As a result of $125 million in cuts this year, the California State University Board of Trustees voted yesterday to increase undergraduate student fees by $72 per semester to maintain access and quality at its 23 campuses.
The fee increase, approved by a 13-3 vote, goes into effect beginning in January 2003 with the spring semester. Graduate student fees will increase by $114 per semester. A supplemental statement will be sent to those students who have already paid their fees for the spring 2003 semester.
Currently, SSU full-time undergraduate students pay an annual State University Fee of $1,428, the lowest in the country, plus an additional $798 in SSU-specific fees (Associated Students fee, Consolidated Service fee, Facilities fee, IRA fee, Recreation Center fee, Student Health fee and Student Union fee). With Monday's action, SSU's total undergraduate annual fees go from $2,226 to $2370 annually. The graduate fee goes from $2,304 to $2,532 annually which includes the SSU-specific fees.
"These are difficult economic times for the citizens of California at every level. The CSU Board of Trustees made the difficult decision to raise student fees, which they did with regret. The next couple of years will require much of us in regard to compromises, but Sonoma State and the rest of the CSU campuses will continue to give our students what they need to progress toward graduation," said Ruben Arminana, SSU President.
The fee increase will generate $30 million for the CSU, but trustee policy mandates that one-third of the fee increase, $10 million, go immediately for financial aid to assist students. All of the 100,000+ CSU students who receive State University Grants will receive funds to fully offset the increases, and an additional 30,000+ CSU students will receive increases in their Cal Grant funds to offset the fee increases.
The CSU Board of Trustees acted in the face of a $59.6 million mid-year cut by the governor, which is on top of a $43 million cut and $22.8 million in unfunded costs the system experienced earlier this year, an amount equal to the budget of a campus the size of Sonoma State University. There are more than 8,000 unfunded students at the CSU this year. In total, the CSU will have to cut $125 million from its $2.68 billion budget.
CSU resident fees had not increased since 1994/95, and in fact undergraduate fees were reduced by 5% in 1998/99 and another 5% in 1999/00. This is the first time since 1982/83 that a mid-year increase has occurred.
