Last fall, Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) announced student fees would be going up by $934, spread across three different categories. Next year students will only be paying 70% percent of that number, although exact figures are yet to be released.
That reduction is thanks to the Student Fee Advisory Committee (SFAC), and in no small part to its chair Andrew Nino, vice-president of finance in Associated Students.
Nino and the Student Fee Advisory Committee felt that a nearly $1,000 increase would represent a major burden on students at a school noted for its affordability.
“It is an incredible amount. And while it was discussed that about 75% of students would have the full increase covered by their financial aid … that’s still one in four students that are going to be adversely affected by this fee increase. Even if it’s not the full amount, even if it’s only $100, I mean, $100 for some students is groceries for a month.”
They advocated for a tiered increase – 60% one year, then 80%, then the full amount. The university negotiated down to the current plan: 70% the first year and then 100%.
Fees like the ones planned for next year can be proposed through either a student vote or the alternative consultation process, which unlike a vote only requires a certain amount of student feedback deemed adequate. However, a California Auditors report has noted several flaws in the alternative consultation process, where it is often used to push through fees without adequate feedback.
“As a result of flaws in the fee policy and gaps in the Chancellor’s Office’s review of campus fee proposals, campuses have not always adequately consulted with students regarding the mandatory fees the students pay, ” the CA Auditor’s report states.
Nino was one of the first to find out about the increase, shortly before it was announced. When it was, reactions varied. Some were angry about the increase in cost of attendance, but many more seemed to not know what was happening. That’s one problem the auditor’s report notes with alternative consultation- there’s no set timeline.
“We were not given an advanced presentation or really an advanced plan of action, which according to the CSU student fee policy, which is a legal document, we really are supposed to have that initial notice. Our initial notice was, I want to say three days. It was not long. It was at most a week,” said Nino.
The process lasted about two months, including multiple town halls and an email announcement, as well as a student feedback form. Attendance in the town hall sessions was notably low. Although SFAC ultimately had to make a decision on whether to approve the new fee or not, they were never given access to the results of that form, even after the decision was already made.
For Nino, it made a difficult recommendation even more so. “If we made too low of a demand the administration might fully ignore us,” said Nino, “I mean, really, it’s what can we do to provide the greatest benefit to as many people as possible and still get the job done?”
More information about the fee increase can be found on the CSUMB website.