The increases in tuition and health fees that have been implemented this semester are unjust, insensitive and most of all a result of careless money management in part of the legislative branch of the state of California.

Although most would like to blame the schools, it really is not their fault.

The schools and the students that attend them are all victims of the budget crisis and of the many budget cuts the state of California is experiencing.

Legislation makes a decision, says what is going to be cut and the schools are responsible for coping with the decision and carrying it out in a way that will hurt and affect students the least way possible.

The main problem with this current $6 fee increase is that it happened in the middle of registration.

So many students, who weren’t aware of the increase, paid their original fees and were dropped because they failed to pay the extra $6 per unit.

Though university students are forced to pay higher tuition and health fees, most would agree that it is community college students who have been hit the hardest by these budget cuts.

Those students who were not able to get into the UC schools for the Spring are now attempting to continue their education by attending community colleges.

So what happens to those students who were already attending community colleges, or those students who are coming straight out of high school?

They are either not able to get into classes because they are already full, being put on wait lists with little or no chances of actually getting into classes, and now are also being dropped if they do not pay their fees on time.

Once they pay, they then have to try to enroll into their classes again, that’s if they are not already closed and full or wait listed.

Classes are getting cut, those offered are get cramped, wait lists are becoming full, books are becoming more expensive, and lab fees are also increasing.

It is not difficult to understand why students are becoming stressed, angry, anxious, and frustrated.

To increase tuition and health fees, and stop Spring enrollments in the UC schools is completely unreasonable, uncalled for and imprudent.

In whose right mind was it the decision to cut, out of all the places to cut from, from educational institutions?

These istitutions are where the people of the next generation, as well as from the present generation, resort to in order to learn and better themselves and in the long run, the country.

If the United States’ mission is to provide the educational tools to those who are not only craving and yearning it but also are in desperate need of the knowledge offered, it really needs to reconsider its actions in doing so.

If there is one thing that Cerritos College can consider itself lucky for, it is the seven-day time period in which the students are allowed to pay all required fees, whereas other schools have around two to three days to do so.

These budget cuts, fee increases and drop dates are necessary and unevitable. However, there is a better way of approaching these situations.

Instead of depriving students of their educational opportunities, educational institutions should reconsider not only the way they notify students of when they will be dropped, but also the time limit given to pay all the required fees.

This way if a student is dropped, it is considered primarily his fault for his irresponsibility after given a reasonable amount of time to pay the required fees as well as given several notifications of his drop date.