State Colleges

After experiencing four sons in the California university system, I am skeptical of the appeal for a bigger share of the state budget for higher education because of the following reasons:

Freshmen at UC Santa Barbara were not allowed to take sufficient units to be able to graduate in four years. While protesting at my son’s registration, I was told that I would be escorted off campus if I persisted. At Cal State Fullerton, fourth-year seniors were actually prevented from taking courses necessary to graduate under the assumption that their parents supported them; fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-year students did not have this support. Even if this were true, why should this be an administrative concern?

At UC Davis my son, as a senior, was required to take a general education science course even though he already had 82 science units. His written appeal was rejected without explanation. UC Irvine, thankfully, did not resort to these tactics.

In the past, university officials have had a vested interest in maximizing student body size, and hang the cost to the taxpayers. I say let’s get back to efficient administrative practices on our campuses. A four-year degree, if desired, should only take four years. California taxpayers, including the parents of students, would be extremely grateful.

ROBERT J. CMELAK

Laguna Niguel