We received word from a representative of the University of California Office of the President that UC administrators will not seek an immediate tuition increase in the wake of the new state budget signed by Gov. Jerry Brown late Wednesday.
A meeting of the UC Regents is scheduled for mid-July, and it had been expected that they would raise tuition by 6%. However, the California budget includes a financial incentive by the state Legislature to avoid tuition hikes if voters approve a tax increase measure in November. As a result, UC President Mark G. Yudof has decided not to ask the regents for the increase, spokeswoman Dianne Klein told the Los Angeles Times.
You probably are already feeling like this as a grad student:
Even so, yesterday, the UC Regents passed a (gulp!) 9.6% tuition increase for the 2011-12 academic year—an increase on top of an already approved 8% increase for next year. And, yes, this increase affects both graduate and undergraduate students at all UC campuses.
At this very same meeting, the UC Regents also approved pay raises for three of its executives, two of whom are paid from state funds. Meanwhile, undergraduate education at UC campuses has more than doubled since 2005.
Student-led protests over this recent hike were sparse, most likely due to the summer break, but quite a few students and supporters showed their dissent for the tuition increase at various UC campuses and especially in San Francisco, where the Regents voted for the increase yesterday.
The UC Regents blamed California lawmakers for forcing the tuition hike, since they argued that they must find ways to compensate for a $1 billion shortfall in state funding. Yesterday’s approved increase will apparently erase one-quarter of that shortfall.
You can watch an edited version of the UC Regents meeting and subsequent press conference on these videos.
Just in, Ahmed Mostafa, our External Vice President of Statewide Affairs, sends the following message:
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Dear Concerned UCSB Student,
In June, the California State Legislature agreed on a $650 Million dollar cut to the University of California System. This caused the UC Regents to approve a 10.5% tuition increase that will take effect this Fall quarter. The State Legislature also integrated an additional trigger which would automatically cut $100 Million dollars from the UC System if the State failed to make a particular amount of revenue. UC President Mark Yudof suggested that the Regents adopt a 5.9% tuition trigger increase in addition to the 10.5% to offset the potential $100 Million dollar cut. Due to UCSA students pressuring and lobbying the Regents, the 5.9% trigger increase was tabled indefinitely.
What Can You Do?
Attend the UCSA Congress @ UC Riverside FREE/ ALL EXPENSES PAID!
If you apply by July 27 you are GUARANTEED a spot in the delegation! Applications are due on August 5.
At the UCSA Congress, student delegations from across the UC campuses come together to take part in a conference that consists of workshops, panels, strategy secessions and roundtable discussions. Be a part of the decision making process for the University of California Student Associations Campaigns for next year!
What is UCSA?
The University of California Student Association (UCSA) is a student-run, membership-based organization, with a Board of Directors made up entirely of students and student governments that aims to provide a collective voice for all students through advocacy and direct action. UCSA participates in the shared governance of the University of California system, and seeks to advance higher education by empowering current and future students to advocate on their own behalf for the accessibility, affordability, and quality of the University of California system. It is recognized as the official representative body of UC students by the California Legislature and the UC Regents. To learn about the issues UCSA worked on this past year, check out www.ucsa.org!
By Patricia Marroquin, Grad Division Senior Writer
We received word from a representative of the University of California Office of the President that UC administrators will not seek an immediate tuition increase in the wake of the new state budget signed by Gov. Jerry Brown late Wednesday.
