CSU Seeks 10% Hike in Student Fees

While students protested escalating costs, California State University trustees voted Thursday to ask the Legislature for another 10% increase in student fees next year.

The increased fees, if adopted, would make full-time undergraduate students who are California residents pay $1,740 next year. That is $156 more than it cost to attend a state university or college in 1994 and more than double the fees five years ago.

While asking to raise fees, the trustees also voted to request that the Legislature and governor allocate enough extra money--about $37 million--to avoid a fee increase.

“Our objective is to have no fee increase,” Chancellor Barry Munitz told student representatives. “But if you want us to keep retaining excellent faculty and staff to serve students, this is what we have to do. There are very few choices.”

Students, faculty and staff representatives from throughout the 22-campus system protested the increase and pleaded with the trustees for relief.

“We just finished paying 10% higher fees,” said Alex Parr, a Cal Poly Pomona student. “And now we’re hearing the board will raise fees 10% more--it’s frustrating.”

Graduate students would pay $246 more next year under the plan. Trustees have tried to phase in higher fees for graduate students before, but the Legislature has resisted. CSU officials said it costs more to educate graduate students than undergraduates.

In light of an improving California economy, CSU budget planners said they will seek more money from the state in 1995.

Trustees asked for nearly $1.7 billion from the state’s general fund, 9.4% more than what the Cal State system received this year. If the Legislature approves the request, it would bring state funding for the CSU system back to the 1990-91 level. About 3,200 more students are expected to enter CSU schools next year.

The trustees’ planned budget could be scrapped if analysts find that the state has much less money than expected by Nov. 15. But Richard West, CSU vice chancellor of business and finance, was cautiously optimistic, saying the state now has about $476 million more than expected.

When they were pressed to explain increasing fees, trustees angrily cited numbers showing the growth in the state prison system. Money for prisons comes from the same discretionary portion of the state budget as money for higher education, trustees said.

“Prisons are going to swallow us up eventually,” Trustee Anthony M. Vitti said.

Vitti and other trustees told students to demonstrate their frustration before the Legislature to change the ways that politicians allocate money.

Todd Wilander, president of Associated Students Inc. of Cal State Los Angeles, said higher education should get more money than prisons.

“We don’t need a Cal University San Quentin,” Wilander said.