New budget introduces 13.8 percent tuition hike
By Marc Igler
Staff Writer
Reflecting the current national trend toward financial austerity, the university last week released its projected academic budget for 1982-83, a balanced budget introduces a 13.8 percent jump in full-time tuition.
The budget, which will be given to the Board of Trustees later this week for final approval by early June, has been designed with a new formula for charging tuition and a new' university-spon-sored financial aid program to alleviate the expected loss of revenue from federal sources.
Under the new tuition arrangement, undergraduate students registered for 12 to 18 units w'ill be charged a flat rate of 57,000 yearly, a 13.8 percent increase.
The rate for those undergraduates taking fewer than 12 or more than 18 units will rise to $237 per unit, 15.6 percent jjump.
For graduate students the flat rate will apply for the traditional 15-to
18-unit range, with the S237 price tag applying to class schedules outside of this range.
The administration indicated in the budget that particularly high inflation rates in recent years, coupled with the anticipated loss to both students and
the university of federal aid programs, forced it to make many unpopular decisions while planning the unversity's finances.
Programs in public administration, gerontology, library and information management, the College of Continuing Education, the Annenberg School of Communications and the Institute of Marine and Coastal Studies will be affected with “extraordinarily severe hardships,” members of the Resource Management and Planning Committee were told last week.
“They (the six programs) will all survive, although w’ith a considerably
The high national inflation rate was pinpointed as the major factor behind many of the fee increases.
“If inflation should again become rampant, we would indeed be in some trouble,” Pings said.
University housing rates will increase an average of 13 percent. Vali-dine meal cards will jump 8.4 percent, and campus parking rates and permits will be marked up 27.8 percent.
In countering the almost across-the-board increases in assorted fees charged to students, the university has introduced a new financial aid program estab-
University housing rates will increase an average of 13 percent, Vali-dine meal cards will jump 8.4 percent, and campus parking rates and permits will be marked up 27.8 percent.
trimmed-down operation.. .We are faced with a severe problem which cannot be ignored," said ‘Cornelius Pings, senior vice president of Academic Affairs, who presented the budget at a meeting of the Resource Management and Planning Committee.
The six programs slated for budgetary reductions were described as being overly dependent on university financing.
(oMflw trojan
Volume XCI Number 57
Tuesday April 13, 1982
lished with university funds.
President James H Zumberge, whose office has been deluged in recent weeks with letters from students who fear that increasing fees and decreasing federal support will prevent them from attending school next year, announced that S16.5 million will be available to students showing need.
The figure represents a 65 percent increase over last year, and Zumberge said that every effort is being made to "secure continued financial ability to attend the university.”
"Although such an increase (in student aid) puts an immediate strain on the limited resources of the university, the administration felt it essential to take this step to offset the abrupt reductions in federal and state aid,” Pings said.
In addition, the university will be
pumping further resources into a number of operations whose budgets w'ere previously labeled as inadequate.
Student Administrative Services will recieve an additional §600,000 for ‘‘significant enhancements,” and University Security’s budget will be increased by $700,000.
The budget for the School of Engineering, School of Business and College of Letters, Arts and Sciences will be increased from 10 to 12 percent. The budget for the School of Business provides for the addition of 18 full-time faculty members.
The increased resources in the School of Engineering will make available five new faculty positions, and LAS will receive a number of new appointments in various departments.
The School of Pharmacy will also be assisted with up to five new faculty appointments in line with a five-year plan to increase the research programing at that school.
Also, a set of senior appointments is being considered for the Department of Economics “which should bring that department into the top ranks in the nation." Pings said.
The new budget will also provide direct improvements in faculty salaries by an average of 7.5 percent.
The administration indicated that the task of balancing next year's budget was indeed difficult. As it stands now, there is a gap of $3 to $6 million between expenditures and revenue, but Pings said that “interfund transfers” have allowed the books to be balanced.
“We will close this year with the books balanced by allowed and proper interfund transfers, but that should not obscure the fact that we are spending
more th^n we are taking in,” he said.
