It’s as if fee increases are becoming an annual fact of life on a University of California campus.
After nine campuses rejected last year’s 32 percent fee hike with one concerted voice, after being promised that it was a one-time, long-term solution, we find ourselves in the same position: Mark Yudof is proposing an 8 percent increase in student fees, the university is increasing financial aid to soften the blow and we are being told that the increase is essential.
But there’s one important difference: Last year, the increase was in response to sharply reduced state funding. This year, the increase is due to the UC administration’s lack of innovation.
In an open letter to the UC system on Nov. 8, Yudof said the UC’s operating budget ““ which lacks state support for employee pensions, health benefits and other rising costs ““ needs financial support. In addition, the fee increase would expand the Blue and Gold Plan so families making up to $80,000 would not have to pay tuition; students whose families make between $80,000 and $120,000 per year would qualify for a one year “fee holiday” to postpone the increase.
There is no doubt that expanded financial aid is important to increase access, and the UC’s benefit plans are instrumental to attracting and retaining our high quality faculty and staff ““ Yudof calls them the “beating heart” of the UC system.
But this year, the system has enjoyed a best-case funding scenario. The system recovered $265 million in state funding, received $106 million as a one-time federal stimulus and reaped $505 million in increased funding from last year’s fee hikes. And that’s why this board finds Yudof’s proposal so bewildering. Last year the fee hikes were a desperate response to a catastrophic budget shortfall. This year, they’re a Band-Aid.
Fee increases shouldn’t be taken lightly. They fundamentally affect students’ futures, as we saw last year when the drastic fee hike forced many students to drop out and delay their education. Next year, without the breathing room provided by the federal stimulus, another fee increase is likely.
The UC needs to find ways to sustain itself without passing on costs to students. And that means making some serious changes to the way it approaches its operation. In a meeting with this board on Nov. 5, Chancellor Gene Block outlined a plan to increase efficiency on our campus. Block, who said fee increases would inevitably be a part of dealing with the UC budget shortfall, plans to increase the number of online classes, raise the enrollment of nonresident students and boost alumni donations.
Yudof and the UC Board of Regents can learn a little something from this. Whether the solution to the budget woes entails streamlining bureaucracy or unlocking earmarked funds, Yudof needs to be more creative about the UC’s budget.
The UC Regents meet today. Let’s hope they understand what the real beating heart of the UC system is: UC students.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the editorial board.