In Fall 2009, the UC Board of Regents raised university fees by 32%for the current academic year. With almost no time wasted, the Regents are meeting this week from November 16-18 to discuss and vote on an additional 8% tuition increase for next school year. To UCSB students, this means an $822 increase totaling to an outstanding $11,124 annual tuition for in-state residents. Of the estimated $180 million that would be generated from this policy, $64 million is slated to go to financial aid to help students cover the impact of the fee increase. President Yudof has pushed this increase as the only alternative for preventing further layoffs, program cuts and enrollment reductions. However, there are serious faults in this proposal that jeopardize the status of students across the UC.
First off this proposed increased, like ones before it, is based on the misguided “high-aid, high-fee” model, where raised fees are said to be offset by a growth in aid. This model seriously overlooks middle-income students as well as undocumented students, both of which are forced to pay the increases but continue to have little or no access to the new aid that is offered.
Secondly, this plan promises to subsidize the 8% increase for students whose families make under $120,000, meaning that in the long run only students above this income threshold would actually be paying the increase. This creates a stratified, two-tiered system where two students would be paying different amounts to attend the same university.
Associated Students is organizing a delegation of 50 UCSB students to join the hundreds of students from across the state that will be speaking out against the new fee increase at the UC San Francisco Regents meeting. Students will be leaving early Wednesday morning on November 17 and will return later that same day. If you are interested in participating you can contact the lead organizer, Elysse Madarang, at elysse.evpsa@gmail.com.
In solidarity,
Associated Students
Office of the President
president@as.ucsb.edu 805-893-2566
Office of the External Vice President of Statewide Affairs
wagoner.douglas@gmail.com 805-893-2566