UC regents give initial approval to 8% student fee increase

A key committee of the UC Regents on Thursday approved an 8% fee increase for undergraduates in a calm atmosphere notably lacking the protest rallies and demonstrators’ arrests that accompanied preliminary discussions the day before.

In what is considered as a precursor to approval by the full regents board later today, the panel's finance committee voted for the $822 hike in basic undergraduate fees for the next school year. That would bring fees to $11,124, plus about $1,000 in campus-based fees and upwards of $17,000 for room, board and other expenses. Most graduate and professional schools charge higher costs.

The committee vote was 9-2, with only student regent Jesse Cheng and alumni representative Darek DeFreece voting no.

Only about 25 students showed up at the San Francisco meeting, contrasted with the crowd of about 300 the day before in a rally that led to 13 arrests and what police said were several violent confrontations. Four police officers were slightly injured Wednesday.

Committee members said they voted reluctantly for the increase, which follows a 32% increase imposed last year. But they said they had no choice, given rising costs for pensions, pay, utilities and other items that were not covered by state funding.  “Nobody ever wants to raise fees,” said regent Sherry Lansing.

However, student leaders urged at least a delay to allow for more lobbying in Sacramento  for higher funding. And several regents said they opposed the hike because they think UC should look harder first for more money-saving economies. They also said they were worried that, despite a widening of financial aid, that the brunt will fall on the middle class.

UC leaders say that most families earning less than $120,000 a year will get a one-year reprieve from the 8% increase.

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-- Larry Gordon, reporting from San Francisco

Comments

[smith]

Disgraceful. Middle class Californians trying to amke ends meet are stuck with a 32% increase in tuition and fees last year and another 8% this year.

For what? The "rising cost of pensions and pay..." for underworked professors retiring at 50, an overpaid Chancellor ($800,000+ with retirement and housing), and a campus infested with homeless people who take most vacant seats at Ackerman.

UC was never supposed to be priced "competitively" with other campuses. Nor is a decline in state funds a problem when professors retire at 50.

Great job Regents.

[Patriot]

Raise parking fees on campus and don't raise tuition. It pencils out. Yes, parking fees are that heavily subsidized on campus.

[The cost of a solid education.]

The tax payers of California are paying too much of the U.C. and State University freight. The the fees are far too low-the students should pay a lot more for the great education they are receiving, especially undergraduates.

[Friedman's Ghost]

Classic. At least in their statements the Regents are being honest as to why the increase is needed: rising costs for pensions, pay, utilities and other items. Note the first two which I am certain are the bulk of it.

This is just the beginning. If the UC system pay and pensions are unsustainable what do you think about CalPers?

Leave the state now...

[FTS]

Explain to me why we are having yet another fee increase when the University of California actually received more than 2 million dollars from the State Budget this year that the previous year?

[Linda]

The low income students will have everything paid for anyway as the Blue and Gold Opportunity plan shields them from payment and pay $0. The small business owners who show less than $80,000 "on the books" will also be shielded and pay $0. It is the middle-class suckers, who pay the taxes that fund the Blue and Gold plan, AND who have to pay cash for ALL TUITION AND FEEs for their own kids, who will be the ones REALLY STUCK by this increase. That's why the turnout was so low at the meeting. These students and parents know darn well who's paying their bills.

[Jennifer]

The best solution for most families is community college. We found out the hard way with our older son that there are right ways and wrong ways to take classes and prepare for transferring to a four year college. With our younger one, we used the Community College Transfer Guide book and it saved us a lot of grief and money.