CSU tuition-gouging is unconscionable

The column by managing editor Mandy Feder in today’s Record-Bee illustrates precisely why I “hack” library school in the California Community College system.

(Hack Library School is a blog by, for and about library school students.)

Feder quotes the Los Angeles Times reporting that the California State University (CSU) system “plans to admit higher-paying, out-of-state and international students to its undergraduate and graduate programs next spring while barring California residents because of state funding cuts.”

Feder relates that her younger daughter is in her third year at a CSU and tuition has nearly tripled.

There is something unconscionable in CSUs price-gouging California students. The “highly competitive” fees quoted to me by San Jose State University were $474 per unit. These cost-prohibitive per-unit costs rendered it impossible for me to pursue a Master’s degree.

I still dream of pursuing my MLIS, but I think the community college system provides a rigorous and viable alternative in the field of library support.

As it is, my per-unit tuition has increased nearly 50 percent: When I enrolled in Cuesta College for fall 2010, I paid $26 per unit. During the summer I was enrolled in four-unit course and paid $46 per unit.

I echo Feder’s sentiment sharing “that bumper sticker, ‘If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.’” California will reap the consequences of failing to invest in a qualified, professional workforce.