Since transferring to Sacramento State, I have found my experience rewarding and positive. However, I have noticed since I got here that many students treat their education not as something to be experienced or enjoyed, but something to be loathed and expedited.

It took me quite a while to realize that a college education was my vehicle, not just to a job, but to personal growth and to deepen my understanding of the world at large.

I am looking forward to graduating as much as the next student, but I would like to use my time in college to enrich myself, not just educate myself; to explore different ideas and meet new people, not just hope to pass my finals with a C and get the hell out.

It is hard to ignore what I have heard on this campus from fellow students, saying that they are not here to learn, only to eventually land a job. Oh yeah, and who could forget the timeless phrase, “C’s get degrees?” So where is all this coming from? Equally as important, what are the consequences for this behavior?

Sacramento is not a college town in the sense that Berkeley, or even Chico, is. according to Sac State’s website, students commute from all over the Sacramento area and beyond. Ninety-five percent of all first-time, first-year students and all degree-seeking undergraduates enrolled in Fall 2006 lived off campus or commuted. Sac State is convenient for students who either could not afford to attend a UC or could not meet the admission requirements.

Many students work either part time or full time while taking classes. It is difficult to balance work and school, especially when a student is faced with having to work extra hours to pay rent. When that happens, she or he might put off studying for his or her midterm.

A possible reason for students having to work more hours is because of lack of financial aid. According to Sac State’s website, from the 2005-06 school year, 10,826 students applied for financial aid, but only 83 had their financial needs fully met without taking out student loans. Many students receive financial aid that does not fully meet their financial needs and resort to taking out loans to finance their education. This only encourages the idea of “getting the hell out” so one can get a job and start to repay those loans.

The stress of having to work and go to class and take care of the other responsibilities in life can lead to a lower level of involvement in academics and school functions. Faculty notice this in low grades on papers and exams and may be left to think: “Do these students want an education or just the degree?”

Lastly, the Sacramento community, seeing that our school isn’t a shining example of academic achievement, does not want to put the kind of money into our campus that schools like UC Davis or other, higher profile colleges receive from their respective communities. So, we are left with students who cannot devote enough time to academics, professors who are getting more used to mediocrity from those students and a community that doesn’t contribute substantially to the university endowment.

Making matters worse, the state is divesting money in higher education so our institutions are operating in budget deficits, and we have to pay ever-higher tuition while being crammed with 39 other students in a classroom built for 25. Faculty is not being paid appropriately, which results decreasing faculty retention.

Meanwhile, students can’t form solid relationships with their professors because they are leaving faster than the school can hire new faculty. Furthermore, money is being spent on infrastructure and cosmetic upgrades in a sort of “build the physical appearance of the school up while letting go of the core values of academics and learning” mindset.

Some students have voiced their concerns regarding why Sac State and its students are not performing as well as they could. Senior government major Minh Pham said, “College has become more of a corporation than an institute of higher learning. Money is the most important thing, education is secondary.” Junior social science major Matt Kantack said, “I don’t care about a kick-ass football team or nice looking signs. I just want affordable tuition and a university that puts academics, students and faculty before anything else.”

Can the Sac State ship be corrected? I don’t know, but until the CSU administration and our state legislators remember how valuable education is, our institution will continue to build its muscle while its body decays.

Scott Allen can be reached at [email protected]