Associated Students

Resolution in Opposition to the proposed Excess/Sanctionable Units Initiative

for Higher Education

Adopted May 3, 2004

Whereas:         The Mission Statement of the Associated Students of Humboldt State University states "The Associated Students…[shall] provide an official voice through which students' opinions may be expressed;" and

Whereas:         The Governor has vigorously pursued a series of severe cuts and significant fee increases directed at higher education to offset the California budget deficit.  Within the Governor’s proposed budget is an equally detrimental initiative referred to as Excess Units, also known as Sanctionable Units; and

Whereas:         According to the Governor’s Budget Summary on Higher Education 2004-2005, “the Governor’s Budget proposes an elimination of the General Fund subsidy for UC and CSU students who take courses in excess of 110 percent of the total units required to earn their degree.  Since most undergraduate majors at CSU require 120 semester units, students would generally begin paying the additional per-unit charge after completing 132 units;” and

Whereas:         According to the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review*, “ This proposal is specifically aimed at providing a financial incentive for students who have already earned enough units for a Bachelor’s degree to graduate, rather than staying enrolled and taking additional (presumably unnecessary) courses.  If students were to pay the full cost of instruction the price tag would be approximately $7,500 at the CSU.  Both the UC and CSU seriously doubt they would be able to reap much (if any) of the $33.7 million of revenue this proposal is expected to raise. {Rather,} students would presumably graduate and/or stop taking classes if the cost were to escalate to $200-300 per unit;” and,

Whereas:         The Excess/Sanctionable Units Initiative would deter students from the potential of double majors, minors, and/or study abroad opportunities, which are deemed necessary for competitive career placement post-graduation; and

Whereas:         The Initiative’s success relies on the student’s unchallenged ability to declare a major early in his/her pursuit of a degree within higher education, and precludes him/her from the full ability to alter the declared choice and change majors; and

Whereas:         The proposal hinders Humboldt State University and the CSU from upholding their commitment to the support of life long learning; and therefore be it

Resolved:        The Associated Students of Humboldt State University is supportive of students identifying and meeting their educational goals rather than facilitating a policy that creates punitive measures against students who pursue learning above and beyond 110% of the minimum number of units necessary to graduate; and be it further

Resolved:        The Associated Students of Humboldt State University acknowledges the need to facilitate graduation in a timely manner and recommends a policy that focuses on academic advising resources such as the degree audit report, mentoring, or degree road maps; and be it further

Resolved:        The Associated Students of Humboldt State University condemns the Excess/Sanctionable Units Initiative, and regards it as a potential atrocity to learning and academic freedom; and be it further

Resolved:        That copies of this resolution shall be sent to, but not limited to Governor Schwarzenegger, Chancellor Reed, the Board of Trustees, President of the UC, Chancellor of the Community Colleges, the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, the Senate Committee on Education, the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, the Assembly Committee on Appropriations, Assemblymember Berg, Senator Chesbro, President Richmond, Provost Vrem, the HSU Academic Senate, the Statewide Academic Senate, CSSA, the Associated Students of the CSU, K-12 Superintendent of Public Education, and the Lumberjack Newspaper.

Authored by: Gretchen Kinney Newsom

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                      Christopher Cook, Representative                                                       Dusty Duley, Representative

           College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences                            College of Natural Resources & Sciences

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                  Gretchen Kinney Newsom, President                                     Kelley Kiesling, Legislative Vice-President

* Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Overview of the 2004-2005 Budget Bill, Higher Education.

   URL www.sen.ca.gov/ftp/SEN/COMMITTEE/STANDING/BFR/_home/Over04/Highered.pdf