Student fees will rise 10 percent if the California State University Board of Trustees approves the hike as expected today, increasing Chico State annual fees to $4,664 while government struggles to fund education.
CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed recommended the increase of $306 for undergraduates, $378 for graduate students and $354 for teacher credential students to the trustees because the system has no other options, he said.
The CSU Board of Trustees’ Committee on Finance approved the recommendation Tuesday, which the board will vote on today, CSU officials reported.
Senior Chris Nowman, Democratic club president, thinks the state is “taking it out” on the wrong group and is discouraging students, he said.
“The more money we shove on our students, the less likely they’re gonna complete a college education,” Nowman said.
Extra pressure won’t be added to students whose families earn less than $75,000 a year, Reed said. Their fee increase will be covered by financial aid.
Reed doesn’t expect the state to raise taxes, so students will have to pay more for their education, he said.
“The budget outlook in California that the legislature and the governor is facing is nothing short of an economic meltdown,” Reed said.
The state has a deficit of more than $15 billion, which will jump $6 billion if the six ballot initiatives don’t pass Tuesday, the governor’s office reported.
“We cannot expect the legislature to do anything other than cut everybody’s budget,” Reed said.
Allan Bee, Chico State director of admissions, said the college needs the money.
“It’s the reality we’re in today,” Bee said. “We’re not getting the kind of funding that we need to support the level of education we’re trying to provide.”
The state has dipped funding to almost $600 million below what the CSU system needs, said University President Paul Zingg in an e-mail.
Because of the lack in funding, Chico State needs to reduce enrollment, cut programs and freeze salaries.
“Access, quality, and affordability are all threatened by the failure of the state to meet its obligations to support higher education and to fulfill its promise to the people of this state,” Zingg said.
The trustees plan to increase student fees until they represent one-third of the cost of support, Zingg said. Students’ share will represent about 28 percent with this increase.
Meredith Kelley, Chico State vice provost for enrollment management, emphasized that although tuition has doubled since 2001, CSUs are the cheapest universities in the country.
“It’s probably not much of a consolation to students as they’re watching their fees go up, but we are still a bargain compared to all the other states,” Kelley said.
The University of California system hiked fees 9.3 percent Thursday, according to the system’s Web site.
While the state makes cuts, the federal government aims to support higher education with funds and tax credits, Reed said. The CSU and UC systems will receive $268.5 million in stimulus money for the coming academic year.
President Barack Obama recommended an increase of $619 to each Pell Grant, raising the aid designed for low-income students to $5,350, Reed said.
Nowman thinks the biggest impact Obama’s had on students is giving them support, he said.
“They feel like they have someone fighting for them in the White House,” he said. “I don’t think they’ve felt like that for eight years.”
Katy Sweeny can be reached at
ksweeny@theorion.com
Be the first to comment on this article!