Anne MacLachlan

President Barack Obama signed a "Student Aid Bill of Rights" Tuesday to ensure student borrowers are protected and help students manage debt.

The quality of education provided by the University of California has declined, according to a UC student workers’ union representing more than 13,000 graduate student instructors, teaching assistants and other educators.

Higher education officials are growing increasingly concerned about maintaining current levels of student enrollment, in part due to the rising price of a college degree, according to the results of a survey released last week.

The UC contends that Proposition 209, passed in November 1996, that prohibits preferential treatment by the state in public employment, education or contracting based on race, ethnicity or gender, has caused a decline of underrepresented minorities in the UC system.