Tuesday, November 09, 2010

CSU TO RAISE ‘FEES’… ER… ‘TUITION’ (Doesn’t Prop 26 require a two-thirds vote to raise ‘fees"’?

Cal State trustees committee approves fee hike; full board votes Wednesday

-- Carla Rivera – LA Times/LA Now | http://lat.ms/aEHi3E

November 9, 2010 |  5:33 pm - A California State University proposal to raise undergraduate tuition 15% by next fall was approved Tuesday by a key committee of the Board of Trustees.

If approved by the full board Wednesday, the two-step increase would boost undergraduate fees 5% -- $105 -- for the rest of this school year and an additional 10% -- about $440 -- for next year. Basic full-time undergraduate tuition next year would rise to $4,884, in addition to campus fees that average about $1,000.

Several speakers urged committee members to reject the tuition hike, and students are expected to protest at Wednesday’s board meeting in Long Beach. But officials said the actions were forced by large cuts in state funding and bleak predictions of little change next year.

The proposed fee increases would raise an additional $27 million in revenue this year and $121.5 million next year, which would be used to add class sections and restore services such as library and counseling hours, said Robert Turnage, assistant vice chancellor for budget. Trustees already increased fees 5% this fall.

Cal State’s proposed budget for 2011-12 asks the Legislature to "buy out" next year’s fee increase. But that’s uncertain given the state’s precarious financial situation.

The 23-campus system, with about 433,000 students, received a recent boost in state funding of $260 million from the previous year as well as about $106 million in one-time federal stimulus money. It is moving to increase enrollment by about 30,000 students.

 

Cal State to call student fees 'tuition,' ending long-standing tradition

-- Carla Rivera – LA Times/LA Now | http://lat.ms/da6Wjb

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef012875ba1cbe970c-800wi

November 8, 2010 |  3:45 pm - Ending a decades-long tradition, the California State University system plans to start using the word “tuition” instead of “fees” to refer to the educational costs it charges to students.

The move marks a fundamental philosophical shift in the ideal of offering Californians a tuition-free public college education, a principle enshrined in the state’s master plan for higher education adopted 50 years ago.

California students have long paid fees for specialized or optional services such as health, housing and recreation.

But in recent years, as the state has been hit by recessions, its public colleges have increasingly charged students hefty fees to help cover their educational costs as well.

Tuition is a more accurate and honest description of the charges, Cal State officials said. It is also in line with the label most widely used by colleges and universities across the country.

“It's a case of truth in advertising and saying, ‘Let's be honest with ourselves and honest with everyone else,'" said Robert Turnage, the university’s assistant vice chancellor for budget.

Cal State Chancellor Charles Reed is expected to issue an executive order to implement the change by the end of the year and will also specify which campus charges will continue to be called fees, officials said. Cal State trustees will be briefed on the change at a  board meeting that starts Tuesday  and informally, the university will begin using the new term immediately. University of California regents are expected to consider a similar wording change at their meeting in San Francisco next week, UC spokesman Peter King said.

At the meetings, both boards also are expected to approve increases in those charges to students. Cal State leaders have proposed a two-step undergraduate fee hike of 5% for the rest of this school year and an additional 10% for next year. UC leaders will consider an undergraduate increase of  8% for next school year.  Basic fees for undergraduates now top $10,000 annually at UC and $4,200 at Cal State.

 

Photo: Students protest fee hikes at UCLA last year. Los Angeles Times (Somebody needs to explain the difference between Cal State Universities and University of California to the Times photo editor. Then they can work on the difference between “last year” and “news”.)

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