Proposed $978 tuition hike
At the upcoming UC Regents meeting which will take place from March 13 to 15 at UCLA, the Regents will vote on a proposed tuition increase for non-California residents who attend the UCs. The proposed tuition hike is an increase of $978 — a 3.5 percent hike. The fee increase would result in an additional $34.8 million for the UC.
In May, the Regents will vote on a proposed tuition hike of $342 for in-state students. The UC Regents were originally supposed to vote on the proposed tuition hikes earlier this year, in January, but after widespread student backlash — including at UC Davis — the vote was delayed.
In the online Executive Summary of the action item on the “Approval of Nonresident Supplemental Tuition,” the Regents are asked to approve the tuition hike “because ongoing discussions with the State are unlikely to change.” Earlier this year, California Governor Jerry Brown proposed a smaller increase in state funding to the UC for 2018-19 than expected.
“In January, the Board decided to table full consideration of the 2018-19 budget plan until May,” the summary states. “Between January and May, the Board asked for complete presentations of the University’s cost structure and financial aid programs. In addition, further discussions with the State were sought in the event that additional levels of State support for the University’s budget could avoid the need for increases in student charges that were proposed in the budget plan.”
Included in the same action item is a recommendation for a cancellation of “previously approved increases to employer contribution rates to the University of California Retirement Plan.”
The Regents will vote on this action item on Wednesday, March 14.
The student group Students for a Democratic Society is planning to hold a “Rally & Teach-in to Save Public Education” on March 14. Participants have planned to march from the SCC to the Memorial Union at noon and hold a teach-in at 12:45 p.m. at the MU.
“Education is a RIGHT!” the Facebook event page states. “#DemocratizeUC!”
Written by: Hannah Holzer — campus@theaggie.org
