LOS ANGELES – The California State University Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to raise tuition by 5 percent for the 2017-18 school year to address a shortfall in funding from the state.
The trustees approved two amendments — one to rescind the hike if sufficient state funding comes through, and another calling for reports over the next two years detailing how the additional dollars are spent.
Barring more funding, annual in-state tuition will increase by $270, from $5,472 to $5,742. Similar increases were approved for non-resident tuition, along with increases in graduate, doctoral and teacher-credential programs. The changes are projected to generate $77.5 million in the 2017-18 school year.
CSU Chancellor Timothy White told the board that he had no choice in asking for more tuition.
“I don’t bring this forward with an ounce of joy. I bring it out of necessity,” White said as students in the audience booed.
According to a staff report, “more than 60 percent of all CSU undergraduate students receive grants and waivers to cover the full cost of tuition. Nearly 80 percent of all CSU students receive some form of financial assistance.”
Those percentages will be maintained even with a tuition increase, CSU’s chief financial officer told the board, in part because $39 million in financial aid will be added.
But many students said they still can’t afford an increase. Before the meeting, dozens gathered outside the CSU Chancellor’s office, where a mock graveyard of headstones featuring the names of each of the CSU campuses was set up.
“The more we pay, the longer we stay,” students chanted, saying working more hours meant they couldn’t attend the classes needed to graduate.
Dozens of students in graduate caps and gowns made their way inside the boardroom, some wearing signs around their necks showing the amount of student debt they had accrued.
They periodically interrupted the meeting to shout “Chancellor White, do what’s right!” or “mic check” when they disagreed with comments by the trustees.
A group known as the Students for Quality Education says that while tuition has been frozen for four years, the cost of attending CSU increased by 283 percent between 2002 and 2012.
“We pay for housing, we pay for textbooks, we pay for food,” a representative of the California State Student Association told the board.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal released in January included a $157.2 million increase in state funding for the CSU system, but it was still $167.7 million short of what the CSU had requested. In addition to the tuition increase, CSU officials said they plan to continue lobbying for increased funding from the state.
CSU’s chief financial officer, Steve Relyea, said that without the revenue, fewer courses would be available and students would need more time to graduate.
“The revenue generated by this increase will allow us to add faculty, courses, advisers and other resources to improve students’ opportunities for success,” Relyea said. “We will ensure that students who require the most financial assistance will not face any additional burden associated with the tuition increase.”
The California Faculty Association disagreed with the increase, calling it a tax on students who may already be working 30 hours a week, and saying the burden should be on the state.
“We want the state to increase the student budget,” association President Jennifer Eagan told City News Service outside the boardroom. “This is an investment in the future.”
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Tom says
If they would stop handing out free educations to illegal immigrants then there would be no need for an increase in fees. Walk around a real campus and the American student is fewer and fewer. Cal schools hold spots for foreign students that our American students either have to wait semesters or even years too attend certain fields of study. Look up the veterinary medicine at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, or UC Davis. And if you want to be a human doctor, good luck in California.
Laughing says
Betting you have never heard of a student visa.
Tom says
Yes and those students pay for their tuition. I am talking about the great Governor Jerry Brown in 2011 signed a bill giving illegal immigrant college students access to state-funded financial aid, the second half of two-part legislation known as the “Dream Act.” They are the reason our children are limited. Google Dream Act and you will be surprised.
Tim Scott says
Not surprised at all to find that the dream act of 2011 was a bill in the US congress that had nothing to do with Governor Brown at all, much less being as you describe. Get some facts before you post might be a good idea for you Tom. After all, you aren’t the POTUS.
William says
Hey, Tim
It is so awesome how these folks don’t let facts get in their way when they speak/tweet/post and obviously think from in their alternate reality. They have ‘ALTERNATIVE FACTS’ y’see.
But, here’s the clincher. They don’t report on observed ‘alternative facts’ as they would have us believe. They MAKE THEM UP out of whole cloth.
It’s a sickness, I tell ya. A sickness.
Tom says
Ok smarty pants, if you really want to get technical, it was established in 2001, Jerry Brown in 2011 signed the bill too allow California too jump on the federally funded money train. Shall I site my references for you like I’m back in school?
Tim Scott says
No need. You could just stop posting erroneous statements like “Governor Jerry Brown signed the 2011 bill known as the Dream Act” and inviting people to google it…since if you had bothered to google it before you parroted it you would have known it was wrong.
Now, there was a state bill that became state law that basically says that all California residents will be treated equally. Some people, apparently including you, would rather have different California residents treated differently…especially if it means that they get treated better.
That, of course, creates a permanent underclass and contributes to all kinds of societal problems, which the people who want to be treated better will then complain about. But, hey, you can always blame the problems on that underclass. After all, that’s one of the benefits of creating a permanent underclass in the first place, right?
Tim Scott says
I have what I think is a pretty good reply pending the moderator. It isn’t intended to be really nasty or anything, so I assume it will pass. In the meantime, I just have to say…
“Smarty pants”? Who says that anymore?
Laughing says
Students get resident rate tuition instead of being considered out of state attendees.
