The state commission that oversees higher education will
consider recommendations for a long-term student fee policy that
would seek to reduce the influence of politics and budgetary cycles
on fee increases.
The California Postsecondary Education Commission is scheduled
to vote Tuesday at their meeting in Sacramento on a set of policy
recommendations that, if written into law, would place more
authority over fees in the hands of university governing boards,
rather than the state legislature.
California has not had a statutory policy on student fees since
1996, and since that time mandatory fees for University of
California students have dropped by close to 10 percent.
However, the state is projected to suffer a $21 billion budget
deficit in fiscal year 2003-2004 and many expect student fees to
rise next academic year.
A budget plan approved by the UC Board of Regents in November
calls for a 6.5 percent student fee hike unless the state absorbs
the costs to be covered by fee revenue.
UC press aid Brad Hayward said at the meeting in November that
the UC does not expect the state to provide over $400 million in
requested funds.
Fees could go up even higher. At the November Regents meeting,
Regent John Davies said the board would likely consider fee hikes
much larger than 10 percent.
If adopted, CPEC recommendations would apply only to the
state’s four-year institutions, the UC and California State
University.
The CPEC plan provides for the regents and CSU Board of Trustees
to collaborate with student representatives in setting up a method
to adjust student fees.
Any process approved by the governing boards of either system
would have to follow principles outlined by CPEC.
Among their provisions, CPEC recommends to the state that fee
hikes under a new fee policy should be as “gradual, moderate
and predictable” as possible and take into account the total
cost of university attendance.
“(The boards) can’t just go off and do whatever they
want,” said CPEC chief policy analyst Karl Englebach.
The UC supports a long-term fee policy in general, said
university spokesman Michael Reese, though he did not comment
specifically on CPEC recommendations.
The university wants a more stable policy that would provide for
moderate and predictable fee increases, as appropriate, he
said.
Englebach said a long-term fee policy would reduce the influence
of economic fluctuations and resulting budget debates in Sacramento
about student fees.
“Student fees have been very politicized,” he said,
noting that fee levels often freeze when the state economy is in
good shape, and then increase dramatically in a downturn.