a letter to the legislators
the following letter was sent to my state representatives to advocate for education funding. Please do the same. Click here, and make yourself heard by using the link on the right. Thank you.
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Dear Assemblywomen Kehoe and Saldana, and Department of Finance Director Genest,
I write to you today to bring another personal story to the budget crisis facing the state. I am a proud alumna of the University of California system, a native San Diegan who continued her higher education at UC San Diego and graduated with a degree in Communication in 2001. With little financial support from my parents, my education would not have been possible without Cal Grant scholarships and work-study awards, and I am grateful for the monies granted to me for financial aid. My years at UCSD had such an impact on me that I chose to place my career path squarely on the campus and am now a proud alumna and proud staff member, serving the university that helped shape me into who I am.

In the past 2 weeks, I have had my salary cut by 13%, with another 5% promised to be gone at the end of the month. I have watched my colleagues silently pack their things after receiving layoff notices. I know that these are tough times for everyone, and I'm not asking you to save my salary. I will continue in this job for as long as I can, because I believe that higher education is the way to financial success for the state of California. I am asking you to priortize education, to put the future of our state and our citizens in to the hands of those students who will be the ones to bear our burdens 2, 5, 10 years from now. Preparing our workforce for tomorrow is the best possible investment we can make today. Money comes and goes but during the up days, there's no way to play catch up for undereducation; no IOU can be cashed and no debt can be cleared for students, faculty and staff who have had their resources and access operating in the red or shut down altogether.

At the end of the school year, before any of the major budget cuts had hit the books or more severely impacted student access, I had a bright, successful, promising student come to my office. She was saying her goodbyes, not because she had successfully matriculated from this great university; no, she had to drop out of school because Cal Grants were gone and private loans weren't an option. She couldn't pay for school, and we lost someone who had the promise of a great future in California. She returns home with no job, no degree, and no prospects. Tell me, what kind of workforce of undereducated, unequipped citizens are we creating?

Please give UCSD and its partner institutions the most flexibility possible so that they can manage budget cuts in the smartest ways possible. And please balance your budget solutions in a way that recognizes the great contribution UC, CSU, and the community colleges will make to California's future economy if they are supported today.

Thank you for your continued advocacy for education.
Brittan Trozzi
UCSD Staff Alumna, Class of 2001
current mood: do your part too!