Lieutenant governor proposes long-term fee controls
Draft proposes immediate three-year freeze to avoid 30 percent
increase under Compact
By Ryan Ozimek
Daily Bruin Contributor
Although Gov. Pete Wilson recently extended the freeze on UC
fees for a second straight year, some students and Lt. Gov. Gray
Davis are still not satisfied. They are arguing that long term fee
controls are the best way to keep the costs of higher education
reasonable.
One of the greatest stumbling blocks before fee controls is an
agreement between the governor and UC officials known as "The
Compact." In the agreement, the governor committed the state to
increase funding for the UC system as long as student fees
rise.
If Wilson follows through with the pact, students could see
their fees increase by as much as 30 percent over any three year
period, a figure Davis and many student groups find
unacceptable.
In response to the contract and Wilson’s short-term commitment
to a fee freeze, Davis and others have been working on ballot
initiatives designed to curb immediate and long-term fee
growth.
"The governor didn’t come out with any fee freezing commitments
for the years following the next school year," said Steven Allen,
Davis’s press secretary, explaining why Davis would continue
pushing his initiative.
After talking with students and university officials, Davis’s
initiative is nearing completion.
The draft includes an immediate three-year fee freeze. After
that, the initiative allows – but does not demand – limited
increases at a rate no greater than the percentage of the growth of
family income for the next five years.
But before Davis’ initiative can appear on the ballot, its
supporters need nearly 1 million petition signatures.
"It’s a big job, but the initiative targets groups of people in
centralized locations," said Allen, who was confident that enough
signatures would be gathered.
But the Davis initiative hasn’t been the only fee freezing plan
introduced this year.
Throughout the past 12 months, Kevin Welner, external vice
president of the Graduate Students Association, has been working on
his own initiative with his colleague from UC Berkeley, newly
elected student regent Jess Bravin.
"The fee freeze by the governor was a nice gesture, but it
doesn’t answer all of the problems facing students,"Bravin said.
"Students are still committed to finding a fee measure that will be
used into the next century."
The pair’s plan involves more than the governor’s one year
freeze. Instead, the two want to see fees held at their current
level for the next five years. After that period, the initiative
would permit fee increases of no more than 10 percent for each
year, and no more than a 25 percent increase in any four year
period.
"Fees have skyrocketed in the past six to seven years," Welner
said. "With more money in the state budget, fees should be
reduced."
Not stopping at just reducing fees, the initiative would
increase accountability of university spending. One its major
targets is the typical high salaries of administration as compared
to the faculty and staff.
"A connection must be made between how much people in
administrative positions make as compared to faculty members,"
Bravin said.
But speaking tangibly, Bravin didn’t see his measure making it
onto the 1996 ballot. He explained the logistics of getting nearly
a million signatures and the complicated process of putting the
initiative in the correct legislative language, make the process
difficult.
Although it’s too early to tell the future of his initiative,
Bravin hoped that even if it doesn’t make it onto the ballot, the
message in it will influence the ideas of others in the student
community.
"Though our initiative may not make it onto the ballot, we’ll
keep working on it as a model for others to follow," he said.
But before Davis’ initiative can appear on the ballot, its
supporters need nearly 1 million petition signatures.
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