You do not have to be a philosopher to know that life can be unfair. The challenge is to act in such a way as to diminish the unfairness rather than to add to it. A Yes vote on Proposition 57 is a vote for fairness.

In the late 1990s California was booming. The intellect and hard work of our people were generating wealth across the spectrum from agriculture to telecommunications. Our citizens generated huge capital gains; tax revenues flowed into Sacramento.

The consequences for San Diego State University of that investment are dramatic: SDSU has successfully recruited and retained distinguished faculty who have brought more than $912 million to our community in research activity, grants and contracts since 1995. Recognizing this excellence, San Diego has increased its philanthropy to SDSU by 132 percent over that same period.

Students have recognized this excellence as undergraduate applications increased from 23,308 in 1996 to 44,000 for the fall of 2004; during the same period the high school average GPA of enrolled freshmen increased from 3.10 to 3.53; SAT scores rose 111 points; retention from the freshman to sophomore year increased 7.3 percentage points; graduation rates are already up 7 percentage points and climbing higher. In short, San Diego State has been serving this community and the citizens of California better than ever before.

But what has happened since the state budget cuts began? In 2002-03, after tuition increases and mandated fixed costs, we lost $10 million. This year, again after tuition increases and mandated fixed costs, we lost an additional $11.4 million. And there is an additional one-time cut of $1.8 million pending before the Legislature. Under the governor's proposal for next year, assuming that the $15 billion Proposition 57 bond initiative will pass, we will lose another $19.5 million after tuition and mandated costs.

Much as it troubles me to see these resources withdrawn from our university and the people it serves, I can understand the fairness of it. Times are tough; we all have to make sacrifices.

What is not fair is that well-qualified students are being denied access to San Diego State because their only "crime" was that they were born in 1985. San Diego State is the single largest engine attracting brains to San Diego – brains that are the key to San Diego's future prosperity. Last year we were forced to turn away 10,000 qualified applicants who wanted to bring their talent and energy and innovation to San Diego. The negative impact of these denials will ripple through our community's work force for a generation.

Without presuming to speak for my colleagues, the reason I favor passage of Proposition 57 is that it will keep our doors open, difficult as that may be, to serve the needs of a new generation of Californians. That is not only fair, it is in our collective best interest if our state is going to return to prosperity and compete successfully in the 21st century.

It is fair that in difficult times our faculty and staff carry a heavier burden in their service to California; it is fair that our students pay higher fees. What is not fair is what will happen in the absence of Proposition 57, that we will be forced to deny opportunity to thousands more Californians.

Economic cycles come and go; our state's resources wax and wane accordingly; but our obligations to our citizens and our investment in their future must remain constant. In the business community, when employers are forced to cut back, it is usually because they have lost costumers. San Diego State has more "customers" than ever before – more men and women wanting to develop their minds and talents and leadership abilities to make an enhanced contribution to our society.

Proposition 57 will allow us to continue to serve them – albeit with diminished resources. Under these difficult circumstances, that is fair. What would not be fair would be to turn down Proposition 57 and punish thousands of our citizens simply for being 18 years of age.

Weber is president of San Diego State University.