Senate
develops resolution against student
fee hikes
By
Daniel Linck Savino
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer
The Associated Students Senate is taking an official stance against
“ student taxation” in the form of a resolution brought to the Senate
floor Wednesday.
The “Resolution Opposing Further Student Taxation” will require
ASI president Jamie Pollock to continue her work against fee increases and
budget cuts. It also formally unifies general Senate opposition to tuition
and fee hikes.
ASI Vice President and Senate Chairman Hironao Okahana sponsored the resolution.
“
First, I want all students at Cal State Long Beach to know what’s going
on, how unfairly we’re being taxed,” Okahana said after the Senate
meeting. “Second, I want the faculty, staff and administration of CSULB
to know what’s going on, how students are being unfairly taxed. And I
want the surrounding community, school board, news media, city council, to
know what’s going on ... and let them know that their legislators might
be the ones taxing students and eliminating the future of California.”
Though the resolution does not directly affect the budget process that produced
the recent 8 percent fee increase, it does show students are aware of it, said
Sen. Shelena McClinton, College of Liberal Arts. After the Senate meeting,
she described that effect.
“
I personally feel that any little bit will help,” McClinton said. “As
long as we show a consistent voice to the Chancellor’s Office and the
trustees that we’re always going to be in opposition.”
The resolution also endorses the efforts of the California State Student Association
(CSSA), which represents California State University students on a state level.
Sen. Mike Emenhiser, College of Business, described his support for CSSA’s
work.
“
I think we should give CSSA the authority to do whatever they need to do to
adequately voice students’ opposition to attacks on students by raising
tuition,” he said.
The resolution described the tuition increases as a “tax.” Okahana
said the term is used by CSSA, and was coined by Corey Jackson, student trustee
on the CSU Board of Trustees.
“
The message is that this is public education funded by public money,” Okahana
said. “But these continued fee increases—taxes—only target
the students. The public is not sharing the burden. It’s unfair, it’s
unjustifiable.”
He also urged the community at large to join the cause.
“
I want all the students, faculty, staff, administration and community to join
this message that we will no longer tax students only,” he said. “We
will invest for the future of California together.”
The resolution was set aside after a first reading. Because of that, it will
be revisited at the Senate’s next meeting, on
Nov. 30, for approval and a final vote. The Senate will not be meeting Nov.
23 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Okahana said he preferred to give the Senate more time to review the facts
behind the resolution.
“
I want them to look at the CSU budget central Web site and look at what’s
going on, how much fees have increased in the past five years,” he said. “I
want them to be educated enough that they can go talk to their constituency.”
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