All of the grants and things are the exact ones any citizen can apply for and usually will get. Including all of the criminals ones that come to our colleges just to get the money and try to play the system (I have first hand knowledge of the schemes).
To be brief, any Natural Born Citizen would be able to get in using these same tools. Grades and references do make a difference and yes unfortunately the whole ‘equal opportunity’ mess shifts the balance and that may need to be rethought since it seems to have served its purpose.
Tim Scott says
Hey! Resident rates for residents. Whoda thunk that?
Laughing says
Yeah. Some people want the Dream recipients to pay out of state rates. Obviously because they came from out of state/country.
Tim Scott says
Okay…well, my sister came to California when she was like three…should she have had to pay non resident fees? Or is that why they call them RESIDENT RATE FEES, not born Californian rate fees? How about my kids, who were all born in other states while I was in the military and were brought here when I got out? They pretty rightly consider themselves second generation Californians. Should they not get resident rate fees?
Laughing says
Completely agree! They live here, they are residents.
Cherie says
heh-heh! LOL! Cutting just a eencie-weencie-wittle bit deeper, into their party-money, Bernie Sanders’ crybabies, cry-cry-crying, protesting for free everything! Had the Democrats the good sense to nominate crazy Bernie over crooked Hillary, of course we’d be bankrupt, several times over. But, hey dooods! Rest assured our college preppy minds of tomorrow would living the high life, stoned out of their minds, toking-up in smoke the difference from what they’ll soon be paying, in increased tuition.
William says
I couldn’t finish your post, Cherie. It looks like you’re a trump fan. That means you turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to all the sh**, er, stuff he says and does.
I’ll bet you’re too embarrassed to say you voted for him.
“I love the uneducated.” Donald J. Trump He means you.
Yea, things i notice... says
LA Times is a liberal source. I can only show you the door, you decide whether to not be lazy and open it.
William says
lib·er·al. [ˈlib(ə)rəl]
ADJECTIVE
1.open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values:
“they have more liberal views toward marriage and divorce than some people”
2.(of education) concerned mainly with broadening a person’s general knowledge and experience, rather than with technical or professional training.
synonyms: wide-ranging · broad-based · general
3.(especially of an interpretation of a law) broadly construed or understood; not strictly literal or exact
“they could have given the 1968 Act a more liberal interpretation”
synonyms: flexible · broad · loose · rough · free · general · nonliteral ·
[more]
4.given, used, or occurring in generous amounts:
“liberal amounts of wine had been consumed”
I hope I don’t have to school you again when you think you are using the word LIBERAL as an insult. In this case, you used it accurately but I don’t think in the way you thought.
Maybe you meant to say ‘librul’.
Yea, things i notice... says
I well understand the defined term of liberal however not much goes by original definition anymore and i was talking about the faction. I favor “leftists” but many still operate via the other and dont fully understand. The point of words and language is that as many people can understand. Technical precision only really matters on legal documents designed for the few who are paid for that. (Aka. I dont really care so long as you get the point).
If the article came from Fox, most would think its right wing propaganda, but this one came from the other side which they love to justify leftist views. That is what i found interesting. brown wants to cut the middle class citizen support in favor of alien residents rich people dont need or seek financial aid for college that means middle class need the help which brown is cutting. That was the point but i guess highly intelligent people would rather drown themselves in minor details and bicker about the left/right conflict when there is a matter both should be able to join together on.
Tim Scott says
So you are claiming that the LA Times quoted Governor Brown as “favoring alien aid.” And you expect people to either take your word on this absurdity or you’ll say they are “just too lazy to look for themselves.” Okay, so we now have a snapshot image of your credibility. Next!
Yea, things i notice... says
I specifially dont want anyone to take anyone’s word as credibility. I want people to do research and to pay attention to ACTIONS around them.
Feel free to snapshot that too.
Laughing says
The problem is, using your wording I was not able to find anything related except on The blaze.
Giving us a starting link allows us to read the article and further research it.
Tim Scott says
Pay attention to actions is a good rule of thumb. In this case your actions were to post a wildly hyperbolic bit of nonsense slandering the Governor, then falsely claim that it came from the LA Times. Thanks for the snapshot.
Yea, things i notice... says
LA Times
Sacramento Bee
San Francisco Gate
All featured articles relating to his fimancial aid portion to his budget announcement. Information is there.
You can stop replying Tim as this was never posted for you really and will be my last… Just to show a different view, and as was demonstrated how often gets socially blocked from silent people who may really want to see things for themselves. If you felt threatened in any way, i appologize.
Tim Scott says
And not one of those sources says anything even resembling “favoring alien aid.” That was a wildly hyperbolic bit of nonsense apparently picked up from The Blaze, which is a right wing fake news source of the highest order. If that’s where you are “noticing things” then it’s a good thing if you decide to stop posting them.
No apology necessary. Stopping parrots from spreading fake news is always a pleasure.
Yea, things i notice... says
This happening after jbrown says to halt citizen grants in favor of only alien aide… Coincedence?
Tim Scott says
More likely fake news you just made up, or parroted from some ridiculous source. If you can provide a reliable source where Governor Brown says he “favors only alien aid” I’ll be awestruck.