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Cal State Trustees Debate Proposal To Increase Tuition, As Many Demand Changes
CSU Long Beach student Jennifer Chavez speaks at a rally attended by several hundred California State University employees and students on Tuesday at CSU headquarters in Long Beach. Chavez spoke out against a proposed 6% student tuition increase.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
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LAist
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At their July board meeting, a committee of California State University trustees criticized a plan to generate $840 billion off a student tuition increase.
What's been proposed
The tuition hike, as proposed, would raise student tuition by 6% starting in fall 2024. The money raised would help close a $1.5 billion CSU funding gap, while one third of the funds would go to student aid. CSU faces cost increases related to employee pay and maintenance, and the money would also go toward expanding student services as well, such as tutoring, cultural centers, and re-enrolling dropouts.
The opposition
A big criticism: The proposal calls for a review of the tuition plan after five years, but the proposal’s language doesn’t currently include an explicit sunset provision — meaning that tuition could keep going up 6% each year in perpetuity, some trustees argued. They said they wouldn’t vote for the proposal without adding a limit to the length of time.
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Other trustees argued the proposal should be delayed so as to gather more student input.
Effect in real dollars
A 6% increase would amount to about $342 in the first year.
About 60% of students currently don't pay any tuition because of financial aid. CSU says they don't expect that to change, because a third of the money raised would go into additional aid. About 82% of students receive some financial aid, according to the proposal.
Add your voice
Cal State has debuted a new website with information about the tuition increase. Along with frequently asked questions, the site includes an option to give feedback. Share your comments.
Student trustee Diana Aguilar-Cruz gave an impassioned speech critical of the increase, advocating for the interests of the 40% of students who do pay some amount tuition, saying many are the breadwinners in their families, also have many other fees to pay, and will ultimately be significantly hurt by the higher costs.
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Previous tuition increases have been politically charged and have faced opposition from students, staff, and state leaders. Hundreds of CSU students and employees protested outside the trustees meeting on Tuesday to oppose the increase.
What's next
The tuition increase could come to a vote in September.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
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