A study published last week by the UCLA Civil Rights Project found that more than three-quarters of students surveyed at CSU Northridge believe a lack of classes will delay their graduation.

The study – entitled Squeezed from All Sides – shows that students at CSU Northridge are struggling to finish college as tuition soars, class offerings shrink, and the families are devastated by the economic turndown, the housing crisis, and the very high levels of joblessness and underemployment.

This report, based on a survey of CSUN students, shows how serious these problems already were this fall before the Governor announced his proposal for a $500 million cut in the CSU budget. The report concludes that this generation of students is paying much more and getting much less than those who came before, and this threatens the future of a state that needs a one million increase in college graduates.

Co-authored by Civil Rights Project Co-directors Patricia Gándara and Gary Orfield, the report asserts that the roles have reversed for many California parents and their college-age children during this entrenched recession. A large portion of students face enormous challenges to graduating and preparing for their future. While they try to support themselves and complete their college studies, many students now must aid their parents and brothers and sisters to make it through these difficult times—and this places an alarmingly high level of stress on CSU students.

“This research went to one of the largest CSU campuses and asked students how the cuts have affected their lives and prospects,” says Co-author Orfield. “What they told us shows that the challenges they face are severe. Many wrote of the terrible stress and uncertainty they are facing. It is important for Californians to listen seriously to student voices and weigh the cost of shifting the burden to these young people.”