UPDATE Sept. 20: The California State University Board of Trustees approved a 5 percent tuition increase and a $250 million cut to the CSU system yesterday if Proposition 30 fails.
The board approved a tuition rollback of 9.1 percent if Proposition 30 passes at their meeting in Long Beach.
The resolution, passed by a margin of 11-3, would enact a 5 percent hike in Jan. 2013 that would raise tuition $150 per semsester. The rollback would rescind the 9 percent increase instituted at the beginning of this year, entitling students to a refund for a portion of what they paid this semester.
Music performance major Michael Verdugo, 26 supports Proposition 30 because he feels as though people should not have to pay that much for tuition.
“I feel like when I first started school, the tuition was very low. I went to a community college and even now community college is way more expensive than I would have ever thought it six years ago,” Verdugo said. “So if the CSU is going to go up in that same way, then that is not good.”
Some students like senior Krista Williamson, 21, are even facing regrets when it comes to entering the CSU system because of the constant fee increases and the amount of classes that have been cut. Williamson also believes the fee increase has caused the quality of teaching to decline as well.
“Now, looking back, I wish that I would have done the private school route because now I feel like classes are kind of, not BS, but they’re just not taken as seriously as I think they should be and we’re not getting the respect from professors that we should be,” Williamson said. ” Yeah, looking back I would do the private school route because even if it’s more money, at least you’re getting the classes you need.”
Heather Ito contributed to this report.
A 5 percent tuition hike for California State University students could potentially go into effect if Proposition 30 fails this November.
In a California State University Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, the Committee on Finance agreed to pass a portion of the contingency strategy, which would go into effect January 2013.
The increase in tuition costs would be an attempt to offset the $250 million cut that would be triggered by the failure of Proposition 30.
Although the contingency plan was thoroughly discussed by the committee and meeting attendees, not everyone was on board with the plan. The California Faculty Association President Lillian Taiz disagreed with the provisions of the plan.
“You shouldn’t be sending a message to the CSU community” Taiz said. “It’s thumbs up or down on Proposition 30. You will make sure we’re on the losing end. That’t not how you win for California or the CSU.”
The committee also considered other revenue generating policy changes, but postponed a decision until November.
The other changes could include a fee for those who choose to repeat a course, whether they failed or are looking to get a higher grade in a specific class. Each unit would cost an additional $100 as an attempt to keep students from repeating courses.
In an effort to encourage students who have reached 150 units to graduate, an additional $372 per unit fee would be implemented to free up space for incoming students.
The last portion of the strategy includes a third tier for students who take more than more than 16 units per semester. The proposed plan would charge these students an additional $200 per unit.
In the end the fate of these policy changes rests in the hands of voters come November.
