Trustees propose fee hike

After raising the salaries of California State University presidents and top-level executives, the CSU Board of Trustees voted to raise student fees by 10 percent last week.

The fee hike would increase SF State tuition to $1,740 annually, from the current fee of $1,584 and take effect in Fall 1997.

The board approved the fee hike by a vote of 13 to 1, Lt. Gov. Gray Davis being the lone dissenter.

"It's not appropriate to raise salaries of the presidents and then turn around and raise fees," said Steven Allen, an aid to Davis.

Davis told the trustees that he was considering introducing a ballot initiative to freeze student fees at California public universities for three years.

By state law the trustees must request a fee increase before the budget is officially presented to the state legislature in January. It cannot be added to the budget once negotiations begin.

"We cannot impose a fee increase at the last moment. In the absence of our being successful (in obtaining sufficient operating funds), this request gives us the legal underpinnings for a fee increase," CSU Chancellor Barry Munitz said, in a prepared statement.

According to Munitz, the CSU executives will solicit the legislature to appropriate $30 million in the 1996 budget to stave off the fee increase.

This was a tactic the trustees successfully used last fall. The board asked the legislature to approve a 10 percent fee increase, at the same time asking for funds to offset the increase.

That gave the legislature the option of allocating an additional $30 million to the CSU system and denying the trustee's request for a fee increase, which it did last summer.

The University of California system passed a similar measure two weeks ago and is also going to lobby the legislature for relief in the final budget, due to be finished next July.

From 1990 to 1994 tuition has increased 103 percent at CSU campuses, 134 percent at UC campuses, and 300 percent at the state community colleges, according to Allen.

"It's unlikely the fees will be raised this year. We are very hopeful that they won't be," Ligeia Polidora, SF State public affairs director, said.

Polidora believes the legislature will come through again and make necessary appropriations to offset fee hikes.

"Senator (Bill) Lockyer was outspoken against appropriating funds last year. I'm sure he will be this year, too," said Sandy Harrison, press secretary to the state senate majority leader. "What happened last year is the Democrats simply wore the legislature down. Whether it will happen this year -- I'm sure they'll put up a fight, but I can't say, right now, what will happen."

Currently there are 21 Democrats, 17 Republicans and two Independents, in the state Senate. The Assembly is controlled by the Republicans 41 to 39.

Even if the tuition hikes take effect it will not hamper financial aid for SF State students, according to financial aid director Tom Rutter.

"In the existing agreement one-third of the money (garnered from the fee hike) goes back into financial aid. It softens the blow for needy students," he said.

Rutter wouldn't guess on the chances of the legislature appropriating funds for the CSU campuses, but did believe the actions taken by the CSU trustees was "the best way to go -- to get the legislature to support the schools instead of having rate hikes."

State revenues for the year are expected to exceed projection by $500 million, Davis said in arguing against the fee hike. That could help the legislature find room in the budget for the $30 million requested.

The budget request now goes to the governor, where all or part of the request can be incorporated into the governor's budget proposal, before being presented to the legislature.

[ Golden Gater Online November 14, 1995 ]

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