#defendit

Francisco F.                     

                        The CSU Privatization Means No Education!

Education is a Human Right! Yet, the issue of impaction is privatizing our education. It is an issue that is crucial towards students of color within post-secondary institutions. In this case, focusing on California State University, Northridge. An undergraduate major or campus is designated as impacted when the number of applications received from fully qualified applicants during the initial filing period exceeds the number of available spaces (The CSU). Such majors or campuses are then authorized to use supplementary admission criteria to accept applicants.  “Impaction is the process, or tool, that California State University campuses use to limit admissions” (Freshman Impaction FAQ). Today, 17 CSU campuses are impacted. This means that the campus as a whole is on full impaction and or have more than three majors that are impacted. (SQE) Impaction discourages students of color to strive for higher education, profits off of students, is a form of institutional racism, and not to mention shows that offering an affordable, accessible quality education is not their priority.

Impaction is another policy that will close the doors to higher education to low income, first generation students of color. Starting Fall 2016, CSUN will not be admitting 300 freshmen for the next 4 years (Freshman Impaction FAQ). CSUN’s President, Harrison states, “We are at the point where we must change how we manage our enrollment…CSUN proposes to implement academic, freshman and transfer-level impaction for undergraduate programs beginning Fall 2016.” In other words undergraduate admissions will be affected by the implementation proposal of impaction. The significance is that CSUN’s service area, tier 1, has shifted to exclude communities such as Ventura and East Los Angeles. Both areas were CSUN’s service areas in previous years, now would be denied acceptance into the University with impaction implementation in Fall 2016. This means if you have any younger siblings, relatives, and or friends from those communities, they will have a higher bar set on them when it comes to being admitted to California State University, Northridge.                    

We students are not here to be studying to work for a fortune five hundred company. Unfortunately, students are being seen as fresh meat for the CSU system to take advantage of. In addition, CSUN gets a lot of money $$$ due to it being a “Hispanic Serving Institution”, but what happens to this money? Impaction is happening because we do not have the funds to hire more full time faculty? That statement is invalid. It is because the revenue is not being redistributed into the university rather it is going back to the respected banks on campus. For example, Wells Fargo is what runs the Sierra Center and all profits go back to Wells Fargo rather than the campus itself in order to hire more full time faculty. Due to the lack of full time faculty not being hired it is difficult for students to register for the necessary classes in order to graduate on time. An example of previous academic issues is in 2012, students’ permission numbers were frozen and struggled enrolling into classes (SQE). Again 2013, the 80% rule was passed and students, who don’t pass 80% of their classes, won’t get financial aid for the next academic year (SQE). Additionally, in 2014 the price of the dorms went up to $857 a month per person per room, making it a total of $3,428 a month per room (CSUN Housing Rates). A CSU education is being overpriced without improving the institutions themselves.

The cycle of exclusion continues… Impaction is a form of institutional racism. It bleaches out low-income communities out of tier one (East LA& Ventura County). Eventually it will be The San Fernando State College once again with predominately privileged Caucasian students. CSUN is one of the universities that accept a high number of international students, but are they being affected by impaction? No. (Freshman Impaction FAQ). No they are not affected because they pay twice or triple the tuition a resident of California would usually pay. “…There is a comparable attack on the state colleges, which are there for working class people, people who come back to college after they are half way in their career, mothers who come back, people from the urban ghettos, and so on and so forth, that is what the state college system has been, and they are under serious attack by an interesting method. The method has been to raise the entrance standards for the state colleges without improving the schools” (Noam Chomsky). These policies target a specific group of students! It targets you and I!

The CSU system is not able to ensure that the CSU, the “People’s University”, is able to provide an affordable, accessible, quality education. Why? Because their priorities are skewed! The allocations of funds are not being considered to follow the path of an affordable, accessible, quality education. Yet, it is following a privatized, corporate, low quality education. Faculty Working Conditions Are Student Learning Conditions. When CSUN cut classes: Students do not graduate and faculty does not work! When CSUN increase class sizes: Students are undereducated and faculty is overworked! For example, Chem100 classes are usually 70-80 students and the passing rate for the class is a little less than 50% (Chemistry Professor). Fewer faculty means: Less classes for students, overcrowded classes for the rest, and the remaining overworked faculty pick up the burden! Overworked & underpaid faculty mean: many may leave CSUs, threatening the reputation of the CSU and the value of your degree.(SQE) Do we want to retain great professors, or not? You cannot and will not improve anything if you are not willing to invest in it. When we invest in faculty, we are investing in the only people who directly provide the education that the university offers. Due to the lack of full time faculty we are pushed to stay an additional semester or two. Which leads to student debt: We are not a loan. When fees go up, students are pushed to take on loans, which leads to debt. On average, CSU students now graduate with an average of $16, 648 in debt. (SQE) Due to the fact of the increase in student fees, and the lack of allocating funds back into the university rather than the pockets of administration. Students are not a priority. President Harrison has a salary of $304,735 with housing provided and an additional auto allowance of $12,000. (SQE) “Additionally, the Governor & State Legislature continues to cut funding to CSU due to a lack of available state funding. Despite additional funding from proposition 30, the CSU has not recovered from huge cuts given during the great recession.” (SQE) The CSU Chancellor & Board of Trustees is using the budget cuts as a reason to radically reconstruct the CSU into a more corporate, privatized university system. The CSU has too many high paid executives, underpaid faculty, and low quality education with a big price tag. (SQE)

In conclusion, impaction does not benefit anyone but the administrators themselves. The CSU system claims to provide an accessible, affordable, quality education but they have an impaired judgment. The CSU system’s priorities are skewed. When our education is under attack! Stand up! Fight Back! This is our university and we need to defend it!

                                                Works Cited

§  "Housing Rates." Student Housing and Conference Services, CSUN. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.

§  "Impacted Undergraduate Majors and Campuses in the California State University 2015-2016." Impaction. N.p., 08 Sept. 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.

§  "New Disorientation Guide - 2015 Edition! - CSU Students For Quality Education." CSU Students For Quality Education. N.p., 04 Feb. 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

§  Acuña, Rodolfo F. "In Search of the Almond Impaction A Symptom of Privatization." Rodolfo Acuña. N.p., 13 Apr. 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

§  Ate.edu. "Freshman Impaction FAQ." Freshman Impaction FAQ (n.d.): n. pag. 02 Mar. 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.