CALIFORNIA REGENTS APPROVE MAJOR HIKE IN STUDENT FEES

by Katie Sloan

LOS ANGELES — The regents of the University of California voted on Thursday, November 19, to hike student fees by 30% between winter and summer 2010.

LOS ANGELES — The regents of the University of California voted on Thursday, November 19, to hike student fees by 30% between winter and summer 2010. Plans call for the fees to be raised 15%, or $585,  in winter 2010 and another 15%, or $1,334, in summer 2010. Graduate students will see fees rise an additional 2.6%, or $111, as well. While the increased fees are estimated to generate an additional $505 million for a university system beleaguered by budget constraints, the announcement sparked outrage among some students. There were protests at several UC campuses, including Irvine, UCLA, Berkeley and Riverside. Increases in grants are expected to cover the fee increases for 75% of all undergraduates with household incomes less than $180,000. The UC system is facing a budget shortfall created by state budget cuts of $814 million in 2008-2009 and $637 million in 2009-2010. In addition to the increased fees, the UC system has instilled a variety of measures to help balance its budget, including emergency salary reduction and furlough plans for employees, debt restructuring, lower freshman enrollment and energy savings and centralized procurement strategies.

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