceed the inflation index after the first five years.
Revenue will be raised through a 1 percent tax on income over $1 million. The proposition will also require UC and CSU administrators to report to a citizens' panel of students and parents on how the new revenue is being spent.
"Our preliminary steps are getting volunteers together, gathering funding and reaching out to people," Whitney said. "So far we have received a lot of support."
Lead organizer Valeria Fike-Rosales said the coalition came about as a result of the rising cost in college tuition.
"Tuition has nearly doubled in the past six years," said Fike-Rosales, a UC Riverside alumna. "We wanted to create a coalition that cares about the rising fees."
Fike-Rosales said she knows too many people who simply cannot afford to attend college.
"Not only are students not able to afford it, they graduate with high amounts of loans," Fike-Rosales said. "We've heard of people holding two to three jobs in order to pay for tuition, or dropping to part-time status because they can't afford it."
The average fee for a year's tuition at a CSU is $3,521, while the average UC tuition is $7,347. While CSU fees are about half of that in other states, other costs such as textbooks, rent, gas and utilities continue to rise compared to states where the cost of living is much lower.
All of this has prompted the inception of the student-led campaign to make tuition, and ultimately living, more affordable for students.
The campaign has four stages, Fike-Rosales said. Now that the initiative has been filed with the attorney general, the organization needs to collect 433,971 signatures from January to mid-April nationwide and submit them to the Secretary of State for validity so that it qualifies for the Nov. 8, 2008 ballot.
"We found that word of mouth is very important," Whitney said. "We've been putting up fliers and networking with other student groups."
