Junior Julia Murphy knows what it's like for college costs to get in the way of a dream.
A "hiccup" away from getting a degree in fine arts, she switched to a major in environmental policy and administration because her debt means she'll need a better paying job, she said.
Murphy doesn't want other students to have to do the same or give up their education, so she's joined Tuition Relief Now. The organization is gathering signatures throughout the state for an initiative to freeze tuition in the University of California and California State University systems for the next five years and wouldn't allow tuition increases greater than the inflation index. It would also add a tax to Californians' with incomes of more than $1 million.
Students feel the squeeze
CSU student fees have gone up 75 percent in the last decade and 35 percent since 2003-2004, according to the CSU Budget Office Web site. Inflation averaged 3 percent. In 1997-1998, annual fees systemwide were $1,584 minus campus-based fees. In 2003-2004, the cost was $2,046.
Tuition at California universities is called "fees" because according to The California Master Plan for Higher Education, which was written in 1960, public universities are supposed to be free, except for incidental fees.
Despite the increase, CSUs are a good deal for students, according to the CSU 2007-2008 Student Fee Report by Patrick Lenz, assistant vice chancellor of financial development for the CSU system. It's about $3,000 cheaper to attend a state university than an average comparable institution, according to the report.
President Paul Zingg said the CSU system is worth the money.
"It's a very agile system," he said. "It's able to respond to new needs and new ideas."
CSU spokesman Paul Browning agrees.
"It's still the cheapest four-year college in the country with the caliber of education," he said.
College costs are rising nationwide. The University of Nevada, Reno, increased its fees in 2007 by 9.4 percent.
CSUs are mostly funded by the state. In 2006-2007, 70 percent of Chico State's $163 million budget came from state funds, according to the Chico State Office of Budget Analysis and Research Web site.
That money primarily went to salaries and benefits for CSU employees. Those costs are increasing as the newest contract with faculty makes salaries competitive with other schools, said Alice Sunshine, communications director for California Faculty Association.
CSUs have faced cuts in the past, as in 2003, when funds were cut by $304 million. The board made up the money by raising student fees 36 percent, according to the CSU Budget Central Web site.
Chico State student Misha Willging feels the pinch, she said.
She expects to be more than $30,000 in debt when she graduates, she said. If she didn't work 35 hours a week at Chili's, she couldn't go to school.
"I could never afford to do anything if I didn't work full time," she said.
The average Chico State student graduates with $14,000 in debt, according to the Financial Aid Office.
CSU fees for 2007-2008 are $2,772 annually for full-time students at any campus, according to the budget office Web site. The average campus-based fees total $749. At Chico State they're $918. These fees pay for student organizations, health services and similar programs.
The state is likely to keep cutting funding for higher education, and the initiative includes a 1 percent tax in 2009 on California residents with incomes of more than $1 million.
That would make about $2 billion per year, according to the California Legislative Analyst's Office. Of that money, 60 percent would go to the UC and CSU systems.
The trustees haven't discussed the initiative and aren't likely to in the near future said Browning of the CSU system. He's not sure which of the trustees are aware of it. And the board won't make a decision about fees until it meets in May.
Volunteers gather signatures
To get the initiative on the ballot about 434,000 registered voters must sign petitions to put the initiative on a ballot.
Tuition Relief Now will gather signatures until April 17, Murphy said. Each CSU and UC campus is responsible for 10,000 signatures. But it might be tough to approve the measure, she said.
CSU students faced a smaller fee increase than students at comparable schools, according to Lenz's report. Cleveland State University held its tuition steady, and Wayne State University raised tuition by $1,344, more than 18 percent.
Comparing among states is flawed, said Chris Vaeth, campaign director for Tuition Relief Now. California has a higher cost of living than most other states, so a CSU or UC education might not be as good of a deal as it seems.
Board deals with governor
The CSU board of trustees tried to protect students from higher fees through a compact with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004.
The compact aims to cap fee hikes to 10 percent per year, while still providing enough funds for the 2.5 percent enrollment increase the CSU system accommodates annually, according to the CSU Web site.
Fees went up 14 percent that year and 8 percent the next, as planned by the CSU board. Fees held steady the next year and increased by 10 percent from 2006-2007 to 2007-2008, according to the CSU budget Web site.
The compact doesn't provide much protection for students, Tuition Relief Now members said.
"The compact was a gentleman's agreement," Vaeth said. "It's able to be and has been violated."
The compact has worked for years, said CSU spokeswoman Clara Potes-Fellow. Students pay less than one-third of their tuition, which the board considers "the right mix." The stated goal systemwide is to have students pay one-third of their education.
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