SAN FRANCISCO-Rather than incorporating student fee increases into the UC System's proposed budget for next fall, the UC Board of Regents is leaving them out of the equation-for now.

At yesterday's UC San Francisco meeting, the regents voted to remove student fee increases as a source of revenue from the UC system's proposed 2009-10 budget.

Regents said they used the move as leverage to push state legislators to increase university funding and to clarify that student fee increases will be a last resort for funding. The university is currently requesting $815 million from the state, said board chairman Richard Blum.

Prior to the meeting, the 2009-10 budget proposal contained a 9.4 percent total fee increase for students, including a 10 percent increase in the educational fee and a 4.2 percent increase in the registration fee. UC fees have increased four times since 2001, more than doubling in the process.

At Blum's urging, the regents broke from their set agenda, delving into a renewed discussion on student fees.

Among the regents, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi and student Regent D'Artagnan Scorza led the charge against the inclusion of the potential fee increases.

To assume that fees will be increased next school year instead of simply asking for more state funding in the proposal sends the wrong message to students, Scorza said.

"It leaves us no room and nowhere to go," he said. "It makes it very

difficult for us to fight on behalf of students."

Scorza, however, was not opposed to the increases entirely. He proposed that the regents remove only the educational fee increase but keep the higher registration fee, which he said helps maintain the quality of campus life.

Other students said fee increases are inevitable, but noted that the

regents have considerable sway over

legislators.

"I think it's almost impossible that they're not going to raise student fees next year, especially because we lobbied the regents all of last year about not raising student fees," said ASUC External Affairs Vice President Dionne Jirachaikitti. "They weren't even close to compromising with students when we were lobbying them. I really don't think that all of a sudden ... they'll say 'We're just going to take it all out.'"

If the university does not increase fees on its end, other regents said, it may hurt the university's chances of receiving the additional funding it is requesting from the state.

"There's not a snowball's chance that we're going to be at $800 million from the state, and to additionally assume they'll give us that money and keep fees down is to work with blinders on," said Regent Judith Hopkinson.

Several regents said the university should provide updated tuition and fee estimates as soon as possible,

saying that the delay could harm families trying to plan their finances for next year.

"If we don't make some statement on student fees, families will be frantic ... parents have got to know," said Regent Bruce Varner.

One of the main proponents of freezing fees last year, Garamendi said the regents' decision signals

an important change in the budget debate.

"This is the first time I can remember that the budget goes forward without a fee increase," he said. "It's an extremely important victory for students that we start the budget debate in the best possible position."

Tags: UC BOARD OF REGENTS