Exact Approximations

Monday, March 06, 2006

I'm Rich, Beotch

Go Mo! During 1L, I flyered up Boalt Hall upon the request of Mr. Mohammed Kashmiri for a meeting of Boalt Hall's Coalition for Diversity. He gave me the secret password to the Professors' copy machine. I went to about three meetings before I realized that the CFD, at that time, had no tangible game-plan. The meetings consisted of talking about racism and the need for diversity. I could have gone to class if I needed more repetitive, text-book, boilerplate liberalese. I never went to another CFD meeting again. But I put in my time and got my free t-shirt.

So anyhow, today, SF Superior Court Judge James Warren ruled that those of us enrolled at Berkeley pre-spring 2003, really were promised that our fees would not be raised. We all know how that worked out.

While I was at Boalt my tuition substantially increased. Complemented by a corresponding decrease in Professors, Horny Deans and Boalt's US News Ranking.

A great big "Fuck You" shout-out to the Regents.

Now, scurry off to the corner, get your appellate team to work and vote yourself another raise.

4 Comments:

  • So I'm taking this to mean you're supposed to be getting some sort of refund?

    Share the wealth!

    By Blogger Arbusto, at 6:44 AM  

  • Supposedly. But way down the road. The Regents will appeal, distribution to class members will be a long process - and I'm assuming the attorneys fees will take out a pretty chunk too.

    When all is said and done, I might get 1-2k, depending on various factors. I'm in the group of professional students who took the hardest hit, for the longest period of time, after we were told our fees wouldn't be raised. Most Cal students, based on my understanding, will receive maybe $100-200.

    I thought on the matter last night and wondered - is it worth it? It brings the firm representing us, Altshuler Berzon, tons of recognition - and the representative plaintiffs will get a larger cut too. But what will the greater impact of the lawsuit be? Sure, the Regents should not have raised our tuition after promising otherwise. But if Cal has to pay out 33 million because they were, as Mr. Kashmiri put it, "balancing the budget on the backs of the students" -- won't the final effect be the same? Ultimately, the Regents will likely just raise the fees of current students to cover the award to the former students.

    So, Cal students win at the expense of... Cal students.

    At the end of the day, it's hard to see what the lesson to the Regents will be, other than "include clearer contract language."

    By Blogger Lex Fori, at 9:05 AM  

  • But they may not have to raise fees at all. I would think there may be a fair number that will give back the money to the school on the thought, "Well, I paid it out already and it's not really money I was counting on." It will be their alumni giving.

    Maybe?

    By Blogger Arbusto, at 9:22 AM  

  • I would say the "maybe" is being optimistic. If the alumns were good at pushing Cal past budget problems, the fee hike would never have occurred in the first place.

    But, what do I know, I probably make less than anyone else in my class who graduated from Boalt.

    By Blogger Lex Fori, at 12:46 PM  

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