Corrigan speaks on Prop. 203

SF State President Robert A. Corrigan joined business and education leaders from San Francisco Monday in a press conference to urge voters to support Proposition 203.

The proposition, which could bring $3 billion in infrastructure improvements to California's K-12 schools, community colleges and public universities, would go a long way in preparing higher education for the next wave of high school graduates according to Corrigan. Out of the $3 billion allocated, $975 million will go to higher education if the measure passes.

"What happens (when) all of these five million K-12 students go on for higher education?" Corrigan said at the downtown San Francisco press conference. "We're looking at tidal wave two coming to higher education. About the year 2005 there will be an additional 455,000 students eligible to go to community college, to the California State University system, to the University of California."

To prepare for this growth in college admissions, Corrigan and others at the press conference talked about the need to improve buildings and telecommunications of California schools.

"What is in this for higher education is we have an upgrade of existing buildings," Corrigan said. "For the money that is in it for the California State University, $300 million over two years of the bond act, there are only two new buildings that would be funded. Everything else is seismic upgrade, public safety, and improvements of the existing buildings."

According to the university Public Affairs Office, SF State is slated to receive about $2.68 million over the next two years:

* $548,000 for preliminary plans to upgrade the university's telecommunications system.

* $1 million for preliminary plans for the seismic strengthening of Hensill Hall.

* $562,000 earthquake retrofitting of the old sections of the Arts and Industry Building.

* $572,000 worth of seismic safety plans for the J. Paul Leonard Library.

Corrigan didn't specifically mention SF State's plans, but he did briefly address the university when talking about the need for building improvements.

"In the California State University, 50 percent of our buildings are 30 years older or more," Corrigan said. "From 1972 until about three years ago (SF State) went 20 years without a new academic building.

"An awful lot of us are going to be below ground (when all the changes are complete)," he said. "But if we don't do it then our buildings are going to cease to operate and education is going to cease to take place."

Corrigan said the measure should pass, if people who support it get out to vote.

"There's not been an issue in the past in terms of the Bay area's willingness to support something like this. Each time that a bond act comes along the vote comes out about 68 percent of those who vote in the Bay area vote to support these kind of bond actions," he said. "The problem is that we tend not to get the vote out in large enough numbers and there are other parts of the state in which there are people who vote against these propositions."

According to a recent statewide Field poll, taken in late February, support for the measure seems strong. The poll shows that 72 percent of Californians favored the proposition, 21 percent were against it, and 7 percent were undecided -- with a six percent margin of error.

Corrigan was joined at the press conference by G. Rhea Serpan, president of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Caitlin Curtin, president of Luminare, the host of the conference, Donald G Fisher, chairman and founder of the GAP Inc., Waldemar Rojas, superintendent of the San Francisco School District, Del M. Anderson, Chancellor of City College of San Francisco, and Bruce Spaulding, vice chancellor for University Advancement and Planning at University of California San Francisco.

[ Golden Gater Online March 12, 1996 ]

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