College Trustees Increase Fees

California State University trustees have approved increases in fees for more than 400,000 students. Today’s vote in Long Beach anticipates a loss of 60 million dollars in state support in budget cuts proposed by Governor Gray Davis.

The University of California Regents are also expected to vote today on student fee increases effective in the spring quarter. The money would help to cover an expected $74 million state spending reduction for the CSU system.

There were protests by some students today in Long Beach as the board of the nation’s largest public university system acted. The fee increases are $72 dollars per semester for undergraduates and $114 for graduate students.

In addition to the fee increases of 10 to 15 percent approved today, the 23 campuses could add other student fees.