Student Fees

Spring
2003
Resolution Number
20.01
 
Contact
Assigned to
Unassigned
Category
Students
Status
Assigned
Status Report

Continuous in all budget/fee discussions before Consultation, the Board of Governors, and in the hearings with the Legislature.

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has consistently opposed student fees over the years (e.g., F90 12.1, 12.2; F92 13.4; S94 19.1, 19.4, 19.7,19.8; F94 20.1.0, 20.2.0, 20.3.0, 20.6.0; S95 20.1.0, 20.2.0, 20.7.0, 20.8.0,20.11.0; F98 20.01; F02 20.03);

Whereas, The 1960 Master Plan for Education committed California to provide tuition-free higher education to anyone who could benefit there from, recognizing in this promise the expression of a democratic ideal of universal opportunity and sound economic policy in the prospect of developing an educated workforce;

Whereas, The California community colleges remain today the primary gateway to higher educational opportunities for its citizens who are economically and educationally disadvantaged, the other two public segments of higher education having imposed fees and entrance requirements that exclude the vast majority of California's citizens who could benefit from higher education; and

Whereas, Fees currently collected in the community colleges are, by statute (Education Code 84750),offset by reductions to the colleges' general apportionment and are therefore direct tax on students, and if, as is currently being proposed by some, fees were instead to supplement community college revenues, the community colleges would likely follow the other two public higher education segments down the path of ever higher fees that restrict educational opportunity to the elite;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges reaffirm its opposition to student fees, call upon the Governor and the Legislature to re-commit to the 1960 Master Plan's promise of tuition-free higher education for every California citizen who can benefit there from and recognize the value to California of fulfilling this promise, both in terms of social justice and the realization of democratic ideals, and in terms of economic benefits to the state in the form of higher productivity and an increased tax base; and

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges oppose any proposals that would use student fees to augment community college revenues and that would thus increase the likelihood that fees would continually be used to compensate for inadequate state funding, with the result that a community college education would become priced beyond the means of most.