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Starting January 1st students will pay an additional $105 per semester, an increase from $2,115 to $2,220. Next year they will pay an additional $444 which will increase the tuition cost from $4,440 to $4,884 annually.

The California State University system has implemented a staggering 76 percent increase during the last five years.

According to CSU spokesperson Erik Fallis, half of the undergraduate student body will not be affected by the tuition increase as most students are on full financial aid. Fallis added that the CSU system is the largest recipient of Pell and Cal Grants.

However, with California’s budget arriving 100 days late it was difficult to predict the severity of the state universities’ financial situation. When the budget was proposed, the CSU faced millions of dollars of debt.

"When the state is unable to provide that support, that only leaves the CSU with one other avenue," CSU Erik Fallis explained.

California is in this predicament as the government has been incapable of balancing the budget. There is no excuse as to why the state cannot afford something as vital as education. With the recent passage of the most expensive midterm election in history, it is evident that there are funds available.

Meg Whitman, for instance, could solve the CSU problem by writing a $140 million check to California’s schools.

Education is a necessity.

My mother does not come home from her minimum wage job and says, “Well, we have insufficient funds for food. I guess no dinner for a month!” You make food a priority then you actually budget.

This reasoning should be applied to our schools.

About 30,000 students are expected to enroll in the spring. If California is in such a bad deficit, don’t enroll that many students.

"We students keep paying more, yet what we keep seeing is the dismantling of the quality of education at the CSU," Claudia Ramirez, a CSU Long Beach student, told the education board.

Teachers are being laid off and more classes are being offered online.

I’m sorry California, few want to pay money into a deteriorating educational system where teachers are overwhelmed and classes are taught by someone who is never seen.

First, improve the education by making sure the best teachers are educating the students and appropriate services are available before welcoming several thousand students into some buildings or giving them an online catalogue.

The tuition has a rippling effect. If students need to pay nearly $5,000 for school, they are less likely to go to graduate school and more likely to enter the workforce immediately. Furthermore, if the student is working more they are studying less which defeats the purpose of a university education.

In addition, if the cost of California’s schools keep rising, then out-of-state students are less likely to apply to these schools. For students who are also factoring in travel costs to and from home, the $444 increase means they need to choose an in-state school. 

Unlike rich politicians for whom $444 is a drop in the bucket, these funds are crucial to individuals and families.

I am appalled that the state government asks us to find the funds to make ends meet. Families are making due and spending much less than they used to because money is not there. Until I see a CEO run a bake sale so he can cover the cost of copying documents or see a politician choose public transportation to save on gas to get to work, I do not want to hear arguments that “slight” increases to education are not be a big deal. 

For a look at the latest California budget, go here.

Reach Evelina Weary here.