The University of California may drastically raise student fees as a result of the state's budget crisis. Local student activists are outraged. KPBS reporter Ana Tintocalis has the story.
The UC system could lose roughly $400 million in state funding because of budget cuts. Yesterday the UC board of regents looked at ways to make up for that loss. One option they considered is raising student fees 10 percent. That's three percent more than what was considered earlier.
UC San Diego student Lisa Chen attended the meeting. She says the governor and the regents don't realize how fee increases impact middle and working class students.
Chen : To them it only translates a couple hundred dollars, but to us it translates into 10, 15 more hours to work a week or another job or cutting back on units in order to work. So a decision of, “Am I student or a worker?” is something students are facing a lot more.
Regents are also considering putting a freeze on enrollment. They're expected decide on a fiscal strategy in March.
Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
