Due to the state budget crisis and the probability of the UC Regents soon voting to approve a projected fee increase, the University of California will raise fees for students attending summer school on all UC campuses.
UCSD’s summer session fees have been increased from $76 per unit to $103 per unit. Thanks to the quarter system, however, UCSD students were notified of the increase in time for summer session enrollment, while students at UC Berkeley, which operates on a semester system, were notified of flat rate increases three days prior to the first day of summer classes on May 27.
“”I am troubled that, in the case of UC Berkeley, fees were raised with very little warning and students weren’t able to plan for this increase,”” said UC Students Association Executive Director Adam Miller.
According to UC spokesperson Hanan Eisenman, the increase in fees is an issue of consistency.
“”UC’s policy for summer fees is that the fees should be comparable to fees in the regular academic year,”” Eisenman said. “”Summer session is starting soon and given the policy, the campuses have been instructed to go ahead and set fees that reflect what the regents are likely to approve.””
Eisenman cited a damaging $360 million in base budget cuts to the University of California over the past three years, and said that with threats in the state legislature of additional cuts on top of Davis’ proposal, an increase aligned with his proposal is likely for the 2003-04 academic year.
Should the regents approve fees lower than currently anticipated in Gov. Gray Davis’ budget during their meeting to take place in June or July, students who attended summer sessions will be refunded the difference, according to Eisenman.
“”We knew this was coming,”” said UCSD Interim Summer Session Director Becky Arce. “”We were given notice that things didn’t look good and therefore we published materials early in the year saying that fees were subject to change.””
Planning for UCSD’s summer session begins in November. According to Arce, details for the UCSD summer session fee increase were finalized on March 27, in time for the beginning of summer enrollment on April 14. The new fees were displayed on StudentLink, but no public announcement was made.
The UCSD summer session program has not seen an increase in several years, according to Arce.
“”With the summer session, we may see what we are afraid of in general with fee increases, in which students who plan to go to a UC for summer instruction will instead go elsewhere, perhaps to community colleges,”” Miller said. “”UCs won’t be affordable to many anymore.””
Miller also expressed discontent that the regents did not discuss summer fees at their May meeting.
Undergraduate fees were raised by a $405 annual increase in spring 2004.
The additional cuts on which the regents are set to vote in their June or July meeting would ask undergraduates for an additional $795 yearly.
The last day for to enroll in the first of UCSD’s two summer sessions is June 13. Instruction begins June 30.