Student senators fight tuition, parking fee hikes
By Laura Castaneda
Staff Writer
Although the Student Senate is generally pleased with next year's proposed university budget, two senate leaders said Monday that two key issues remain in dispute. The senators said they would fight the new $7,000 flat fee rate and a 27.8 percent increase in parking rates.
Student senators Andrew Littlefair and Mark Slavkin will meet today with President James H. Zumberge, Cornelius Pings, senior vice president of Academic Affairs and Jon Strauss, senior vice president of Administration, to discuss a possible compromise on these issues.
“I can’t believe that among us we can’t come up with some kind of solution that would make the increase more equitable,” Slavkin said.
Slavkin and Littlefair were also angry because the flat fee rate, which was considered only an idea before spring break, appeared on the budget proposal after the break. Students should also be given fair warning.
“If they’re going to do it, it's only fair to announce it at least a year ahead of time,” Slavkin said.
Both Slavkin and Littlefair expressed dismay with the proposed flat fee rate because they said it unfairly affects a small group of students. Slavkin explained that most students who take 12 units do so because they cannot afford to take more. With the flat fee, they will be paying S7.000 regardless of whether they are taking 12 units or 18.
“It hits on a small group of students,” said Slavkin. “It’s not fair.”
Another group of students will also be targeted, said Slavkin. These are the commuters w'ho will have to pay more for parking permits. “These students will be paying for the new parking structures,” he said.
Both senators seemed eager for today’s meeting but Slavkin admitted, “there’s hope for a compromise on the parking, but not so much on the flat rate only because it is such a huge item.”
•Slavkin and Littlefair said they want the administration to make sure all students are aware of the possible tuition and parking rate increases. “They should send something to students, make a speech, or send a press release to the Daily Trojan." he said.
Although they objected strongly to the proposed flat fee rate and the parking rate increase, Slavkin said both he and Littlefair liked most of what they saw in the budget.
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Budget committee protest fails
New tuition structure called unfair
By Charla Foster
Staff Writer
A motion to block the administration from implementing a proposed 15.6 percent tuition hike for an estimated 1/3 of the student population died before the Resource Management and Planning Committee Monday, after the committee killed the motion with a three-to-three split vote.
Part of the administration’s 1982-83 budget plan would raise tuition to $237 dollars per unit for all undergraduates registered for less than 12 •units or for more than 18 units during the fall semester. But students taking from 12 to 18 units would pay a flat fee of $7,000 yearly, a 13.8 percent increase.
Mark Slavkin, a member of the Student Senate who raised the motion before the committee, called the first plan an unfair attempt to raise revenues from a small percentage of the student population.
“What scares me is the administration’s desperation to stick it to a minority group of students. even though they realize the increase will really hurt them,” the student senator said during the meeting.
“You (the administration) have revenue problems in your overall budget plan, but so do the 2,500 students who are taking 12 units now and may be affected by this plan next semester.” Slavkin said.
The administration’s budget projections indicate that approximately 1/3 of undergraduate students will carry a 12-unit academic load and generate a maximum of $4.5 million in revenues next year.
Although Slavkin and other members of the committee suggested that the administration find other means to raise revenues, John Curry, director of the Budget Office, called any changes in the projected budget “a difficult task.”
“My view is that it is a zero-sum game at this point, and there are no magic genies that we can suddenly pull out for added revenues,” Curry said. “Any suggestions that you make now should be supported by a comparable alternative.”
In addition to the tuition issue, the committee reviewed the administration’s Parking Opera-
tions proposal for next year’s budget.
The proposal, a plan that would generate additional funds from the commuting faculty, staff and student body, mandates that parking rates will increase by 27.8 percent, bringing next semester’s parking feeup to the $70 mark.
Administrators formulated the proposal in order to pay off a $290,000 deficit in Parking Operations and, if implemented, will combine the increased parking fees with monies saved from reduced operating expenses and monies taken from the university’s general fund.
Although the committee confirmed this proposal in its Monday meeting, Slavkin and stu-
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Staff photo by Joe Fives
SPRING VISION — A butterfly alights on the petals of a flower. This idyllic moment was captured in the park next to Bing Theatre.