StickWithANose

Higher education in the great state of California continues to swirl the bowl with the rest of the state government, and the possible repercussions for the future economy of California cannot be understated. However, with all of the media attention being focused on the People’s Republic, the rest of the nation is quietly headed full tilt boogie  toward similar [if less dramatic] ends. NBC LA

Protests continued Thursday at UCLA over a 32-percent fee increase approved by the California Board of Regents.

The LA Times reported that about 30 students took over Campbell Hall Thursday morning. The Times reported the students used chains and bike locks to barricade doors…

Fourteen people, including 12 students, were arrested and cited, according to UCLA. Two students suffered minor injuries and “a few UC Police officers were hurt by thrown objects,” according to the university.

The proposal would increase tuition at UC campuses by $585 in the spring and an additional $1,344 in the fall. The full Board of Regents will consider the proposed tuition increase Thursday.

In my own little slice of heaven here in the S. Appalachians, the Tennessee Board of Regents is grappling with its own future budget nightmare slated to begin when federal stimulus dollars run out in the 2011-2012 academic year. From what I understand, the 2011-2012 academic year is now being referred to only half-jokingly as being the “cliff” that will lead to massive tuition increases and cutbacks barring some kind of intervention… whether that be federal or divine. For decades, our nation has demanded more and more from the public sector for everything from funding pointless ground wars in Asia to building a 21st century infrastructure while, at the same time, demanding that somebody else pay for it. This was always un-sustainable and payback is fast approaching…