Our View: CSU’s letter on Proposition 30 is a good move

With millions of dollars at stake, the Cal State University system is taking inventive measures to get the word out on Proposition 30. This includes sending notices with information on Prop. 30 and the now infamous $250 million trigger cut to prospective students of the CSU.

The letter, which is still being drafted, will warn prospective students about Prop. 30 and the consequences if the measure is not passed.

There may be very little room for future students in the CSU system if this is the case.

The CSU says the notice will not advocate how future students should vote but rather inform them on the current situation the CSU faces.

This makes a lot of sense for the CSU to do because many current CSU students know little about the proposition as it is. With this in mind, most prospective students are probably in the same boat.

Of course, the idea of sending out this notice has faced resistance.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA) says it is illegal for the CSU to send out such a notice.

Meanwhile, the CSU claims there is no political motivation in the notice.

HJTA claims the notice will cross the line in California law where taxpayer funds cannot be mixed with political advocacy. HJTA says by mentioning Prop. 30 in the notice, as well as the amount of money the CSU stands to lose, it is breaking the law.

As much as the CSU claims the notice is not politically motivated — it even includes arguments against Prop. 30 — the message will still be clear. The system needs past, current and future students to vote in favor of Prop. 30.

The notices will target many fresh voters who will be stepping into the voting booth for the first time. These first-time voters are very much influenced by external forces. The CSU wants them to make informed decisions.

Those dreaming of attending Cal State Long Beach or another great school in the CSU system next year should be most aware of the proposition.

It is tough enough already, but if Prop. 30 does not pass prospective students can kiss their chances of being a 49er goodbye.

Controversial or not, the prospective students of the CSU system deserve to have this letter sent to them. They deserve this attention because they are part of the future that the CSU wants to have.

Yes, maybe prospective students should be more politically active and understand the situation already, but the fact of the matter is that they are not. There are so many students already in the system who don’t understand the depserate situation that the 23-campus system is in.

By sending out this letter, the CSU is keeping all parties in mind that are affected by the potential trigger cut.

The CSU is taking precautionary steps to make sure everyone is aware of the situation.

Forget taking tours of campuses and buying college hoodies. Students here in the system and those looking to join it could be witnesses to a dramatic change in higher education come November.