When the CSU system announced it was considering a tuition increase, students were taken aback. This seemed absurd, especially considering the national discourse around the cost of college education.
Student debt has never been higher, yet a tuition raise is proposed. There should be a concerted effort to decrease the cost of college, but here we are discussing an increase as soon as next year.
At the very least, let’s maintain the current tuition, not raise it. It’s not a sustainable long-term plan to continue to gradually raise tuition.
If tuition keeps going up, college will become impossible for members of the lower and even middle-class to attend, and the barriers to get a degree will get even more difficult to overcome.
The proposed CSU tuition increase is an annual $270 per student. This would increase the cost of tuition from $5,472 to $5,742 every year. It’s important to note that tuition accounts for just a fraction of the complete costs of going to school.
A 4.9 percent increase may not seem like a lot, but when tuition is already as high as it is, any increase is preposterous. Last year, 51 percent of students graduated from Sonoma State University with debt, according to the Institute for College Access and Success. This statistic has yet to cause enough alarm to inspire action. The government can offer more and more financial aid, but that just covers up and ignores the real problem.
California State University tuition was $2,520 for the 2006-2007 school year. This means in the past ten years, the cost of attending CSU for four years has increased by twelve thousand dollars.  If it keeps going like this, in another ten years college will be reserved for the wealthy. The cost of attending college has skyrocketed and the numbers need to be brought back down to earth. The cost needs to return to a level where college isn’t one of the largest expenses a family must pay. A tuition increase would do exactly the opposite.
The logic behind the CSU tuition increase is simple. The CSU’s budget comes partly from state funding, which has dropped as of late. The CSU used to receive about 80 percent of its funding from the California government, and now it gets just 56 percent of its money from the general state fund. So, the CSU system has three options: Receive more money from the state, an ideal scenario; raise tuition, worst-case scenario; or reduce programs and services, which nobody wants to do.
It seems the California government deserves a great deal of blame for the proposed tuition increase. Shame on the California government for not funding its expansive State University system properly. Education leads to economic growth, so when the state neglects its colleges, it hurts the state.
When half of graduates have debt, this leads to economic anxiety. It’s in California’s best interest to divert more funding to the CSU system. The average debt for Sonoma State graduates last year was $20,779. The burden this creates is immense.
CSU Chancellor Timothy White defended the tuition increase in a thirteen-page document written to the California State Students Association. He wants to ensure the money “is spent thoughtfully and with student success at its core.”
Students sincerely hope this is true. After all, the burden will be on the students.
In January, the increase will be decided upon. Since it has been six years since the last tuition increase, this one will be likely approved. Let’s hope this is the last tuition increase students will have to deal with for a long time. Education should not be this expensive.
College is an amazing opportunity. For many people, it’son the way to fulfill their dreams and achieve their goals. So when the CSU system considers an increase in tuition, making it more difficult for those wanting to pursue higher education, it should bring scrutiny.