Spartan Daily

Cal State Trustees approve 9 percent tuition hike

mcclatchy, Spartan Daily

The board also approved its 2012-13 budget, which requests additional revenue to address cuts within the CSU.

The board voted 9-6 at its Long Beach headquarters on a $498 increase to annual tuition to be implemented in the Fall of 2012.

According to Erik Fallis, spokesperson for the California State University Chancellor's Office, the budget approved at the meeting requests the governor and legislature together provide an additional $333 million in state funding for the upcoming fiscal year.

"If the state comes through and provides the funding, this fee policy can always be revisited," Fallis said in a press conference Wednesday.

“Personally I think its ridiculous because prices just keep going up, and we can’t afford school as it is, even though we are already over-packed," said Rochelle Mason, a sophomore pre-nursing major at SJSU.

Mason said she won't be able to attend school next semester because of the fee increase.

"My parents are paying for school but they are actually pulling me out … so now I will be going to a junior college when I could be getting a better degree here," she said.

According to a report from the McClatchy Tribune, members of a ReFund California attempted to rush the door of the meeting before police released tear gas on protesters as well as handcuffing and arresting several protesters.

According to Fallis, the group was given time during the public comments.

"(Wednesday's incident) is related to an outside group using the meeting as a forum," Fallis said.

There was a demonstration during this time and after the 30 minute time limit was up the board reconvened, while the group continued shouting down speakers and members of the board, Fallis said.

"After a 10 minute recess, University Police asked the protesters to leave," he said.

The process seemed to be moving along, but some of the protesters who left tried to forcibly reenter, he said.

During this process the  individuals broke the glass doors in the front of the building, according to Fallis. He said three police officers were injured and one was taken to the hospital.

He said four people were arrested. While the person who broke the door has not been identified, one is CSU Long Beach and two are from San Diego State University, he said.

Among the six dissenting votes to a tuition increase was Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

"I oppose increasing California State University fees," stated Torlakson on Twitter. "Proposal takes us in the wrong direction."

The tweet linked to a statement by Torlakson about his opposition to the proposal.

"It's time to recognize that our students and our state are in crisis, and we need talented college graduates to bring California's economy back," Torlakson said in a release.

Liz Cara, occupational therapy professor and president of the California Faculty Association at SJSU, said the CFA has been protesting fee hikes for years.

"Fee hikes are part of the larger problems in the CSU system," Cara said. "(The board of trustees) continue to increase fees and put public education on the backs of the students."

Classes are being cut and so are educators, meaning that students are paying more for less, Cara said.

"The Chancellor's priorities are wrong, we don't need fee increases — at least not every year," he said. "The board should not agree to such enormous fee hikes."

Tina Yang, a freshman English and liberal studies major at SJSU, said the increase will make life harder for students.

“Obviously, I guess it’s really unfair, because I think education should be given to everyone and it makes it really hard for people to afford college now," Yang said. "(In) society today a college degree doesn’t get you that much further and a high school diploma doesn’t really mean anything."

Meanwhile, the CFA is set to strike at CSU East Bay and CSU Dominguez Hills on Thursday.

Fallis said he believes the protest was not a backlash for student fee increases or new faculty contracts for which the CFA is advocating.

According to a press release sent out by Chancellor Charles Reed's office, "in two of the last four fiscal years, state funding to the CSU has been dramatically reduced, forcing the board to approve sizable tuition fee increases."

The position of the CFA is "ironic," he said — "There is a mental disconnect."

"If faculty union got the $20 million they are demanding, on top of the $60 million they received between 2008-2010, it would make the budget problem worse," Fallis said.

No sitting president has received an increase since 2007 and neither has the Chancellor, he said.

As previously reported by the Spartan Daily the CSU approved a salary of $350,000 for Eliot Hirshman, San Diego State's then-new president, in July 2011, an increase of $100,000 over his predecessor, according to Adam Keigwin, chief of staff for state Senator Leland Yee.

$50,000 of the increased salary comes from a yearly supplement from San Diego State foundation sources, according to an email from Liz Chapin, a spokesperson for Chancellor Reed.

"When a new individual is hired, they have different qualifications and the market that exists might be different than it was with the previous employee," Fallis said. "A $50,000 hiring decision is significant to them, but they are asking for $20 million."

Jonathan Chang, a graduate student studying social work at SJSU, said he is upset about the fee increase.

“I understand sometimes financial needs increase," said Chang. "It sucks, but I think it's kind of necessary.”

Daniel Herberholz, Jackson Wright, Matthew Gerring and the McClatchy Tribune contributed to this report.