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Cal Poly students vote for fee increase, again

March 1, 2012

Cal Poly students voted Wednesday in favor of a proposed Student Success Fee that would increase the cost of attending the university by $780 per year, the first proposal since a 2009 attempt was shot down.

Fee increases, proposed by university officials during budget hardships, require a student vote of approval, followed by the university president’s endorsement and then the chancellor’s sanction.

In 2009, California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed informed Cal Poly President Warren Baker that he would not approve a student fee increase at that time.

Proponents of the fee increases contend the monies would be used to pay for more classes and laboratory offerings.

Opponents say the administration should cut costs by shrinking administrator salaries and monies paid to former employees for work as consultants.


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Hmm, maybe if the Governor hadn’t decided to give grants to people in our state illegally, that extra money could be used to prevent additional increases in tuition. Keep the grants available for legal residents of our state. (Tell Congress to get off their lazy political tails and fix the borders and immigration issues once and for all. Heck I say just adopt Mexico’s policies on immigration – http://factreal.wordpress.com/2010/05/08/mexico-vs-united-states-mexican-immigration-laws-are-tougher/ )


Also taxpayers should only subsidize about 50% of the cost of tuition for state colleges and universities, the students and their families should cover the rest; and since I’m on the subject in state students should have priority over students from out of the state. After all their parents are paying over half and what was it 80% ten years ago. I think we’ve earned (paid for) the right to give our kids 1st priority. If there are unused space after the instate kids have been enrolled, then open it up to others at full priced tuition.


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Why should taxpayers subsidize ANY of the cost of tuition for state colleges and universities?


Why can’t people simply pay for their own educations?


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Just the ongoing logic of privatizing public universities. Ten years ago the state picked up 80% of the tab, now it’s well under half. That means students will have to make up most of the difference. Even with this “increase” the overall budget will be lower.


That said, why do they need so many highly paid administrators? “For example, based on data in the California State University Statistical Abstract, the number of full-time faculty in the whole CSU system rose from 11,614 to 12,019 between 1975 and 2008, an increase of only 3.5 percent. In the same time period the total number of administrators rose 221 percent, from 3,800 to 12,183. In 1975, there were three full time faculty members per administrator, but now there are actually slightly more administrators than full-time faculty. If this trend continues, there could be two administrators per full-time faculty in another generation.”

http://irascibleprofessor.com/comments-07-14-11.htm


But administrators won’t cut administrative bloat. They’ll cut classes until the students scream enough to pay more. And in the end the students are right to pay up. Better than spending extra quarters waiting for classes.


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I’m not going to blame President Armstrong… because Cal Poly has pushed for fees increases for decades!


While I was at Cal Poly, I organized and helped defeat the “Cal Poly Plan” which was to raise fees by hundreds of dollars. This was after the Rec Center fee and Performing Arts Center fees already existed as they passed before my time.


We got the Vice President of the Student body FIRED due to malicious activity opposing our free speech. A long story.


A couple years after I left, they just brought the same grist back as the “Cal Poly Plan II”. Is this one the “Cal Poly Plan III”?? Who knows.


The bottom line is you cannot blame Armstrong (solely) because it’s endemic to that institution and the Cal Poly Foundation which has their fingers around more things on campus than Google has on the Internet.


It’s a money grab, and the way they get it done is to not impose the fees for a couple years so students will vote for it. Clubs, greeks and athletes are all told it’s important and they should feel obligated to vote yes so that the future of Cal Poly will be ensured. The Foundation pours huge money into propaganda and NO ONE puts any money into any sort of opposition or flyers advertising the truth or even a balanced view.


The clubs, greeks and athletes vote and not many less-involved students vote, and it passes.


It’s sick, lopsided and wrong and epitomizes what happens when you are not involved in government. Then future “citizens” pay for your apathy.


Don’t be apathetic.


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When Jeffrey Armstrong was hired by Cal Poly, the press release noted the “$200 million” he brought to the last institution he worked at. The first thing the guy does at Cal Poly (after picking up his $400k salary package) is hit up students for more money. I’m unclear as to what Jeffrey Armstrong does all day; maybe he should be out there looking for another $200 million for Cal Poly rather than hitting students up for the money.


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Why not, mommy and daddy can afford it.


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If mommy and daddy can afford it, why not make them pay for it? Why does the taxpayer have to “subsidize” THEIR educations?


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