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Cal State Board Of Trustees Approves Tuition Hike

Chryst'l Sanchez |
November 10, 2010 | 2:53 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

The California Statue University Board of Trustees approved a measure on Wednesday to increase student tuition 15.5 percent by the 2011-2012 academic year.

Before being forwarded to the full board of trustees, the CSU Finance Committee met Tuesday in the CSU Long Beach Chancellor’s office and approved the plan 6-1, amid dozens of students protesting outside the meeting.

California State University Campus (Creative Commons)
California State University Campus (Creative Commons)

A 5 percent increase will be implemented for the upcoming winter and spring terms, followed by a 10 percent increase on top of that in the fall.  This means that CSU students will pay about $105 more next spring semester and $444 more in the next academic year.  A full-time undergraduate student’s tuition for one year will amount to $4,884 in the fall, which does not include additional university fees.

 “There’s not one member on this board that is anxious to increase fees,” said William Hauck, CSU Board of Trustees member.  Supporters of the plan also say that the tuition hikes are necessary in the face of severe state budget cuts.

CSU students have mixed views toward the new tuition hike, which is the fifth increase since 2007.

“By increasing tuition by 15.5 percent it makes it harder for the general population to receive a quality education, defeating the purpose of a public university,” said Lisa Tomita, CSU Long Beach undergraduate student majoring in biology. “What’s the point of a public university if it’s not affordable?”

Jesus Dacuma, Jr., a senior at CSU Long Beach majoring in electrical engineering, sees the tuition hikes in a different light. “Compared to other schools, say USC for example, what I pay for my whole degree here is like one year at USC,” said Dacuma.  “If you think about it, I can get four degrees here for the price of one year’s tuition at SC.  In comparison it’s not really that bad.”

Though some students are worried that their families will be burdened by the tuition hikes, about half of CSU students will not be affected by the increase since their tuition is covered by government grants.

Reach reporter Chryst'l Sanchez here.

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