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Our education is being attacked from all angles. The militarization of our economy and de-emphasis on education is affecting all forms of learning.

Our nation has prioritized military-recruitment efforts over the education of its youth. The cost per military recruit, for example, has jumped from $6,500 to $11,600 in the past decade. While the University of California faces nearly $300 million in cuts, prison spending has increased. 

As our tax dollars are increasingly going toward the military and prison-industrial complex, less and less is going toward the funding of education.

In our experiences as UC students, we are feeling this over-emphasis on the military and prison through our fee hikes. During a December 2002 meeting, the UC Board of Regents decided to raise student fees by $135. The across-the-board student fee increases – at the community college, Cal State and UC level – are linked back to our government’s allocation of resources and represents an access problem for many students.

Since this decision was made, students across the state have voiced their concerns regarding the current direction of education. 

Higher fees equate to lower access to education for everyone, making our state’s system of public higher education too expensive for many people. More specifically, it makes access to the UC even more difficult for socioeconomically disadvantaged students and communities of color.

Nevertheless, amid these concerns, Gov. Gray Davis proposed a fee hike of $795 per quarter, which will make the issue of access even more pressing for a university meant to serve all of the diverse communities within California.

While these fee-hike decisions are being made by a body not democratically elected by California residents, specific cuts are also being directed toward much-needed student support services. The Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center, for example, provides students with the services needed to maintain their own health. The Ashe Center, however, is facing a potential cut of 25 percent.

The Center for Student Programming, an entity that deals specifically with the numerous student organizations on our campus, will also be facing a large cut. 

Important entities like the Student Initiated Outreach Committee, which works with underprivileged students throughout the Los Angeles community, will face a third of its funding being cut. If this cut goes through and unless administrative support or matching funds compensate for it, the SIOC will be unable to operate on a basic level, which not only affects the projects but the communities the SIOC serves throughout the year. 

Outreach efforts are of even more importance, given the fact that Proposition 209 prevents the university from exercising affirmative action programs. 

Since the loss of affirmative action in 1995, the numbers of underrepresented minority students has dropped dramatically at UCLA. Since 1995, UCLA has seen a 34 percent drop in the number of admits for the Latino community, a 52 percent drop for the black community and a 64.8 percent drop for the American Indian community (just to name a few). These drops in our admissions of underrepresented communities shows yet another problem in our education. 

First, there is the issue of representation. As a public institution, UCLA should reflect the diversity of communities throughout Los Angeles and the state. After comparing the demographics of our state to the demographics of our campus, however, UCLA appears to be lacking in this area of public accountability. 

Secondly, there is the issue of diversity throughout our education. A university education should provide people with the ability to understand the diverse communities with which they interact on a daily basis. How can our education achieve this goal if some of these communities are not even represented in the classes we take?

There are many things that negatively affect our educational experiences as students. We encourage all students to become well informed about these issues, attend informational sessions or events, and mobilize for the May 14 regents meeting at UC San Francisco. 

These issues, among others, are too important for us to go quiet. Our voices need to be heard.

Delgado is the chairperson for Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlan.