California State University Students Protest Possible Tuition Increase
LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — A group of California State University students Tuesday will stage a protest as the CSU Board of Trustees begins two days of meetings to review the possibility of a 5 percent tuition increase.
At 6 a.m., members of a group known as Students for Quality Education occupied the meeting by gathering at the Chancellor's Office.
The students contend the cost of attending CSU increased by 283 percent between 2002 and 2012.
The board is not schedule to take any action on the tuition hike during meetings this week, however, the issue is being raised in a presentation on the CSU system's 2017-18 Support Budget Request to the state.
The possibility of a tuition hike was first raised by the CSU in September, prompting meetings with the California State Student Association and other affected groups.
The potential tuition hike would bump in-state undergraduate tuition from $5,472 a year to $5,742, generating up to $77.5 million in revenue systemwide, according to a staff report prepared by CSU Chief Financial Officer Steve Relyea and Assistant Vice Chancellor Ryan Storm.
The report notes that CSU officials' highest priority will be to advocate for increased state funding to overcome an anticipated $167.6 million shortfall.
The actual amount of the state's funding allocation to CSU won't be known until June 2017.
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