Cal State students can’t catch a break since the state made deep cuts in public education funding. In order to make up for the lack of money coming in, today the CSU Board of Trustees approved a 15 percent tuition increase.
The tuition hike will take form as a 5 percent mid year increase for Spring 2011 and a 10 percent increase in the fall. The current annual tuition of $4,230 will ultimately go up to $4,884.
Cal State students are protesting the hikes, which have been been steadily happening over the past year, increasing tuition 30 percent all together. The previous tuition increases have already put a strain on the students. SFSU student Jessica Wolf told KGO-TV that “I have a family, so I have made a lot of adjustments and my husband is actually taking a second job so that I could finish”.
SF State President, Robert A. Corrigan, insisted that the trustees and CSU presidents urge the state to buy out the fee increase. When an initial 5 percent increase went into effect this summer, Sacramento said they’d match the other 5 percent needed to balance the budget – but fell through on that promise.
Travis Northup, the VP of external affairs at Associated Students Inc. told SFSU’s Golden Gate [X]Press that he doesn’t agree with the Board but he’s not mad at them. He urges that “The students should not blame them either, blame Sacramento.”