Topline
The University of California, Berkeley must withhold at least 5,100 acceptance letters for the fall 2022 semester after the state’s Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision Thursday that forces the university to freeze its enrollment at 2020-21 levels, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, following a suit filed by the school’s neighbors who argue the campus’ overpopulation “may negatively affect the surrounding environment.”
BERKELEY, CA – APRIL 17: UC Berkeley students walk through Sather Gate on the UC Berkeley campus … [+]
Key Facts
The decision means the university must cut its incoming student capacity by one-third, equivalent to about 3,000 slots, which meant the school had to withhold 5,100 offers of admission. UC Berkeley told the Chronicle the ruling will cost the school millions in lost tuition.
The suit was brought by neighbors of the Berkeley campus, deemed “Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods” as the plaintiff in the case, who believe the university did not properly plan for a larger student body and it is not providing enough on-campus housing, causing an increase in noise, traffic and trash.
UC Berkeley was set to enroll 45,000 total students after the increase, but the order forced it to cap the enrollment at just over 42,000.
The ruling also forces the university to halt the construction of two new buildings on its campus that would’ve been used as classrooms and housing for professors, which the school’s neighbors argued would also negatively impact the area.
The school is appealing the state Supreme Court’s ruling, according to the Chronicle.
Key Background
“Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods” argued in the suit that UC Berkeley did not factor in the effect a larger student body and construction of the new buildings would have on the city’s public safety services, such as police, fire and ambulance services. It argued these oversights violated the state’s Environmental Equality Act, which requires public universities to “mitigate the environmental impacts of their growth and development,” according to the suit. The group’s president, Phil Bokovoy, told the Chronicle its goal is to force the school to make “an adequate enrollment analysis.” The suit claims the UC governing body’s 2005 development plan projected a 1,650 student population increase by 2020. At the time, the university enrolled just over 33,000 students, meaning it outpaced its projection by nearly 7,000. The school’s lawyers told the court last month the enrollment limit would have “a catastrophic impact on UC Berkeley’s ability to admit low-income, under-represented students,” and that the construction project had little to do with the school’s population, according to the Chronicle. The school’s neighbors first filed a petition challenging the school’s increasing enrollment capacity in 2018.
Chief Critic
Prior to the California Supreme Court’s decision, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) implored the court to stay the lower court’s decision, writing in a statement, “We can’t let a lawsuit get in the way of the education and dreams of thousands of students who are our future leaders and innovators.” The release, sent out February 18, highlighted the state’s $47 billion investment in higher education as a part of Newsom’s last enacted budget.
Surprising Fact
After a California Court of Appeal upheld the lower court’s order in February, thousands of students who would have been admitted were sent letters by the school apologizing for the “unsettling news” and asking them to continue considering the school as a higher education option as it challenged the ruling.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesstaffreports/2022/03/03/uc-berkeley-forced-to-withhold-5000-acceptance-letters-following-state-supreme-court-decision/