Being a college student is hard. With budget cuts reducing class availability and slashing counselor hours, getting stuck in the system is no longer a concern, but an inevitability.

And as of last Monday, it’s getting even harder. The California State Universities announced that they will be freezing spring enrollment for most campuses in 2013. This is detrimental to community college students hoping to transfer, as it limits their options.

Many students rely on spring enrollment when transferring from community colleges. With this enrollment freeze, students will be forced to spend an extra semester at their community college. This is a waste of valuable time that could be spent finishing your education and working towards a career.

Students are the ones hurting the most after recent budget cuts. First they were faced with fewer classes to take, then winter session was threatened and now the public university system many students aim to transfer into has turned its back on community college students.

The CSUs are making it clear that students are no longer their priority. Just one day after announcing the enrollment freeze, the Los Angeles Times reported that a CSU panel voted to increase the salary of two incoming presidents 10 percent. According to the same article, both presidents make more than $300,000 a year, which is a pretty comfortable living for such hard times. Apparently budget cuts only apply to the people who are already hurting from them, like students and faculty.

Public universities like the CSUs are supposed to be accessible for college-bound students who can’t afford private universities. With this enrollment freeze, CSUs are becoming as exclusive as private universities.

Students hoping to transfer to a CSU will be stuck at their community college for an extra semester, taking up space in classes they don’t need. Not only does this inconvenience the students waiting to transfer, it also limits class availability for students who are still working on credits.

The biggest concern, though, is that community college transfer rates will drop. Gov. Jerry Brown’s Student Success Task Force requires schools to provide score cards that include their transfer rates. With fewer students transferring in spring semester, score cards would reflect poorly on the college.

The CSUs should be accessible to all California college students. An enrollment freeze is a radical, unfair response to budget cuts.