<p>It’s great political theater, and a pressure tactic… During a radio interview this morning a Cal State muckety-muck essentially said, 'if the governor’s proposed tax increase does not pass…"</p>
<p>The highest priority of the higher education system in California is to insure that the UCs retain their status as premier research universities so they have been largely sheltered from the cuts to higher education. The next highest priority is to provide post-secondary educational opportunities for high school graduates who can not go to four year universities which has required that community colleges be adequately funded. This has resulted in the brunt of the budget cuts falling on the CSU system. </p>
<p>Furthermore, unlike the UCs which receive a lot of outside funding in addition to more state funding, the CSUs are largely prohibited from doing research and therefore do not get private sector and federal government funding. This leaves CSU with little alternative other than reducing enrollment.</p>