Resolution in Support of Assembly Bill 2710 (Diaz/Liu)

Student Fees

Adopted May 4, 2004

WHEREAS:    the Associated Students is the official voice of the students of Humboldt State University; and,

WHEREAS:    the Mission of the Associated Students of HSU is to “assist in the protection of the rights and interests of the individual student and the student body”; and,

WHEREAS:    The State of California has long recognized the value of providing its citizens broad access to higher education by keeping fees at its public institutions of higher education as low as possible; and

WHEREAS:    In 2002-2003 UC and CSU students experienced a 10 percent fee increase, and in 2003-2004 their fees were raised an additional 30 percent.  Now the Governor’s budget proposes a 10 percent increase in undergraduate fees, and a 40 percent increase in graduate fees for the 2004-2005 academic year; and

WHEREAS:    California Community College Students also suffered a 64 percent fee increase last year, and are facing yet another 44 percent boost this year; and

WHEREAS:    Students attending these institutions have been forced to experience the pain of California’s budget crisis.  Fee increases should not be the way to solve the State’s deficit.  Instead, it is in the state’s best interest to maintain open access for students who seek to achieve their personal goals; and

WHEREAS:    There is an urgent need for a sensible student fee policy.  Governing boards within the legislature and the administration must be held responsible for disallowing many students of lower and middle economic backgrounds from not attaining their educational goals; and

WHEREAS:    Assembly Bill 2710 would ensure that any increase in student fees would result in a proportional improvement in academic quality and services; and

WHEREAS:    The Bill moreover states that the price of mandatory public secondary resident student fees would be set and adjusted by not more than 8% in any academic year and based only on what the average middle class family in California is able to pay without grants and loans; and

WHEREAS:    This Bill asks the Legislature and the Administration to recognize all costs incurred by the system in providing public postsecondary education and fund a percentage of the real cost accordingly; and

WHEREAS:    Lastly, this Bill would establish that any increase in fees would be accompanied with an increase in state and institutional aid; and therefore be it

RESOLVED:   That the Associated Students of Humboldt State University commend Assemblymember Diaz for his student-centered approach to addressing the needs of many students attending a UC, CSU or a community college; and be it further

RESOLVED:   that the Associated Students of Humboldt State University support Assembly Bill 2710 , authored by Assemblymember Diaz; and be it further

RESOLVED:   That copies of this Resolution be sent, but not limited to: Assemblymember Patty Berg, Senator Wesley Chesbro, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, California State Assemblypersons Diaz, Liu (Bill authors), the California State Student Association’s Office of Governmental Relations, President Rollin C. Richmond, the Lumberjack Newspaper, local media, the HSU Academic Senate and the Academic Senate, CSU

Authored by:

Manolo P. Platin, HSU Representative

California State Student Association

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Robert Read, Representative                                      Joshua Allen, Representative

         College of Professional Studies                           College of Natural Resources & Sciences

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      Gretchen Kinney Newsom, President                    Kelley Kiesling, Legislative Vice President