To the Editor:

In 1960, the California Master Plan for Higher Education promised equal access to "all who may benefit from higher education."

Community Colleges have lost approximately $330 million in the last 18 months. Back in early 2003, when deep budget cuts were proposed, students organized a march on Sacramento, bringing over 10,000 people to protest on the Capitol lawn.

This year on March 15, students, including those from MPC, will march again. The Governor's budget redirects substantial numbers of students away from the California State Universities and the University of California, and to our Community Colleges, where students are already being turned away.

Entry-level Community College students, many of them the first in their families to aspire to college, must compete for the limited available spaces with the already university-eligible students.

The League of Women Voters of the Monterey Peninsula supports full access to higher education. We encourage the community to support our students, either by joining in the march or by letting their representatives in Sacramento know that they support access to Community Colleges for all.

Sincerely,

Beverly G. Bean, President
The League of Women Voters of the Monterey Peninsula