By Chris Goodmacher
Daily Bruin Contributor
With the declining state economy, the University of California
will have to decide between raising student fees or decreasing the
quality of instruction, said one state official.
“A decision will be made between the two,” said Paul
Mitchell, special consultant for the State Assembly Committee of
Higher Education.
Gov. Gray Davis’ recent request for a 15 percent budget
cut from all state agencies has raised fears of extensive cuts in
the UC’s budget.
UC spokesman Brad Hayward said he agreed with Mitchell that the
regents will most likely decide between raising fees or reducing
instructional funds, but said nothing concerning next year’s
budget has been decided.
At the UC Board of Regent’s meeting Wednesday, the regents
considered various ways of dealing with the anticipated cuts, which
could cost the UC up to $450 million.
The regents discussed five options: reducing salaries for
faculty and staff; cutting summer school funding; raising
enrollment fees; imposing enrollment caps; and cutting the budgets
of specific programs.
According to Mitchell, the university has limited ways of
increasing revenues since many costs, such as the maintenance of
buildings, are fixed.
Hilary McLean, spokeswoman for the governor, said it’s too
soon to tell if Davis, who has said assuring access to higher
education is a top priority of his, will be able to keep up his
track record of not raising student fees.
For the past two academic years, annual in-state undergraduate
tuition fees at the UC have remained the same at $4,334.
But university and state officials say the budget situation is
complicated by Tidal Wave II, the projected increase of 60,000
students to the UC in the next several years.
“This is the absolute worst time for a budget short
fall,” Mitchell said.
Tidal Wave II was forecasted in an environment of stable
economic growth, but now a downturn in growth will increase demand
for higher education, Mitchell said.
Another concern raised by the budgetary problems is the
condition of The Partnership ““ an agreement between the UC
and the governor that outlines a commitment by Davis to raise state
funding to the university in proportion to the UC’s
growth.
Last year’s budget fell short of the partnership, and
there was not full funding for faculty and staff salaries, Hayward
said. With the economy as it is, many feel the state will be unable
to fulfill the partnership again this year.
“(The state) might ditch The Partnership, or it might
maintain it and reduce money from other state programs,”
Mitchell said.
UC Regent William Bagley said The Partnership is “in
limbo, floating effervescently around in the clouds.”
The budget proposals from all state agencies to the governor are
due today, but Hayward said the university is in ongoing
communication with the Department of Finance and that the
department understands the regents cannot make formal budgetary
decisions until their next meeting in November.
“Very difficult choices are involved, and no one is
looking forward to it,” Hayward said.
Any official cuts will be made Jan. 10, when the governor
releases his budget for the next year.
The UC had to deal with a similar economic situation from
1991-94, when annual in-state undergraduate tuition fees jumped
from $1,820 to $4,111.