Copy fees must stay

Dear Editor,

I am writing this letter in response to your article about charging students in the lower division Spanish classes material fees. I feel the department has every right to charge students such a fee. Most students are aware that state government has put a cramp on the budget of colleges and universities throughout California in recent years.

I recently graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a bachelors degree in Spanish, and I know from experience that there is a huge amount of handouts that are necessary for enhancing a student's success.

As a prospective teacher of Spanish, I realize how expensive photocopying can be - an expense that comes mainly out of the teacher's own pocket. It is not asking too much for students to contribute $5 to help buffer the teacher's expenses.

California community colleges tack these "material fees" onto student's registration fees and are permitted to do so as long as the students receive tangible goods to take with them outside the classroom (i.e. handouts, pencils, etc.). I do not see why CSULB is against such practices.

As a current CSULB graduate student enrolled in Spanish classes this semester, I now am forced to use poorly-made handouts run off from old ditto machines because one student decided he or she is not willing to give something back to the department in return for what the department is giving to him or her. Another consequence of these actions is that instead of paying only $5 for these materials, students now have to find time to go to a copy center and pay $15 for them.

What is next? Are we now going to demand that the university pay for our textbooks as well? This is just as ridiculous as asking the university to pay for supplemental course materials. If students want to take action to avoid having to pay for supplemental course materials, then I suggest students, faculty, staff and administrators write or call state legislators. They should also contact university officials to repeal this policy.

­ Tom Beeman

Graduate Student

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