Resolved: That the Sonoma State University (SSU) Academic Senate oppose the tuition increase proposed by the CSU Chancellor’s Office in September 2016; and be it further
Resolved: That the SSU Academic Senate urge the Academic Senate CSU to oppose the tuition increase; and be it further
Resolved: That the SSU Academic Senate strongly encourage the CSU, ASCSU, California State Student Association (CSSA) and California Faculty Association (CFA) to engage in sustained joint advocacy to convince the legislature and governor to restore adequate funding to the CSU to avert a tuition increase; and be it further
Resolved: That the SSU Academic Senate urge the California State Legislature and Governor to fully fund the CSU 2017-18 Support Budget Request without the need for a tuition increase; and be it further
Resolved: That this resolution be distributed to: Governor of the State of California Speaker, California State Assembly President pro Tempore, California State Senate California State Assembly Member-Elect Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (4th District) California State Senator-Elect Bill Dodd (3rd District) California State Assembly member Jim Wood (2nd District) CSU Board of Trustees CSU Chancellor CSU Campus Presidents Academic Senate CSU CSU Campus Senate Chairs California Faculty Association California State Student Association Associated Students, Sonoma State University Editorial Board of the Press Democrat
Rationale
Under AB1307, the CSU has a mandated procedural responsibility to inform students of potential tuition increases. Consistent with that mandate, in late September 2016 the CSU proposed a possible tuition increase of up to $270 per resident undergraduate student annually, with similar increases for non-resident, graduate, doctoral, and credential students, to take effect in 2017-18. The possible increase is expected to be on the January 2017 Board of Trustees agenda as an information item, with action on the proposal to follow in March 2017.
State investment in support of the CSU has declined from approximately 80 percent in the mid-1990s to closer to 50 percent by 2016-17. CSU tuition has risen drastically to make up the difference, having doubled in the last decade. While the State of California has provided incremental increases to its investment in the CSU in recent years, state support remains significantly lower than CSU budget requests indicate is needed to adequately fund the CSU. Continued tuition increases and increases in campus-based fees have placed a significant financial burden on CSU students. Financial aid may mitigate some of these effects; nevertheless over time students have to incur more debt to afford the increased cost to attend the CSU. With inadequate state funding and rising costs, the CSU promise of quality, access and affordability continues to be under assault.
The California State Student Association and the SSU Associated Students have passed resolutions in opposition to the proposed tuition increase, as have the CSU San Bernardino (CSUSB), CSU Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) and CSU East Bay (CSUEB) Academic Senates. The California Faculty Association opposes the increase as well. With this resolution the SSU Academic Senate stands with our student and CFA colleagues and joins our CSUSB, CSUDH and CSUEB sister senates in opposition to the tuition increase. We call upon the Academic Senate CSU to join us in a strong and clear statement of opposition to the increase. And we urge the Governor and State Legislature to fully fund the 2017-18 CSU Support Budget Request without the need for a tuition increase. It is the governor and legislature’s responsibility to fund the CSU at a level sufficient to fulfill the promise of California’s Master Plan for Higher Education.
Sources
Possible 2017-2018 Tuition Proposal for Consideration: Prepared for the California State Student Association, September 29, 2016 (Amended October 5, 2016) https://www2.calstate.edu/Documents/Possible-17-18-Tuition-Proposal.pdf
CSU Budget Office, Systemwide Average – 10 Year Fee History
http://www.calstate.edu/budget/student-fees/fee-rates/systemwide-history.shtml
Letter from CSSA President, David M. Lopez Regarding 2017-18 Tuition Increase Proposal (October 21, 2016)
Link no longer available
Associated Students of Sonoma State University, Government Resolution, Stance Against Potential Tuition Increase (November 7, 2016)
link no longer available
Academic Senate CSU, AS-3278-16/APEP A Call for Increased Funding to the California State University (First Reading, November 2016)
(Not currently posted online)
CSU Dominguez Hills Academic Senate Resolution W FAC 16-19, Resolution Opposing The Proposed Tuition Increase (November 16, 2016)
http://www4.csudh.edu/academic-senate/resolutions/index
CSU San Bernardino Faculty Senate, Resolution Opposing the Proposed Tuition Increase (November 1, 2016)
http://senate.csusb.edu/Resolutions/(FSD16-04)Res_Oppose_TuitionIncrease.PDF
CSU East Bay Academic Senate, Resolution on Opposition to the Proposed Tuition Increase
(November 29, 2016)
http://www.csueastbay.edu/faculty/senate/files/docs/excom/16-17/docs/16-17-bec-7-tuition-resolution.pdf
CSU 2017-18 Support Budget Request
https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/about-the-csu/budget