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Students, faculty and program advocates urge lawmakers to restore UC funding and to fund Cal‑Bridge
Summary
Dozens of public commenters—students, faculty, union reps and program advocates—told the committee to oppose proposed UC cuts, restore compact funding and support Cal‑Bridge, a statewide intersegmental program that supports STEM transfers into PhD programs.
Public comment at the end of the hearing included appeals from lecturers, students and program directors urging the Legislature to oppose the proposed UC cuts and to restore the compact funding. Several union and student representatives warned that class consolidation and hiring freezes already reduce educational quality and called for fully funding UC.
Multiple speakers endorsed continued state support for Cal‑Bridge, an intersegmental program that helps community college and CSU students transition into STEM PhD programs. Cal‑Bridge supporters included graduate students and faculty who described the program’s role in providing paid research opportunities, mentoring and professional development that helped students enter and succeed in graduate programs.
Tiffany Mok of CFT (a union representing UC lecturers and librarians) told the committee she opposed the cuts because they would damage student learning. Several student speakers from Berkeley, Riverside, Merced, Davis and Irvine described large class sizes, reduced course offerings and heightened financial pressures.
Cal‑Bridge mentors and alumni gave personal testimony about how the program enabled them to pursue graduate study in STEM fields; faculty called the program one of the most effective statewide diversity efforts in STEM and urged sustained funding.
