Dining out to cry out

Christine Carrillo

Mix a little Top Ramen with student tuition hikes and you’ve got a

cook-off likened to the Iron Chef’s culinary battles on the Food

Network.

In the hopes of sparking student awareness and encouraging student

involvement at the school on Thursday, the Associated Students

carefully prepared dishes of Top Ramen to give students a taste of

one of the few dishes they’ll be able to afford thanks to tuition

hikes.

Since tuition fees will increase $135 for the spring term 2003 --

and may significantly increase again -- and students have begun to

see cutbacks in of some of their services and outreach programs,

students decided to take a stance.

“We just want to get our UC students heard,” said Christina

Gagnier, executive vice president of the Associated Students. “Irvine

is definitely an apathetic campus. ... We’re just trying to get out

there with our voice.”

Associated Students aren’t just trying to get UCI students’ voices

heard, they’re also planning to send the word to Sacramento in March,

along with about 4,000 student petitions, for the next UC Regent

meeting, Gagnier said.

“I can understand the students’ concern, but in light of the state

budget crisis, we believe that ... we’re protecting their access to

classes,” said Manuel Gomez, vice chancellor of student affairs at

UCI. “Their educational ambition and aspirations are going to be

protected. ... We’ve protected their fundamental purpose -- obtaining

an education.”

The cost of obtaining that education has already increased by $405

for the 2003-04 academic year, an increase that could jump an

additional $795.

“This is a campaign that applies to everybody,” said Tammy Nguyen,

an intern with the executive vice president’s office. “It’s

frightening how many people don’t even know what’s happening.”

Although university officials understand and appreciate students’

concerns, they still have cutbacks to make and they’re trying their

best to make them as balanced as possible.

“I think they have a right to voice their concerns, and they’re

doing so,” Gomez said. “I always look at that as a sign that we have

outstanding student leaders. ... But [this issue] is something that

has to be faced and addressed, and the university is doing the best

that we can with the protection of the students.”

The UC Regents “made a promise to us to make higher education

affordable,” Gagnier said. “Students are going to be paying more for

less services.”