Fee hike controversy heats up

CSULB has no choice: Students must pay by fall

Cal State Long Beach students will have to give up more money for fall 2000 thanks to the Beach Pride Referendum.

The referendum, which raised student fees from $7 to $28, was approved in the March student elections. But, instead of implementing the fee in spring 2001 as planned, it will take effect at the start of the 2000-01 academic year.

The change is necessary to comply with Section 89300 of the California Education Code, which states that a student fee referendum takes effect at the beginning of the academic year following its approval, said Douglas Robinson, vice president of Student Services.

"The university has had to redouble its efforts to implement this," Robinson said. "We would have had much more time to plan for it if, in fact, it had been implemented in the spring."

Robinson pointed out that the Beach Pride Referendum, a student fee increase that will pump $1.2 million a semester into CSULB athletic programs, would have to be implemented sooner than anticipated by dismayed CSULB administrators at a recent presidential cabinet meeting.

Because class schedules and registration material for the fall semester have already been mailed, the CSULB administration has to scramble to deal with the unexpected change in fees.

Information in the fall 2000 catalog has already been updated and a revised schedule of classes printed, Robinson said.

"What we've done is included information that will go to students telling them why the fee has been adjusted," Robinson said. "The university will begin to collect the increase in fees from this point on."

Students who registered through April 21 will receive an adjusted bill next month. The CSULB administration has decided to postpone billing those students who have already registered until the state legislature votes on a possible reduction in the state university fee, or basic tuition, Robinson said.

Students who register after that date will pay the additional fee at the time of registration.

"Now that we know that it's possible that the state university fee may be reduced once again, it doesn't make any sense to bill those students until those decisions have been made," Robinson said. "They could be cut a refund instead of being billed for additional money."

The state university fee is currently $414 for undergraduate students taking 6 units or less and $714 for those taking at least 7 units.

"The proposal that is floating around Sacramento is a 5 percent decrease," Robinson said. "Republicans have proposed a 50 percent decrease. It's probably going to settle between 5 and 10 percent when it's over."

John Casey, a spokesman for state Assemblyman Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, however, said the State Assembly's Budget Subcommittee on Education has ruled out a reduction in student tuition, and is instead proposing to increase funding for financial aid grants.

And, the offices for state Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Los Angeles, and the California State University Chancellor said legislative efforts to roll back tuition fees have died.

Associated Students Inc. President Toby Sexton, after being informed of the Education Code policy, presented the scenario to the A.S. Senate. The senators felt that it was unfair to students to implement the fee increase a semester earlier than expected and that it would cost too much money in mailing and printing costs.

But, according to Armando Contreras, executive assistant to CSULB President Robert Maxson, that cost would be minimal.

Assuming he had the authority to decide the issue, Sexton decided against moving up the referendum's implementation and keep it to next spring.

As it turns out, however, the university must comply with the education code. "We don't have a choice," Robinson said.

"It's one of those things that we kind of have our hands tied behind our backs," Sexton said. "I don't imagine $21 is going to make a difference either way to the students or to the athletic department."
 

STUDENT FEE BREAKDOWN:

   $7 - FALL 1999
+ $21 - BEACH PRIDE
_________________
$28 - FALL 2000