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Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

UC Board of Regents committee approves fee increases

Undergraduate, graduate professional students could see 15% midyear hike.

Students at UC Merced may have to pay more for their education come spring.

The University of California Regents Committee on Finance approved a 15 percent midyear hike in mandatory systemwide fees for undergraduate and graduate professional students.

They also OK'd a 2.6 percent increase for graduate academic students, effective this coming spring semester.

The committee approved an additional 15 percent increase for all students the following summer semester. Each of the increases was recommended by University President Mark Yudof.

That means UC students will see their tuition bills increase 32.25 percent by next fall.

Some student protesters, both angry and tearful, claimed the fee hikes would hurt poor minorities. Arrests and demonstrations accompanied the committee's decision.

Over winter break, fees will rise to $8,373 from $6,888 for California undergrads already enrolled this year. By next fall, their tuition could be $10,302.

The Regents' committee also approved increases in professional degree fees for 2010-11 that range from $280 to $5,696.

Student regent Jesse Bernal cast the lone nay vote.

Before the new fees are enforced, the full board of regents must accept or deny the committee's decision. They're meeting this afternoon in Los Angeles.

Several UC Merced students drove to the UCLA campus to speak to the Regents before their decision today.

"A lot of people close to me will be affected. That is why I am (in Los Angeles)," said Yurie Lee, a 23-year-old cognitive science student at Merced. "UC Merced needs to be represented and needs to show that we stand with the other student activists against this fee."

On Wednesday, the committee's vote was carried out in an empty boardroom after student protesters continually interrupted the meeting. Just before noon, university police entered the meeting room and ordered all audience members, with the exception of the press, to leave the room.

California's open meetings laws allow a governing body to clear a meeting room of all audience members if order can't be achieved even after disruptive members have been removed. Once cleared, the board can only address the issues that were included on the public agenda.

University police arrested 14 of the student protesters who'll be booked for unlawful assembly or disturbing the peace, the Associated Press reported.

At various times, the students chanted "si se puede" (Spanish for yes we can) and sang "We Shall Overcome," highlighting their argument that lower-income, first-generation and minority students would be damaged most by the increases.

Yudof said the increases were necessary because of a $1.8 billion shortfall over the past two years and the possibility of additional cuts this year. Yudof noted that some of the money from the fee increases will be used to help the system's financially neediest students.

The fee increase is expected to generate $505 million, with $175 million going toward an expansion of the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, a UC-funded financial aid program that covers all fees for California undergraduates with financial need and family incomes less than $70,000. The expansion will help an additional 800 students, according to a UC press release.

Still, some students said the sticker shock alone will keep others from applying in the future. At UC Merced, 19-year-old Veronica Kemp wore all black to symbolize "the death of diversity in our university."

Kemp had to stay in Merced for a midterm exam this week, but did participate in a protest over higher fees this past weekend with 2,000 other students at the Students of Color Conference in San Diego.

Juan Carmen, president of the student government on campus, worried about the process students would have to take on to remain in school for the spring semester.

While the university claims most students won't be hit by the increase because state and federal aid programs will pick up the tab, Carmen worried many students will still have to file new financial aid or loan paperwork to fund their second semester. (Most students apply for grants and loans once a year. Students who need those funds to cover the fee hike may fund it cumbersome to reapply, they said.)

"I worry that some students may not be able to finish their second semester because that amount was not allocated to them at the beginning of the year," Carmen said.

Heather Nardello, associated director of financial aid, said her office was already working to automatically increase financial aid or scholarships for eligible students to cover the increase. There will still be a small contingent of students on campus that will have to find funding on their own, she said.

Almost 75 percent of UC Merced students receive some form of financial aid -- more than any other UC campus.

Tensions are sure to be high before the final Regents' vote is cast today. Lee and a handful of other UC Merced students plan to arrive at campus at 7:30 a.m.

The Regents will listen to comments from the public at 8:30 a.m. The entire Regents board will tentatively meet at 12:05 p.m.

The Regents' vote came the day after California's Legislative Analyst's Office announced the state will face a $21 billion shortfall over the current and next fiscal year.

The state budget this year closed a $24 billion gap for the 2008-2009 and 2009-10 fiscal years.

In May, the Regents passed a 9.3 percent student fee increase that was already applied to this school year.

Reporter Danielle E. Gaines can be reached at (209) 385-2407 or dgaines@mercedsun-star.com.