Shattered Educational Promise

As someone who attended two years of community college, transferred to a University of California campus and is currently pursuing graduate studies, I was offended by the tone of “Cuts at UC Force Many to Consider Their ‘Option,’ ” (May 2). These students should be grateful they have the opportunity to pursue an education at all.

If that is their true goal, then being required to spend some time at a community college should not bother them, and should only increase the wealth and variety of their educational experience. If they wanted to attend a UC for the sports, or the social life and parties, then maybe it is better that they did not get in.

Adam Sperling

Los Angeles

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What kind of encouragement is the UC school system trying to give students who did well in high school, only to be denied admission because of state budget cuts? About 7,600 high school seniors who are UC-qualified are being “redirected” to community colleges for their freshmen and sophomore years. Instead of being able to take pride in attending colleges with academic reputations and having the opportunity to experience living on campus, these students will have to wait until their junior year at the request of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It’s disappointing to know that all the extra effort you apply in high school can only get you into colleges that any student who received a high school diploma is eligible to attend. Where is the incentive in that?

Liezl Diaz

Los Angeles

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The plight of Arman Matevosyan highlights the broken promises of our state policymakers. Matevosyan and others like him were told from ninth grade on how to be guaranteed a place at UC. For more than 40 years, all qualified California seniors who met the well-known “A-F requirements,” and other requirements, were admitted to one of the campuses of the UC. Now, after four years of hard work, these students are being told, “Sorry, our promise to you is being broken.”

Imagine the outrage that would be expressed if the promise of retirement checks for our legislators and governor was broken. We need to tell the governor that raising taxes is better than breaking promises to our brightest young adults.

Betsy Adams

Rancho Palos Verdes