California State University personnel have reported a record number of rejection letters have been sent out to high school seniors this past semester. Would be freshman are being rejected simply due to the fact that the Cal State system is overcrowded. These high school seniors have decent grades and good SAT scores, yet are being denied admission into the public university system.

With too many students enrolled in the state school system, teachers are being overworked and underpaid, while students are being forced from their first day of college to participate in the “six-year plan.” College students are taking longer than ever to see a commencement ceremony and teachers have to threaten to strike in order to see adequate compensation for a job well done.

Teachers on this campus support and mentor students, off of the time sheets of course, in order to prepare their students for the future, whether it be a career or grad school. Teachers are going that extra mile for the students, but it has become apparent that the administration has not gone in that direction to assist the faculty or would be college students.

Cal State Northridge has been known for some time now as a commuter school. Students drive in from across the Southern California area to attend their classes. Some can argue that in spite of this title, CSUN has the ability to give those who seek it the complete college experience. It is hard to imagine that the administration would deny this crucial experience to young adults in favor of a new performing arts center on campus.

The two separate issues of high rejection notices and underpaid faculty seem to be connected. When one of these issues is solved, the other may come to a rest as well. Young adults are not being awarded the opportunity that was awarded to the graduating seniors a mere couple of years ago. These young students were not even accepted into the public school system that so many of us depended on for a higher education. Being accepted into the state system enabled most of us to have that opportunity for success when we are older adults.

For decades, students and parents throughout the nation have been able to depend on the state school system for further education. The state school system was designed for the families that could not afford to send their capable and talented offspring to the Ivy League schools and also for those of us who could not generate a high grade point average in high school, but showed potential in some form or another.

Throughout the last decade or two, society has determined that college is the natural next step for all graduating high school seniors.

Not going to college after high school is now frowned upon by society, yet now it is a battle to get into a college, public or private, regardless of funding, just simply due to the fact that the Cal State university’s are overcrowded, and now rejection letters are swarming Southern California mail boxes.

With the high number of rejection letters that went out this semester to many potential incoming freshmen, it is astonishing to see that no actions were taken. The Cal State University system needs to show its support for not only the faculty that shapes many generations who exit these universities but also the young eager minds that look forward to the next chapter of their lives: college and possibly becoming the next professor who will take time away from their families at home, without being paid for the extra work, in order to continue the tradition that many call education.