SAN FRANCISCO ““ After increasing fees for out of state
students in July, the UC budget vice president suggested a general
fee hike as the University of California Board of Regents discussed
future plans during a time of budget difficulties.
Budget VP Larry Hershman also said the UC is dependent on a bond
measure that could provide up to $400 million for the
university.
The 2002-2003 state budget provides for a net $40.3 million
increase in the UC’s general fund, though the state will not fully
fund the Partnership Agreement made with Gov. Gray Davis and
several UC programs, including research and outreach. The budget
also authorized $750 million in additional cuts across all areas of
state business.
The partnership, made with Gov. Gray Davis, commits the UC to
several goals, including a guarantee of enrollment to all eligible
applicants in exchange for a steady supply of state revenue.
The regents may be discussing a fee hike by their November
meeting, said Budget Vice President Larry Hershman.
A fee increase is opposed by the University of California
Student Association and Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, a regent by
virtue of his office.
A fee increase would be harmful to the UC’s long term
goals, said Bustamante, adding that when fees go up, enrollment
goes down.
“At the moment we need a higher skilled work force. People
are talking about dropping enrollment,” he said.
The UCSA wages “a seemingly endless ‘no tuition increase’
campaign,” said Steven Klass, UCSA president.
The UC is basing its academic capital budget on the assumption
that the bond measure Proposition 47 will pass. If voters reject
the measure, the university will not receive $80-90 million in
anticipated revenues this fiscal year alone.
Passage of Prop. 47, which is on the November ballot, is
anything but certain. A field poll conducted in August found that
54 percent of Californians favored the measure, with a margin of
error of 4-5 percent.
“This is going to be a challenge … if it passes it will
be by less than five points,” said Mike Altschule, executive
director of Californians for Higher Education.
According to Hershman, the university is working with the
California Department of Finance in an effort to minimize any
future cuts in the 2002-2003 budget. Though the magnitude of any
future cuts is unknown, they are highly probable.
“There will be a significant amount of pressure on them to
make cuts,” Hershman said.
The cuts came at a time when the university is looking to
attract and retain faculty and staff with pay raises, but regents
who expect more cuts question the feasibility of this plan.
“It’s going to be painful; we’re not going to
be talking about raises,” Regent John Davies said.
The UC is 7.5 percent behind eight comparative institutions,
four of which are public, in faculty pay, Hershman said.