The California State University (CSU) system has done a “good or excellent job,” according to a recent poll released by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) on Nov. 17.
The PPIC, a private, non-profit foundation, interviewed 2,502 California adults via landline and cell phones, as stated in the report. The adults were asked about their opinions on state funding for public universities and the importance of higher education to California’s future as well as other subjects pertaining to higher education.
The report states that 62 percent of the population believes the CSU system is doing at least a good job. This has remained constant since 2007.
Erik Fallis, a media relations specialist for the CSU system, said this shows that Californians hold the CSUs in high esteem.
“This is a really positive affirmation of what impact we have within California,” he said. “This is a healthy margin of people who believe that we are doing a good job here … because we are doing a good job.”
According to the report, 57 percent of those polled said the state should increase spending for higher education even at the expense of other programs.
Fallis said findings like this could be beneficial for the CSU system when asking for a larger budget from the California legislature.
“All of the things provided in the report definitely strengthen our argument when we go to Sacramento to ask the governor to provide us with more funds,” Fallis said.
However, students at Cal Poly like Aaron Zaidman, a wine and viticulture junior, said the poll was not representative of the student population, in which many believe the CSU system is not doing enough for their education.
“The only thing that poll shows to me, is that California residents are unaware,” Zaidman said. “If they come to campus and see how unhappy some of the students are who are unable to get classes, I think the poll would be different.”
Another student who disagreed with the accuracy of the poll was Alex Kelley, an art and design junior. He said if anything, the CSU system has done a less than excellent job.
“I’ve been finding that the funding we have, especially as an art major, is inadequate,” Kelley said.
Zaidman said the only people who can judge how the CSU system is doing are the actual students.
“The residents don’t all go to school … I wouldn’t take these polls into consideration, seeing that they’re wrong,” he said.
Kelley said alternative polls should be taken only with California residents who are attending, or have attended a California public university.
Fallis said the CSU system has sustained its mission of access and quality of education and has continued to live up to that mission despite the cuts in spending on public education.
“The CSUs are still the most affordable option for a four-year degree … we are keeping true to that mission,” Fallis said.
In the report, 97 percent of Californians said the state’s higher education system is vital to the quality of life and economy in California.
Although Zaidman did not agree with the results of the polls in regards to how well the CSU system is doing its job, he did agree about the importance of higher education.
“Higher education is important to cities, states and even the world,” Zaidman said. “Throughout history, people became more prosperous with education.”
Fallis said he agreed, stating there are advantages to having a college degree.
“Clearly there are economic impacts as well as health impacts,” Fallis said. “College graduates are more likely to have health insurance … and life experiences those without a degree do not experience.”
According to the report, Californians also emphasized the importance of higher education with 74 percent stating that the CSU and other systems are underfunded. The majority of the Californians who were polled are concerned about the ways the state has compensated for the inadequacies of the budget.
Zaidman said he did not comprehend how people could think the CSU system is doing a good job while also agreeing that a lack of funding does not make the situation easy.
Of those polled, 66 percent believe educational quality will suffer if state government makes budget cuts to higher education, according to the report. However, while budgets for universities are shown to be insufficient, residents still responded to the poll with positive regards toward the CSU system.
“In my opinion, budget cuts and good job don’t go hand in hand,” Zaidman said. “This (poll) is not a reflection of how the students are feeling.”